UVM Wool Pellets

Can you help local farmers, reduce phosphorus, and sequester carbon by doing one thing?

You can!

By giving to UVM's wool pellet research.

With your support, researchers at UVM's Center for Sustainable Agriculture will have resources needed to scale-up production of wool pellets and conduct more extensive research trials on the benefits to farmers and gardeners.

We just need your help!

Background on Wool Pellets

Kimberly Hagen and Suzy Hodgson of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture are supporting Vermont’s sheep farmers by exploring market options for raw, low-grade wool.

For decades the market price for raw wool has been below the cost to shear sheep and transport the wool. Many producers simply pile it in a corner of their barn.

But, after learning that wool could be “pelletized” - compressed into small dense shapes - the team began investigating the process and potential impact of creating wool pellets as a fertilizer for vegetables.

Agricultural and Environmental Benefits

Wool pellets have a generous amount of nitrogen, virtually no phosphorous, and small amounts of potassium (9-0-2) - and they break down slowly over the growing season. For many vegetable farmers and gardeners in Vermont this is an ideal combination!

And that means no additional phosphorus run-off into Vermont waterways!

Lastly, up to fifty percent of the weight of wool is carbon. When pellets are incorporated into the soil, that carbon stays in the ground - another incredible benefit to the environment.

The Impact of Your Gift

When you give:

• You are funding research on a locally produced fertilizer that releases nitrogen slowly and has no phosphorous;
• You are helping to create an extremely attractive and sustainable resource for produce growers to use; and
• You are helping to give livestock farmers an added revenue stream.

That's a win-win-win!