Between the climate crisis and the overuse of water in the American West, two of the largest lakes in the U.S. – Lake Mead (Nevada) and Lake Powell (Arizona and Utah) – have recently experienced their lowest levels ever. In fact, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), they’re in danger of soon reaching “dead pool status,” at which point water will no longer flow from them. This will not only render the hydroelectric power stations downstream useless, but also keep the lakes from providing irrigation for agriculture.
Most sheep production in the U.S. occurs in the West. One of the challenges of sheep farming is figuring out what to do with waste wool. Sheep need to be sheared once a year, but for many breeds the wool may only bring $1.50 or less per head (about 15 cents a pound), while it could cost $4 to $5 to shear that animal. Wool from the flanks or belly can’t be used, regardless. Because it breaks down slowly, it can also be difficult to dispose of and can eventually attract rats.
Often, when Albert Wilde and his wife went on vacation, they came back to find that her potted plants had dried out and died. Wilde, a sixth-generation sheep rancher in Utah, had an idea: He put wool in the soil of his wife’s plants. The next time they came back from a trip, her flowers still looked lush and green.
After spending a few years researching the concept, Wilde created waste wool pellets that he first sold on Amazon in 2016. Because wool can hold up to 30% of its weight in water, its application creates soil that retains moisture better and allows gardeners to use less water for their vegetation. Perhaps even more remarkable, studies from the University of Vermont confirmed that Wilde’s pellets act as an effective fertilizer substitute. Wool is high in nitrogen but low in phosphorus – a chemical blamed for the pollution of waterways. Because it takes a long time for wool to break down, it slowly releases nitrogen into the soil.
Wilde’s efforts have also inspired others. Having met Wilde at a sheep producer’s event, Alicia and Ben Rux sought to use waste wool pellets to improve the productivity of their rangeland. They bought their own pellet mill and set up 16-foot-by-16-foot test plots, each divided into four sections. One square didn’t have any wool pellets added to it, while the others had 1 pound, 3 pounds and 6 pounds, respectively. The Ruxes’ hypothesis was confirmed: The more pellets spread on the ground, the healthier the grass. One test section included irrigated oats, in which the results of the wool application was particularly impressive. Alicia and Ben have since set up their own company to sell wool pellets as a soil additive and hope to grow to a scale to benefit other local sheep ranchers as well.
The concept of using wool to improve local water systems has recently expanded to include using “pillows” in stream beds to help retain water and reduce erosion. Becky Weed in Belgrade, Montana, and Linda Poole in Malta, Idaho, watched the creeks on their land get deeper as more sediment was transported away, worsening the soil profile around the banks. Additionally, more and more of the needed rainwater flowed downstream, creating increasingly arid conditions. Taking a cue from beavers, these women installed wool mats around fallen trees or on the bottom of the creek bed. The experiment was successful: Thanks to the absorption of the wool, more rainwater stayed in the area, improving the local hydrology and lessening erosion.
The success of the re-appropriation of waste wool into products that can fight water shortage has been driven by the LOR Foundation. Based in the Mountain West, the LOR Foundation works to improve the quality of life in rural places by funding projects initiated by those living in small towns and the surrounding countryside. To date, they have supported 952 projects, from providing a medical equipment washer for a hospice service to connecting professional artists with youth in an effort to turn a town’s dumpsters into functioning art. The LOR Foundation has provided financial assistance to the individuals listed above, including paying for machinery and financing research, to help turn waste wool into a scalable solution that addresses two major problems at once. Alex Dunlop, LOR’s chief business development officer, suggests that “the wool-related projects were some of the most innovative and showed promise as creative solutions to how water is used in the Mountain West.”
At the moment, most commercial sales of wool pellets are to organic gardeners and hobbyists. However, those in the young industry are hoping the product will see more widespread application in agriculture, especially as word continues to get out about its advantages and more research continues to support its efficacy. With the consequences of large-scale shortages looming in the West, such solutions will be imperative in managing future water supplies.
