Land Stewardship

Regenerative Grazing

Sustainable land practices are key to wool production, helping the environment while keeping the land productive. Regenerative grazing, a method where ranchers move sheep to different areas to graze, allows plants time to regrow, improves soil health, and helps the land retain water. It’s like giving the land a break to recharge. This practice stores carbon in the ground, increases biodiversity by 15-25% within 5-10 years, and creates habitats for wildlife.

Properly managed grazing also reduces wind erosion by 80% and enhances water absorption by 88%, helping combat drought and prevent runoff. These practices protect waterways and maintain balanced ecosystems, ensuring both a thriving environment and the production of high-quality wool. Regenerative grazing creates a harmonious cycle where healthy sheep support healthier landscapes, and in turn, those landscapes sustain the future of sustainable wool production.

Protecting Ocean Health

Protecting ocean health is one of the many benefits of sustainable wool production. Unlike synthetic textiles, which release up to 500,000 tons of microplastics into the ocean each year during washing, wool sheds zero microplastics. Additionally, wool biodegrades naturally in marine environments within months, while synthetics can persist for 200+ years.

Wool ranchers play a crucial role in safeguarding aquatic ecosystems through practices like rotational grazing and windbreak planting. These techniques minimize soil erosion, reduce sediment and pollutants in waterways, and prevent nutrient overload that can disrupt marine biodiversity. Healthy grazing practices also help maintain cleaner water sources by reducing runoff.

Research shows that regenerative grazing improves soil stability, leading to a 50% decrease in sediment entering waterways. These efforts protect not only the oceans but also the planet’s interconnected water systems, supporting healthier ecosystems for future generations.

Carbon Sequestration

Wool production isn’t just about creating sustainable fiber—it also helps fight climate challenges through carbon sequestration. Simply put, carbon sequestration is nature’s way of storing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air in the soil. Plants and soil act like a giant storage bank, keeping CO₂ out of the atmosphere and helping the planet stay balanced.

Through regenerative practices like rotational grazing and windbreak planting, wool ranchers play a key role in this process. Well-managed grazing systems can increase soil carbon storage by up to 1.5 metric tons per hectare annually. Soils treated with these methods store 40% more carbon than those managed conventionally, while also improving fertility and water retention.

By adopting these innovative practices, wool ranchers not only produce high-quality, sustainable wool but also transform their grazing lands into powerful tools for reducing atmospheric carbon and creating healthier, more resilient ecosystems.