WHAT DOES THE MONTANA WOOL LAB DO?

The Montana Wool Lab, housed in the Animal and Range Sciences Department at MSU in Bozeman, turns 75 years old in 2022. The lab serves sheep and wool producers throughout Montana and the region and is a central point for research, testing, teaching and Extension outreach for the MSU sheep program. Currently, the lab is one of only two university wool research and service laboratories in the U.S., and analyzed 15,000 fiber samples for producers and researchers in 2021. This analysis allows wool producers to make decisions that improve future wool quality and profits. The analysis also helps producers sort wool so it can be used in different products.

a bag of white wool

Photos: Erika Malo, MSU Extension

The MSU Wool Lab helps producers access growing consumer demand for U.S.-produced, sustainable wool products. With the help of the lab’s testing and research capabilities, one grower reported their company increased the return on their wool by forty-fold when compared to selling through normal commercial channels. While the lab was not directly responsible for the whole increase, it plays an important role in the process for this now multi-million-dollar Montana company. The lab also plays a role in adding value to the Eastern Montana Consolidated Wool Pool. The wool marketing cooperative facilitated by MSU Extension and the MSU Wool Lab has organized delivery, sorting, shipping and marketing of 4.7 million pounds of wool from small- and medium-sized growers since 2002.

a man is demonstrating a test done to the wool

Photos: Erika Malo, MSU Extension

By helping producers build and sustain profitable sheep operations, the Wool Lab contributes to sustainable rangelands throughout Montana and the region. Sheep can be used for grazing invasive weeds and wildfire-prone landscapes while still producing wool. Montana’s pristine waterways benefit from wool production, as wool is naturally biodegradable and extremely durable, while research has proven that plastic microfiber contamination occurs from washing
synthetic clothing.

Wool producers can contact the Wool Lab for sampling, testing, and scouring wool clips and fleeces ([email protected] or 406-994-2100). In 2021, the Montana legislature appropriated five million dollars in funding to build a new wool research lab on the campus of MSU Bozeman to serve Montana and U.S. producers for the next three generations. The appropriation requires the MSU Foundation to raise one million dollars in private equity. For more information about the MSU Wool Lab, and to find how to support the MSU Wool Lab and U.S. grown and sewn, environmentally-friendly fabric, go to www.msuaf.org/woollab.

a women is demonstrating some wool tests

Photo: Brent Roeder, MSU Extension

 

Brent Roeder is the MSU Extension Sheep Specialist;
Liz Maxwell and Sarah Maninger are co-managers of the MSU Wool Lab.