Montana wool: not just for clothes any more

Montana researchers look at how wool can be used for soil health

Montana was once a sheep state.

When Montana was being settled it was sheep, not just cattle, that Montana ranchers used for for income.

Now, researchers at Montana State University are finding that nitrogen-rich wool can be used not just for clothes, but for soil health.

Nitrogen is a key nutrient in many commercial fertilizers and without supplementation, crop production often removes soil of its natural nitrogen stores. By using waste wool – material from the belly and hindquarters of sheep that is often not accepted by processors and ends up being thrown away – producers may be able to repurpose a waste product, and reduce dependence on synthetic fertilizers.

Wool can hold up to 35 percent of its weight in water, so incorporating it into soil as wool pellets or mats can keep water in the soil longer and reduce the need for irrigation.

“We’ve really just scratched the surface of wool’s uses,” Brent Roeder, Montana State University's sheep expert, said in a recent article in Time Magazine.

Roeder's work to explore novel uses for wool was highlighted in the story.

The story highlights wool producers and scientists who are advancing knowledge and developing products that capitalize on wool’s ability to retain water and its high nitrogen content.

MSU Extension office is looking at how the impact of wool pellets on crop production and water retention on large Montana farms.

More information about MSU sheep and wool research can be found athttp://www.montana.edu/woollab.