For generations, wool has been a staple in the textile industry. Known for its moisture-wicking properties and breathability, it’s a durable and renewable resource favored among outdoor enthusiasts. However, as the demand for cheap synthetic materials increases, the global wool market has entered an era of unpredictability and shepherds are faced with the difficult reality that shorn wool may end up in landfills. That is until some farmers like Sus Kitchen, owner of Uan Hollow in New Castle, are seeing wool waste through a new lens.
“Wool is an incredible soil amendment that has great qualities of nutrition, aeration and water retention,” Kitchen said. “Only some types of wool are valuable for the textile market, and a lot of it goes to waste. There are shepherds who still have to shear their sheep, but they don’t get paid for it. They just incur a cost for the shear. What we can do is make pellets to create a high-value soil amendment and then we can pay the farmers for the wool that would be wasted.”
Founded in early 2026, Uan Hollow (pronounced oo-an) is a growing biodynamic farm that specializes in the sale of wool pellets. An eco-friendly resource, wool pellets are naturally rich in nitrogen and contain trace minerals like iron, zinc, magnesium and copper. Wool is also an organic material that biodegrades over six months.
Kitchen said gardeners simply press the pellets into the soil or use it as a top dressing to begin the slow nutrient release process that provides consistent and steady feed for plants. The pellets also have antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, which help reduce harmful bacteria growth.
Acting like a sponge, the pellets absorb and retain water to help regulate moisture, decrease nutrient runoff and reduce water usage. When the wool expands it also creates pathways to circulate air around the roots.
Recent trials conducted by Wild Valley Farms, the nation’s pioneer in wool pellet manufacturing, found that wool absorbs about 20 times its weight and reduces water usage by up to 25%. The trial was confirmed and expanded upon by Utah State University.
At Uan Hollow all wool is sourced from Colorado’s High Rockies and Western Slope. Kitchen said that sourcing local wool can help build resilience as warmer summers loom.
“Wool pellets are great for drought specifically,” she elaborated. “I’m so big about the local food and fibersheds … We eat fruit from Palisade, Paonia and Hotchkiss. It’s a reflection of a smaller economy. The animals are another layer of that because they also share the consciousness of this land.”
An agrarian future
A former employee at Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute, Kitchen has extensive knowledge in vegetable farming. However, animals have always called to her; and when she learned about biodynamic farming, the desire to integrate animal systems with her farm’s plant systems became vital.
“Biodynamic brings this spiritual element to what we do and gives us rhythm, context and also specific structure to get better results,” Kitchen said. “Biodynamic is one way to recultivate our humanity in relationship with the Earth.”
Her dreams of raising livestock became a reality after adopting three bummer lambs from Alyssa Barsanti, owner of Marigold Livestock Company. A bummer lamb is a newborn who lost its mother due to death or rejection and requires human intervention, like bottle feeding, to survive. Without hesitation, Kitchen and her partner Jurie Garst said yes, and thus Uan, which means lamb in Irish, began.
“I’ve always been in tune to and in flow with animal agriculture,” Kitchen said. “I’ve been milking cows at Sustainable Settings for almost four years now, but cows are a big barrier to entry … We fell in love with sheep. This is a whole new [experience], as they have such a different energy from a cow. They’re really fluid, fun and silly. It’s full on with sheep now.”
The idea for Kitchen to use waste wool as a soil amendment was planted by Brook LeVan, co-owner of Sustainable Settings. A longtime mentor, he gave Kitchen the nudge she needed to explore. Inspired, she then connected with New Liberty Wool Pellets based in Mack — Colorado’s only wool pellet maker. Despite the niche market, she received strong support.
“[Robert of New Liberty] had such high enthusiasm,” Kitchen said. “I was so shocked he wanted to share everything with me … but he said we needed more of this and that there’s room in the market. This is such an important, new technology.”
Looking toward spring 2027, Kitchen will begin manufacturing pellets and offering ground lamb and a sheep-dairy herdshare. For now, she is continuing to build partnerships, tend to her flock, sell microgreens and help the greater community one wool pellet at a time.
“We have big dreams and we’re putting things into reality,” Kitchen concluded. “We’re feeling supported by our community in the Roaring Fork and Upper Colorado River valleys … The future is agrarian. It comes back to the relationship we have with the land, people, animals and plants.”
Visit uanhollow.com to learn more about Uan Hollow and the innovative wool pellets. Ask about local deliveries.