On November 20th and 21st, the 14th Annual Farm to Plate Network Gathering was held in Killington, Vermont. For the first time, the event included a local fiber panel entitled Vermont-based Food and Fiber- Increasing Diversified Farm and Market Opportunities. The panel featured six panelists with a spectrum of expertise in Vermont fibers- from plant to animal. Panelists included shepherd Dave Martin of Settlement Farm in Jericho, Amanda Kievet of Junction Fiber Spinning Mill, Kelly Notterman of Snug Valley Farm, Janet Currie of Villhemp USA, Travis Samuels of Zion Growers, and Laura Sullivan of UVM Extension Northwest Crops & Soils Program.
The session was well-attended by farmers and fiber enthusiasts alike who are eager to see VT farms build capacity to diversify their revenue streams. The session began with a brief history of wool in Vermont. Dave Martin spoke about Merino wool, a once a prominent industry in VT. Over the course of the session, it became apparent that gaps in regional infrastructure are a huge barrier to expansion for both the cellulosic (plant) and protein-based (animal) fiber industries. On the animal fiber side, there is a need for local scouring facilities; places that specialize in washing wool ahead of processing. Panelists also voiced their desire to generate income streams for waste wool, which would compensate farmers for wool which does not meet market standards for yarn. Two opportunities for waste wool revenue streams include pelletizing waste wool for a soil amendment and wool-based erosion barriers that can be used to prevent soil erosion and stabilize slopes in lieu of metal or plastic materials.
On the plant fiber side, a lack of processing infrastructure was also identified as a barrier to growing this industry in VT and the Northeast at large. Travis Samuels shared his difficulty with securing funding through the state (or other sources) for bast fiber processing equipment despite purchasing two large warehouse buildings in St. Johnsbury and Proctor which stand ready for next steps. Infrastructure aside, Laura shared that Pennsylvania recently managed to designate flax (another fiber plant) as a specialty crop, which will allow flax farmers in the state to access more grant funding and also insure their crops. Laura suggested that a similar measure could be taken here to further support farmers who will take on the initial risks of growing hemp and flax at scale in Vermont.
Over the course of the session, connections between local food and local fiber were enforced by the recognition that both fiber animals and plant fibers can be dual-purpose and serve as protein-rich foods as well as fibers. There was a resounding agreement in the room that becoming more climate-resilient in the years to come will mean increasing our awareness of what fiber-based materials are made of and where they come from. On a global scale today, 70% of fibers are synthetic, which means they are derived from oil, which is extracted from the lithosphere. Fibers like hemp and wool, on the other hand, are soil derived. In a closed-loop system, garments made from these fibers would be designed to return to the soil at the end of their life, and in fact, the soil wants that carbon back as a means to both sink carbon and build soil. Many thanks to Program Director Christine McGowan for setting the stage for such an important and timely conversation, and for making our hemp-based research a part of it.
