a woman handling a sheep

Fertilizer Pellets Offer Use for Low-Value Wool

Nebraska shepherds Megan Landes-Murphy and Tom Murphy found it a challenge to utilize the low-value wool from their Shropshire sheep until they purchased a pellet mill and began making fertilizer pellets from it, reports Midwest Messenger. Their company, Kestrel Ridge Pellet Co., is one of just 10 wool pellet manufacturers in the United States. In addition to utilizing the wool from their own flock, they are purchasing 30,000 pounds of second-rate wool from a local shearing crew to supply the demand for wool fertilizer pellets. The wool is first shredded, then pelletized and sorted. Like other organic fertilizers, the wool pellets provide nutrients for plants, but they also provide water retention capacity and can help deter slugs.
Related ATTRA publication: Tips for Marketing Sheep and Goat Products: Fiber