Friday Schedule: the Speaker Series in the Assembly Gallery

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What does regenerative agriculture mean and how does it impact the growing of wool that is destined to be made into unique products?

Brenda Hsueh  of Black Sheep Farm  is a Canadian-born Chinese agroecological sheep farmer, who left a financial career in downtown Toronto to start her own farm in 2009. She ran a 1 acre market garden, growing vegetables for CSA members in the GTA for 14 seasons, as the sheep flock and their meat and fibre products increased. Now she, her partner Skyler, and daughter Emma, rotationally graze a flock of Romney/Gotland/Shetland sheep for food and fibre. Brenda also works with Farmers for Climate Solutions to help more farmers convert to climate beneficial farming practices. She wants to see farming become the climate crisis saviour it should be, building soils, sequestering carbon, being a moisture sponge, and providing habitat for countless species.Why does a small design company choose to use locally produced fibre and to work with local mills, weavers and dyers? Why does knowing the farmers matter?

Wave Weir  (Wave Fibre Mill) is a clothing designer, wool mill owner and operator in Seguin, Ontario, 

near Parry Sound on the shores of Georgian Bay. Her designs are simple, classic, unstructured pieces that are meant to showcase the fabric, last for years and accommodate body changes. Looking for a quantity and quality of local, natural fibre and materials for her clothing line, Weir came face-to-face with the limitations and bottlenecks in wool processing being felt by small sheep farms. Most are forced to sell their annual harvest of raw fleece to the wool grower’s co-op to be shipped off-shore, or to destroy it, if the cost of transport from the farm is more than will be realized by the sale. Living in an area in desperate need of permanent year-round employment, Weir decided to start a fibre processing mill in her small community. Purchasing vintage equipment from a retired business, Weir has established a semi-worsted spinning and weaving mill, providing added processing services for area farmers as well as purchasing raw material from regenerative farms to be used in an ever-growing possibility of product.

This interesting conversation with Helene Valle and Deborah Livingston describes some of the history of wool and wool clothing in Canada.

This will be a presentation by Jennifer Osborn of Eco Wool Canada, talking about the untapped potential of the wool we raise that isn’t suitable for yarn. 

Victoria from Between Two Farms and Krys from the Sweet Sheep Co will describe what it means to be a 1st Generation farmer starting from scratch.