Team USA Wears Wool From American Family Sheep Ranches

Originally published at hereisoregon.com.

Born on the Oregon Trail, pioneer Richard Hinton came to the high desert of Central Oregon in 1871. He staked a homestead claim and began raising sheep. More than 150 years later, the ranchers still raising sheep on Hinton’s land provide wool to outfit Team USA Olympians and Paralympians.

“We’re still pioneers,” said Jeanne Carver of the Imperial Stock Ranch near Maupin, Oregon, site of Hinton’s original homestead.

“In 2017, our ranch became the first ranch in the world to become Responsible Wool Standard-certified. That means we voluntarily participate in a third-party audit to verify our care of the land, the animals that graze it, and the people who tend both.”

Carver leads Shaniko Wool Co., a company she established in 2018 as a farm group that today consists of eight family ranches in Oregon, California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. These ranches sustain more than 1.5 million acres and produce 225,000 pounds of Responsible Wool Standard (RSW)-certified wool. She established Shaniko Wool Co. to scale the supply of RWS certified wool for U.S. brands who make products in America.

Shaniko Wool Co. is also setting new standards in measuring impacts on our ecosystems.

At Imperial Stock Ranch, Carver has data measuring the climate impact of the ranch. By next year, she’ll have data from all the other Shaniko Wool Co. ranches. Carver recently presented at a global conference about this Carbon Initiative.

“We know Imperial Stock Ranch is increasing our soil organic carbon by approximately 2 tons / acre / year on our entire operation, meaning, rather than adding to emissions, we’re helping clean the atmosphere by putting carbon into our soil.” she said.

Carver and her late husband, Dan, produced wool from their ranch for years. Then, a vacuum-like surge of offshoring textiles in the 1990s put 26,000 sheep ranches in America out of the sheep business. To maintain sheep production, the Carvers had to adapt their business model. From ranch wife to supply chain expert, Carver transformed the business from a raw wool commodity model into yarn and textile products.

“I used to say if only someone would come down this dirt road and find out about this work,” Carver said. “Then Ralph Lauren called.”

The Ralph Lauren Corporation is the official outfitter of Team USA for the Olympics. For the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, the company was seeking American-made products for the team outfits worn in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

Carver is now on her third Winter Olympics as a supplier of wool. Team USA’s 2022 Winter Olympic beanie hats and sweaters are made with wool from Shaniko Wool Co.

“Every family in our farm group has been raising sheep for more than 100 years,” Carver said. “These matriarchs and patriarchs who kept their ranches going are so proud to be part of supporting Team USA; they get tears in their eyes. The greatest service of my life has been to help these families get more for their harvest and to know where it goes. They can buy sweaters, socks and blankets made from their wool.”

Shaniko Wool Company headquartered near Maupin, Oregon, offers the only fully traceable, certified wool in

North America. The affiliation has led to other big fashion brands seeking fully traceable, sustainably produced wool from the company.

Meanwhile, it’s lambing and shearing season at the Shaniko Wool Co. ranches. By June, Shaniko ranches will have shorn 225,000 pounds of wool, Carver estimated. International businesses have made offers to buy our RWS certified wool, but Carver said she is committed to supporting American manufacturing.

“My greatest victory today is that’s it’s not just about our one ranch anymore,” she said. “It’s all these ranch families and their communities.”