WINDOW ROCK Ariz. – Trucks, trailers and cars loaded down with large bags of wool backed up to the doorway of Nakai Hall at the Navajo Nation Fairgrounds waiting for their wool to be unloaded and weighed.
Burlap sacks and plastic trash bags covered the floor to be sorted.
Last week, July 16-18, the Navajo Nation Department of Agriculture held a wool/mohair purchasing event to help hundreds of Navajo sheep raisers and wool growers get paid for the wool they’ve accumulated.
The department was joined by staff of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Diné College, Navajo Nation Division of Social Services and the Navajo Department of Health.
Over four days, 641 producers brought nearly 150,000 pounds of wool and mohair to earn $118,000.
“This event is the first of its kind and a promise kept to our elder sheepherders,” Navajo Nation Buu Nygren said. “They shared with me the importance of sustaining wool. Our sheep are sacred because they provide us with the food we need, clothing and an income for us to survive.”
As wool was unloaded, agriculture department staff separated it based on coarseness and texture to sell it to wool distributors.
Navajo Dept. of Agriculture Director Jessie Jim said she wanted to use the event as a teaching tool and to gather data on the breeds of sheep now being raised on the Navajo Nation.
“There are certain breeds of sheep used for meat production,” she said. “Some are for wool, and it just depends on what you want to do with your herd.”
She said much of the wool arrived in big trash bags. However, plastic bags don’t allow wool to breathe and may result in rotting, she said.
Wool traditionally has been stored in burlap bags. Now, breathable mesh or plastic bags are available for their storage.
This wool/mohair buying event solved a long-standing issue for sheep producers. For years, they have not had many places to sell their wool. They’ve seen market prices drop so it was not worth the cost to haul the wool to market.
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