Sheep/Wool NEWS- from Roswell Wool

________________________________________ ASI Accepting Nominations for Sheep Center, ALB The American Sheep Industry Association is accepting nominations for directors to serve both the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center and the American Lamb Board. Recognized as a nominating organization by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ASI will accept applications through May 11 for positions with both entities before forwarding qualified applicants by USDA's May 25 deadline. There are two vacancies on the NSIIC board - one for a sheep producer and one for an individual with expertise in finance and management. Nomination forms for the sheep center are available at http://sheepusa.org/Resources_AlliedOrganizations_NsiicNominations. On the American Lamb Board, there are four openings: a producer with 101 to 500 lambs, a producer with more than 500 lambs, a feeder with 5,000 or more lambs and one first handler. Nomination forms are available at http://sheepusa.org/Resources_AlliedOrganizations_AlbNominations. Anyone interested in applying for either NSIIC or ALB should first consult with representatives from their state sheep association. Applications should be submitted to ASI Executive Director Peter Orwick at porwick@sheepusa.org and nominations will be considered by the association's executive board. Source: Sheep Industry News Advanced Shearing Schools Added to Schedule Watertown, S.D., will play host to two advanced shearing schools this summer with AWI Shearing Instructor Mike Pora once again making the trip to the United States to serve as the lead instructor. The schools are scheduled for June 28-29 and July 1-2. For more information, contact Loren Opstedahl at lorkatopstedahl@goldenwest.net or 605-484-3600. New factsheets show wool’s environmental credentials Many key facts illustrating wool’s renewability, biodegradability, and ultimate environmental footprint have been compiled in a series of factsheets, free to anyone wanting to know the facts and promote the natural fibre. These factsheets are a science-based resource that point to peer-reviewed, published studies. Developed to help underpin the credentials of wool as an environmentally responsible natural fibre, the factsheets cover wool’s natural production, decomposition and the measurement of the wool’s environmental footprint. With the increasing prioritisation of sustainable resources as consumer textile choice, Merino wool shines out as a leading natural, renewable and biodegradable fibre. Scientific studies are revealing that synthetic fibres such as polyester and nylon have detrimental impacts on the environment. One recent revelation is the pollution and toxicity problems caused by micro-plastic fibres in natural ecosystems. Whilst synthetic fibres do degrade with physical exposure to the elements, they never fully decompose and this causes pollution in waterways, landfill and debris. Natural fibres, such as wool, biologically degrade and return to the environment as nutrients, elements and proteins. Because of this quality, wool is considered an environmentally responsible choice in textiles. As one of the world’s oldest known fibres to be used in textiles, dating back to 1500 BC, wool’s natural and renewable production has been the obvious choice in the past and remains the choice for the future as the demand for sustainable textiles continues to increase. Wool is grown all year round by Australian Merino sheep with a simple mix of water, air, sunshine and grass. Once wool is in service in the textile industry, it has longevity of use, is reusable, recyclable and is eventually biodegradable. This versatility – spanning between the cradle to grave life of wool – lowers its overall environmental impact. As the 2014 study Biodegradability of Wool: Soil Burial Biodegradation has shown, wool naturally decomposes in as little as three to four months, returning vital nutrients such as nitrogen, sulphur and magnesium to the soil.1 The McNeil study has also shown that when wool is broken down by microorganisms the return of these nutrients to the soil can improve the dry matter yield by up to 82%.2 Instead of stripping our soils of nutrients and fertility, the production and decomposition of wool has the capacity to enrich soil and self-sustain the production cycle. Wool’s biodegradability, together with the long service life of wool garments – on average 50% longer than cotton garments as evidenced in the Neilson Company report – reflect a lighter environmental footprint.3 With greater scope in emerging scientific studies that considers the sustainability of different fibres, not just in the production phase but with consideration of the broader impact fibres have on marine life, natural habitation and environmental pollution, the story of wool can be better understood as the sustainable textile fibre that it is. Source: AWI