Tennessee Fiber Production Showcases Wool, Fleece, Cotton and More

In partnership with: Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Fiber production in Tennessee is a vital part of the agriculture industry. Producing fibers from animals and plants creates value and purpose. Plant-based fibers like cotton and hemp can be seen growing in many different areas of the state and found in your homes and on store shelves. The animal fiber industry includes wool from sheep and wool or fleece from alpacas, with many farmers producing, processing and selling animal fibers.

See more: Tennessee Alpaca Farmers and More Go Farm to Fashion

All About Alpacas

Marcus and Stacey Skildum started Mesa Trail Alpacas in 2014 in Jacks Creek and began processing fiber a year later.

“Our fiber mill specializes in alpaca fiber, but we can also process wool, mohair, llama and camel,” Marcus says. “We have even processed dog hair a few times.”

Over the better part of a decade, their fiber mill services have grown to cover 13 states and their retail farm store features handmade fiber products made by family members.

“Fiber processing is a very specialized service,” Stacey says. “We can take fiber to many stages of processing from washed, picked, roving, yarn or rug yarn.”

Pooling Wool

Each year in Dandridge, the East Tennessee Wool Pool serves sheep farmers in East Tennessee and Georgia. The Tennessee Sheep Producers Association leads the effort, creating a co-op for sheep farmers to share the cost of harvesting the wool and to partner in marketing to receive top dollar for the product.

“These pools allow the small producer to bring their wool to a central and convenient location and have it graded and baled and then contract it out for the processor to sell,” says Mark Shedden, who has organized the East Tennessee Wool Pool since 2002. “Sheep farmers bring their wool to the event and often volunteer their time for baling and pressing.”

See more: How Cotton is Woven into Tennessee’s History and Future

Hemp Is Hip

Tennessee was one of the first states to approve an industrial hemp program in 2014. Known as a natural fiber, the hemp fiber is a renewable and sustainable resource and is environmentally friendly.

“Hemp fiber comes from the stalk of the plant containing two types of fiber, bast fiber and hurd fiber,” says Nick Walters, regional coordinator of the U.S. Hemp Building Association. “Bast fiber is referred more to as the fiber of the plant. The outside strength is six times stronger than steel.”

The market for the hemp fiber industry is growing to include building materials, manufacturing products, paper products and many other uses.

“With the increase of the automotive industry, corporations and manufacturers moving into the state of Tennessee, we are seeing more opportunities for hemp fiber products and hemp farmers in the future,” says Frederick Cawthon, president of the Hemp Alliance of Tennessee.

Crazy About Cotton

Cotton is the No. 1 agricultural export in the U.S. In 2021, Tennessee farmers grew 270,000 acres of cotton on more than 500 farms.

“Tennessee has long been one of the central hubs of the U.S. cotton industry,” says Gary Adams, president and CEO of the National Cotton Council of America. “In addition to cotton production, Memphis and surrounding areas remain home to key cotton merchandising firms. The National Cotton Council estimates that these cotton farms and 85 cotton-related businesses provide 4,430 jobs and total direct revenue of $682 million.”