On the final installment of The Farm Reports Fiber Series, Erin Fairbanks is checking in with Mary Jeanne Packer of Battenkill Fibers Carding and Spinning Mill. On this episode, Erin and Mary Jeanne are talking about all of the different processes involved with harvesting fiber from animals and turning them into value-added products, like yarn and textiles. Tune in to learn more about the growing demand for locally-produced fiber, and how fiber is processed on different scales. Hear about the importance of maintaining a proper level of lanolin during the scouring process, and at what point in the production the fiber get dyed. If terminology like carding and batting is lost on you, tune in to this episode of The Farm Report, and get educated in the fiber arts! This program has been brought to you by The Heritage Meat Shop. Too much lanolin will hold in the dirt, and youll have a sticky, gooey mess throughout the [yarn-making] process. The scouring process can remove up to 100% of the lanolin, but at that point you also risk reducing the moisture in the fiber. We always want to leave just a little [lanolin]. Im really optimistic about the near future of the locally-produced natural fiber market. I think people have really become aware of how the things- that they are making, the clothing they are wearing, the things they are using in their homes- have been processed on the other side of the globe and the amount of energy that has gone into that and the working conditions of the people who are producing it. -- Mary Jeanne Packer on The Farm Report