Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
When you develop a following of customers who appreciate the quality
of your products, you won't need signs. If you sell high-quality wool, meat,
and other products, you will have regular customers, and they will tell their
friends.
Your Farm on the Web
Ten years ago setting up a Web site was a somewhat onerous task that required
a working knowledge of HTML (a.k.a. hypertext markup language), the pro-
gramming language behind the World Wide Web. Today there are lots of eas-
ier options for those who don't feel comfortable starting from scratch. But one
thing is for sure: If you are marketing farm products, you should have some
SHEPHERD STORY UPDATE
Wool as Art
L
ISA MERIAN WAS BORN AND RAISED
on a New York state
dairy farm where she now raises mainly crossbred sheep for their fi ber,
including Corriedale/Rambouillet/Finn crosses, Border Leicester/Finn crosses,
some Cotswold crosses, and some Dorset crosses (for meat). Lisa also runs a suc-
cessful, wool-based business. Her business grew out of her interest in fi ber arts:
“I was fortunate; while I was still in high school, I was encouraged to do inde-
pendent study in fi ber arts. I took classes that were offered at nearby colleges
and art schools. I was given the opportunity to study under different people,
including Paula Simmons.”
Today an important part of Lisa's business is teaching classes and attending
wool shows around the country. She sells about three-quarters of her fi ber
through these venues, but she also sells art pieces and commission work (for
example, she creates special-order hand-knit sweaters and felted wall hangings),
and she sells quite a bit of processed fi ber to other fi ber artists. “Hand-dyeing
and creating special blends from my fi ber has become a cornerstone of my busi-
ness,” she says.
Obviously, selling fi ber to dye-hard fi ber artists means that fl eece quality is a
big issue for Lisa's enterprise. Intensive skirting and keeping the sheep in clean
surroundings are the two strategies she uses to achieve quality.
“Some people rely on sheep coats,” she said, “but I found they didn't work
well for me. The sheep seemed to get caught up in them or tear them off. They
were high maintenance.
