Photo: Leanna Maksymiuk
Sheep wool, when pelletized, is a useful soil amendment, researchers have found. Leanna Maksymiuk, who keeps sheep at Lone Sequoia Ranch in Canada, is part of an emerging market that diverts waste sheep wool back into the soil. After wool artist Peggy Hart had 100 pounds converted into pellets as a test run, the Western Mass Fibershed sold the pellets at farmers markets and gave some to the University of Massachusetts to test in its permaculture gardens. Hart thinks they may be able to process 10,000 pounds of wool from farmers in the surrounding area. Since Maksymiuk bought the machinery from Europe and started pelleting in June of 2022, her business Waste Not Wool has redirected 9,000 pounds of waste wool from the landfill, burn pile or general lack of use. She sells the pellets at in-person markets and online.
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