What does it look like when wool production contributes to resilient landscapes and communities?
How could this shape farms, gardens, and landscapes?
Delivering Economic Viability
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The wool economy has been around in New Mexico for 550 years with the Churro sheep. Historically , the churro supplied everything families needed: wool for clothing and weaving, meat and milk. They were light on the land but most importantly, were the only livestock that survived the journey on the Camino De Real trail which spanned from Mexico City to Santa Fe.
By the 1920s, the push for a more commercialized sheep was entrenched throughout the Churro homeland and families were not seeing the economic benefits of a small landrace with wool that was not like the European breeds popular in the US.
Climate change is now changing the way we view the land and livestock.
Grazing sheep can restore soil health while processing wool from raw fiber to finished product can revitalize regional manufacturing.