Progress report for FNC24-1434
Project Information
Whitney Schlegel: Partner Farmer Rancher/ Project Coordinator, Marble Hill Farm, Bloomington, Indiana
Whitney Schlegel’s role in this grant project is to serve as a partner in the exploration of wool pellets as a soil amendment for specialty crop growers and sharing what is learned with the local farming community. She will be responsible for the livestock element of this project, including, the acquisition of wool and production of the wool pellets. Whitney will serve as the project coordinator and together with the team will keep records, report findings, organize and participate in a field day and share the project at conferences and meetings.
Marble Hill Farm is a 150-acre diversified livestock farm in central Indiana owned and managed by Whitney and Kip Schlegel. From its modest beginnings of six low-line Angus cows in 1997 the farm has grown to maintain a herd of 40 Angus beef cattle, 140 Shetland sheep and 250 laying hens all managed in a rotational and regenerative grazing system. We sell grass-finished beef, pasture-raised eggs and Shetland wool products at a variety of different local markets and online. Our Shetland wool is processed into yarns, roving and wool products for retail sale. Much of the white wool is hand dyed using plants and flowers from the farm. We have spent the past two decades working to improve soil health and to ensure clean water for growing pastures lush with nutrient rich forages allowing for both our animals and our soil to thrive. We share our connection to the land by opening the farm for educational programs for children and adults alike.
Jonas Carpenter: Partner Farmer Rancher, Mavourneen Farm, Bloomington, Indiana
Jonas Carpenter and his wife Rachel Beyer started Mavourneen Farm together in 2015. Their certified organic plant nursery & vegetable operation is rooted in concern for the Earth, valuing food and farmers, and the creation of greater health and beauty. They sell their products at farmers’ markets and farm stops in the Bloomington, Indiana community. Jonas has a background in greenhouse management, permaculture design, and ecological landscaping. Mavourneen will serve as a demonstration site for this project, assessing wool pellets as a soil amendment for broccoli, brussels sprout, and kale production. Jonas will oversee the preparation, maintenance, harvest and record keeping for the demonstration beds on the farm, and then host a field day and participate in a conference panel to share about the project outcomes.
Shearing is a necessary step in the husbandry of sheep, required for animal health and welfare. Since 1994, the market price for wool has been dropping, now below the cost of shearing. If not utilized in small batch wool niche markets, limited by availability of fiber mills, and with few wool buyers in the North Central Region (NCR) wool piles up in barns or is dumped in sink holes and woods. Waste wool from farm sources is increasingly considered a potential fertilizer source and mulch, improving soil water holding capacity and soil health. Integrating animal and plant growing systems shows promise toward mitigating the impact of agriculture on climate change. The application of wool has been observed to have a beneficial effect on soil quality and plant performance with few negative effects; yet, there is still much to be understood with regards to application rates and timing for specific crops and soils. Field trials around the globe and in the Northeast and Southwest United States have begun to evaluate the effects of wool pellets and other waste wool products on the growth and productivity of field and high tunnel grown specialty crops; however, knowledge and application of wool pellets in growing systems is very limited, especially in the NCR.
Wool Pellet Specialty Crop
Project Overview and Timeline (Project Work Overview and Timeline, PDF)
This demonstration and education proposal aims to apply wool pellets as a soil amendment in organic specialty (vegetable) crop growing systems. The farmer team will explore how wool pellets fit with current management practices and can be used to meet soil nutrient requirements for organic crops. The results from this on-farm implementation of wool pellets in growing melons, potatoes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and carrots in the field and kale, spinach, peppers and beans in high tunnel production systems will be shared during field days, conference presentations, web and social media outlets and in publications. Additionally, videos will be produced and photographs taken to facilitate sharing and learning about wool, pelletizing wool, application of wool pellets as a soil amendment and the influence of wool pellets on soil health and crop production. Importantly, this project also seeks to understand how wool pellet application fits and compares with existing growing practices. The farmer rancher team believes that in order for there to be adoption of new management practices in farming systems that they must be applied and shared locally/regionally farmer-to-farmer so as to facilitate innovation and new management practices that can be applied on each unique small farm.
Objectives:
- Local integration of animal (sheep wool) and plant (vegetable) systems
- Demonstrate the potential for reducing wool waste and providing value added product for sheep producers
- Provide for enhanced soil nutrient cycling in organic specialty crop systems using wool pellets
- Evaluate and share best management practices for wool pellet integration with specialty crop growing systems
- Demonstrate production and implementation of wool pellets in organic specialty crop production for sheep producers and specialty crop growers.
A figure provides an overview and timeline for the three phases of the project work plan (Planning, Implementation with Demonstration, and Dissemination).
Cooperators
- - Producer
Research
1. Marble Hill Farm Production of Sheep Wool Pellets (Wool Pellet Process Brief)
2. Mavourneen Farm (Reflection on planning, implementation and data collection)
- Planning involved a series of meetings to discuss the project concept, goals, and measurable data targets. We did some special calculations to figure out how much wool pellets we would need at different planting times throughout the year, so that there was enough time to make the pellets in advance.
- Implementing took a minute to get rolling. We had to set aside time to figure out how to use some of the measurement tools (tensiometer, sensorpush temp/humidity loggers) and then get them out to the appropriate locations in the field. We created a spreadsheet with each crop, dates, the different variables being measured, notes, etc. Getting set up to start collecting data took longer than expected– the pivot to have the system in place was the biggest hurdle. This meant we were late in starting to collect data for melons and potatoes.
- Data collection was collected by a farm crew member, who set aside time each week to go out to the field and record numbers, move the tensiometer if needed, take photos, and make observations. Because it happened on a routine schedule, this weekly data collection was easier than harvest data collection. For harvest we had to be careful to harvest into separate bins for control and treatment and keep the weights recorded in a special place. We added Brix testing to look at harvest quality. The Brix testing and gathering soil/tissue tests were challenging because they were activities outside our normal flow.
We provided the following information about our project as a handout during our Field Day on October 20th. This included our methodology and results from our potato harvest on Marble Hill Farm and Mavourneen Farm.
Farmer Rancher Grant Data Potato
Data collection for our final crops has just concluded and analysis of all data collected during the Summer/Fall 2024 growing season is ongoing at the time of this report and will be shared at the upcoming Small Farms Conference, March 5th, 2025.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Education and Outreach activities for this project have included:
- Presentations
a.) Indiana Sheep Symposium Speaker: September 21, 2024
--Slides from the Presentation
There were ~80 people in attendance at this annual meeting. The opportunity to make an presentation brought a lot of wonderful ideas and discussion. Sheep producers and shearers are anxious to find a market for their wool and are excited about wool pellets as a value-added product. This presentation provided an opportunity to share the importance of considering the product users and how we can build partnerships and collaborations to better understand the applications, benefits, and cautions for using wool pellets in growing systems, Additionally, other uses for waste wool were explored and excited the group for the future of wool in Indiana and the NCR.
b.) Hilltop Garden Club, Bloomington, IN - May 2024
This presentation was to an audience of Master Gardeners interested in ways of cultivating healthy soils without chemicals. A theme that emerged from this presentation was the excitement for contributing to new understandings/knowledge. This group was eager to become part of a citizen science project utilizing their own gardens and the gardens at Hilltop.
- Workshops
City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Community Gardens - July 2024
This outreach event, Using Wool Pellets to Boost Garden Health, was attended by 12 participants and was held at the Willie Streeter Community Garden. This event offered an opportunity to contextualize wool pellets with the 4 principles of soil health and best practices for healthy soil (e.g. cover crops). This event too generated a lot of interest in participating in citizen science projects with wool pellets. In Summer 2025 a citizen science project at the community gardens is being sponsored by the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.
- Field Day - October 20th, 204
Our Field Day was offered in partnership with Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District and held on both Marble Hill Farm and Mavourneen Farm. We had 25 participants, including farmers, sheep producers and agriculture professionals. The process for making wool pellets and information about wool pellets was shared at Marble Hill Farm while at Mavourneen Farm we shared growing systems with wool pellets and farmer experience with implementing wool pellets in growing specialty crops. The information provided during this Field Day is included with our results section. A participant evaluation was offered and the results from this are being synthesized.
- Participation in Agriculture Events
Indiana State Fair - Demonstration in Sheep Barn outside Wool Room: August 2024
This opportunity allowed for demonstrating wool pellets and sharing information about their use in growing with a broad audience, the general public, ag professionals, sheep producers, backyard growers and farmers.
- Hosting Farm Tours
a.) Indiana University Class - Sustainable Agriculture (Professor James Farmer) - October 2024
30 students from Indiana University spent the morning on Marble Hill Farm learning about sustainable agriculture practices on a diversified livestock farm. Wool pellets and our Farmer Rancher Grant work were shared with these students, many who will go on to jobs in natural resources, conservation and agriculture.
b.) Indiana State Department of Agriculture - September 2024
The Indiana State Department of Agriculture hosted the National State Departments of Agriculture meeting this year, 2024, in Indianapolis. They offered tours of local farms and we were honored to be a host farm. 25 people from different states, some as far as Hawaii and Alaska, toured our farm and learned about wool pellets. They took back with them information and samples of wool pellets to share with people of their home state. There was tremendous enthusiasm!
Visit Itinerary
10:00 – 10:25. Gather in New Barn for Coffee and Pastries
(Scholars Inn & Brown County Coffee)
-Share our farm history and mission (timeline)
-Slake Test (soil health)
10:25 – 11:20 Bring your Coffee and Walk down to Sheep Barn and Activity
-Share pasture/grass farming, rotational grazing, Shetland sheep, soil health and the many partnerships it takes to grow and share a connection with the land.
-Sharing our farm with youth
-Natural Dyes
-Wool Products, Fleece
-Activity; Conversation while we make a dryer ball.
11:20- 11:30 Walk to Chicken Pasture and Growing Spaces
- Pasture -raised eggs
- High tunnel and field growing
- NCR SARE Farmer Rancher Grant
11:30 – 11:55. Wool Pelletizing System/ Soil Health and Sheep
- NCR SARE Farmer Rancher Grant
- Take home some wool pellets and try them out for yourself
12:00 – Depart
c.) American Farmland Trust - January 2025
The Midwest Team of the American Farmland Trust held their annual retreat in Indiana this year and asked our farm to host an afternoon in the farm. We were delighted to share our farm and our new ag operations barn, insulated with wool, with them. We had an opportunity to spend time learning about wool pellets and the research we have been doing in partnership with Mavourneen Farm. We invited many of our partners in conservation to join us, including those from USDA, NRCS and local land trusts.
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Itinerary for AFT Visit |
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1:30-2:15 |
Walking tour of farm |
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2:15-3:00 |
NCR-SARE Wool Pellets |
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3:00-3:30 |
Break and Dryer Ball Activity |
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3:30-4:15 |
Farmland Protection Panel Discussion |
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4:15-5:00 |
Smart Solar, Agrivoltaics and Farmers Powering Communities panel discussion |
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5:00-5:15 |
Farm Store |
- Consultations with Sheep Producers, Sheep Shearers and Farmers
As an active member and board member of the Indiana Sheep Association we have been working to grow an understanding of the benefits if wool for the soil. Presentations about sheep wool pellets have led to consultations with shearers looking to offer the producers they shear for a market for their wool and what role they can play in growing a local wool pelleting network that seeks to partner waste wool with growers to enhance soil health. Workshops, presentations and information provided to farmers has led to consultations with growers about the application of wool pellets and future particiaption in research and education efforts.
- Press Releases and Articles
Ambrook Research: Article: Sweaters for the Soil
The Farmer's Exchange: Boost the Soil with Wool
Future Plans for Communicating Results include farm tours, citizen science projects, workshop series with local parks and recreation community gardens, webinars and conference presentations.
Learning Outcomes
Growing with Sheep Wool Pellets and Participating in On-Farm Research - Reflections by Mavourneen Farm
What are some things you learned from this grant?
- What it is like to integrate more formal research into our farm operation.
- Learned more about sheep and the wool industry.
- Discovered new tools for measuring soil moisture and tracking temperature in our fields and greenhouses.
- Saw first hand how waste wool has comparable nutrient availability for maintaining vegetable plant health as chicken manure
How has this project affected your farm operation?
- This project took a lot more time than we expected. We always have a lot of moving variables that we manage every day but tracking data and setting aside time for meetings was challenging/overwhelming at times.
- We did have to spread the wool pellets by hand during bed prep, since they would not go through our spreader. This didn’t take much extra time/effort for the few treatment beds but would be challenging if we were going to fully replace our other fertilizer with wool pellets.
- Yield was lower for the treatment beds in most cases (kale & spinach are still being measured) so this did = potential lost revenue for this first year of the project.
- Crop health between our treatment beds and control beds was comparable. This was significant and very exciting to see.
- In many ways it was fun and interesting to add this research component to our work.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing this project?
- Definite positive value in collaborating with neighbors.
- Positive value in having the opportunity to experiment with using a soil amendment that is produced near our property by neighbors who take excellent care of their animals.
- Potential long term soil health benefits that we may not have been able to see in year one of this project.
- Primary disadvantage has been the time it has taken to add this research work to our load.
If asked for more information or a recommendation concerning what you examined and learned during this project, what would you tell other farmers or ranchers?
- Look at the possibility of mixing wool pellets with other ingredients to provide more complete nutrition for vegetable crops, so that yields are comparable to chicken manure.
- Explore possibilities to improve spreadability.
- Explore production methods to make wool pellets more affordable. At the current price points we are not sure wool pellets are a viable financial option for our business. Below are compared rates of fertilizers.
- Budget additional time for data collection/organizing and meetings.
- Assess how many data points and treatment crops are necessary for valuable results. Maybe just do one or two crops with multiple beds or fewer points of data collection overall? Or explore how to automate more data collection.
- Include all project partners on communication from SARE so that we are all aware of timelines/reimbursement schedules/reporting requirements, etc.
- Overall this was a very positive experience and it felt valuable putting efforts towards this research. Soil health and regenerative/sustainable practices are key to our operation and this project shows great potential. Relying on CAFO chicken operations for our main fertilizer base has never felt good to us and is something we want to move away from. Wool pellets offer a potential path forward.