By Esha Chhabra, Fibershed
Nathanael Siemens wants to bring regenerative and organic cotton to the San Joaquin Valley. He spends his mornings just walking the fields, trying to figure out what to do next, how to overcome the challenges that he faces daily from weed control to irrigation to simply getting a hold of enough seeds.
By Esha Chhabra, Fibershed
There is ample evidence that some level of cotton production could fit into an ecologically sensitive farming system, yet the future of this crop in our climate relies on re-building organic matter, carbon levels, and dynamic microbial communities in the soil where the cotton is grown.
By Sasha Wirth, Fibershed
Around 300 visitors have come to UC Elkus Ranch in Half Moon Bay for its annual Sheep to Shawl event when the farm gates are opened wide to anyone interested in getting a glimpse of the agrarian life.
By Marie Hoff, Fibershed
Many people do not grow up around sheep, unlike say dogs or cats. There are expectations and etiquette surrounding the way people treat sheep, just the same as there are for dogs and cats, but for sheep, the practices can be slightly different.
By Marie Hoff, Fibershed
Despite numerous farming and crafting projects, from fiber to culinary, Rhoby’s Ranch is not hectic. There is a serene quality in the air. Everyone is working together: the sheep, the geese, the dog, the shade tree, the hugelkultur, the hedgerow, the grasses and microbes, the soil — and everyone helps each other work.
By Kalie llana Cassel-Feiss, Fibershed
Gracefully bringing together all the elements of locally grown, milled, and made organic fabric, Lydia Wendt's work takes shape with California Cloth Foundry: textiles and apparel in collaboration with nature.
By Jess Daniels, Fibershed
Inside our own closet is one place we may begin to make changes that will have lasting impacts on our biosphere, climate and personal health, and for this reason we created the Fibershed Clothing Guide to share a menu of actions and options.
By May Reid Marr, Fibershed
Alison is equally dedicated to breeding preservation, quality wool production, pasture management, community building, agricultural education, and being a business owner. She manages to attend to each priority with grace and aplomb.
By Heather Fordham, Fibershed
A few miles south and across the California border, I had just seen raw, local wool being carded and made into batting at Woolgatherer Carding Mill, then stuffed and hand sewn into mattresses, toppers and pillows to be sold by Shepherd’s Dream.
By Marie Hoff, Fibershed
A fascination with intricate mathematical patterns and natural systems flow through Joan’s passions of farming and weaving. At her 6 acre farm on the northern edge of Petaluma, Joan, along with her husband Allan, and son and daughter-in-law, raise sheep, cattle, fruit trees, vegetables, wine grapes, California native plants, blueberries, natural dye, and olive trees.