Mini & Micromills: A Practical Solution to the Fiber Milling Crisis?

Mini & Micromills: A Practical Solution to the Fiber Milling Crisis?

Thursday June 18^th at 7:30-8:30 pm EST

IMPORTANT NOTE - REGISTRATIONS ARE CAPPED AT 1,000 FOR THIS WEBINAR

One of the greatest challenges facing both shepherds and fiber artists is the increasing scarcity of fiber mills and especially those that can work with a variety of wool types and smaller batches of wool. Could small scale mills be part of the answer to address this problem? Join The Livestock Conservancy’s panel discussion on this topic and learn from the experiences of people utilizing mini and micro mills for their fiber businesses. We will talk about startup costs and the pros and cons of starting up your own mini mill business. Our panelists include:

• Donnalee Rodger whose family owns Rodger Family Farm and Fiber Mill in Lebanon, OR. She and her family helped the Brother Drum Carder Company develop some of their mini mill equipment. She has also worked for a fiber mill using Belfast Mini Mill equipment as well.
• Cheri French is co-owner of Oklahoma Mini Mill. The mill has been in operation for over 7 years using Belfast Mini Mill equipment to accommodate a wide variety of fibers.

• Kallia Walkowiak is the Vice President of Fibershed Heartland that works with producers in Illinois and Wisconsin. She has a particular interest in exploring business models for micro-mills that could benefit producers in the region
• Jeannette Beranger is the coordinator of the Conservancy’s Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em program and will help lead the discussion.