Customers Flock to Creative
Ranch Products, from Lamb to Pelts
With more than a century of sheep ranching
tradition on their 30-acre central Oregon
ranch, Dan and Jeanne Carver were determined
to continue raising sheep—along with
800 head of cattle, hay, and 3,000 acres
of no-till grain—despite declining
lamb and wool markets. With a Western SARE
farmer/rancher grant, they investigated markets
and launched a product line focusing on uniqueness
and quality. Today, their sales include lamb
for high-end restaurants, wool in yarn-and-pattern
kits for hand knitters, and ready-to-wear
woolen and lambskin fashions.
With a lack of processors, the Carvers were
forced to find custom outfits willing to
develop out-of-the-ordinary retail products.
They found a small meat processor 160 miles
away and captured restaurants by using many
messages—fresh, locally grown, “natural” spring
lamb from a ranch awarded for its conservation
practices. “That’s a lot of sizzle,” said
Jeanne Carver.
Annually, the Carvers deliver a season’s
worth of wool to Alberta, Canada, where it’s
processed to their specifications. Once washed
and dyed, the wool becomes yarn for kits
featuring the Carvers’ own knitwear
designs. They sell their kits through a dealer
who publishes a catalog circulated to 100,000
crafters. Repeated requests for finished
garments from their wool encouraged Jeanne
to work with area designers and knitters
to create handmade woolen clothing sold in
resorts and specialty shops. To use the whole
animal, they began tanning hides and added
lambskin fashion items to their clothing
line.
“The marketing project has increased
awareness and visibility of what we grow,
how we grow it and, most importantly, how
we manage the land,” said Dan Carver,
referring to a bevy of practices to safeguard
the environment, such as installing fencing
to reduce herd size, building dams to create
watering holes for domestic stock and wildlife,
and protecting springs with fences while
re-directing water into troughs.
Their project has evolved to an economic
force employing regional designers and fiber
artisans. The Carvers estimate they clear
30 percent over the price of lamb sold on
the generic market, and the profits on the
wool are remarkable, while keeping the yarn
affordable. “Our customers love the
quality of our product, the flavor profile
of the meat, the feel of the wool, and the
message of the land and sense of place,” Jeanne
said.
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