Construction starts at Larsgaard Wool Mill

NORTHWOOD, N.D. — By the fall of 2023, Judy Larsgaard plans to have a mill on her farm near Northwood up and running that will process wool and fleece from sheep and fleece from alpacas.

Larsgaard Wool Mill LLC will process fleece and wool that customers bring to the mill. Many people don’t know what to do with the wool and fleece once they’ve shorn their animals, and the mill will give them somewhere to turn it into a product.

“Most people get that raw fleece and they say ‘Holy Moley, what am I supposed to do with this?’” Larsgaard said. “I’ll be able to tell them ‘You don’t have to throw them away. You don’t have to throw them out for the birds to use. You can have them made into things; you can have them made into felt or roving or yarn or any number of things.’”

Once the fleece and wool has been turned into a product, people can sell it at events such as fairs or online, Larsgaard said.

Construction on the mill was scheduled to begin Aug. 1, 2023, and Larsgaard hopes to have the equipment installed in the finished building by October 2023.

Larsgaard, a 1976 graduate of Northwood High School, returned to North Dakota in June 2022 after living in New Hampshire for 38 years where she worked in the real estate business.

“There’s no place more wonderful than home, especially if home is North Dakota,” Larsgaard said, while standing near the foundation of her mill. “I’m just thrilled to be able to be back.”

The foundation now is surrounded by sunflowers, but in the future will be in the midst of grass. Inside the 40-by-60-foot mill besides the equipment Larsgaard plans to eventually have a studio and two-bedroom space for people who want to learn how to make wool or teach others how to do it.

“This is going to be a teaching-type property,” Larsgaard said. Besides teaching wool milling, in a few years she plans to host other artisans, such as a wood carver who specializes in making and painting carousel horses.

For now, though, she’s focusing on wool mill production.

Larsgaard learned to spin wool when she was in New Hampshire.

“Once I got started, I was hooked, loved it,” Larsgaard said.

Her interest in the craft grew and she began attending the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival where she met artisans and mill owners, including Sallie Whitlow, owner of Sallie’s Fen Fibers LLC in Barrington, New Hampshire, which processes alpaca wool.

Whitlow’s mini-mill used Belfast Mini Mill equipment made in Prince Edward Island in Canada. Belfast Mini Mills manufactures cottage industry equipment, which Whitlow taught Larsgaard how to operate.

“Every Friday, I used to go to her mill and she used to teach me how to run it,” Larsgaard said.

After she learned the craft, Larsgaard wanted to return to North Dakota to build the mill.

“I researched how many mills there were, I researched the need for it,” Larsgaard said. “I put my nickels together and came home and started building.”

The estimated cost of the mill, including construction and equipment, is about $407,000. Larsgaard received a $50,000 grant from the North Dakota Agriculture Department Agriculture Diversification and Development fund.

Larsgaard will process the wool and fleece at no charge during October, November and December while she is doing a trial run of the equipment.

Ann is a journalism veteran with nearly 40 years of reporting and editing experiences on a variety of topics including agriculture and business. Story ideas or questions can be sent to Ann by email at: abailey@agweek.com or phone at: 218-779-8093.