Wool Week – The Campaign For Wool
We’re currently smack bang in the middle of wool week (6th – 12th October) #woolweek – It has been initiated by ‘The campaign for wool’ to raise awareness amongst consumers about the unique, natural and sustainable benefits offered by wool – For further details, please take a look at their excellent website
Wool is an important part of Devon’s farming history and as farmers we have helped shape and maintain Devon’s beautiful landscape with sheep grazing in the pastures. During the 17th Century, Exeter was one of Britain’s leading wool markets with about 80% of the local community employed in the industry.
Many of our Devon Farm members keep sheep on their farms of varying breeds, including Devon breeds (some of which are rare); Devon & Cornwall Longwool, Whiteface Dartmoor and Grayface Dartmoor. The Devon Closewool sheep can be traced back to the 1800s, a cross bred sheep of Devon & Cornwall Longwool’s with the Exmoor Horn, to produce a hardy sheep that can produce high quality wool.
At Huxtable Farm, Jacob sheep are reared for their delicious, flavoursome meat and beautifully soft fleeces, which is either hand spun & knitted into various knitted articles at the farm or machine spun and woven into throws, cushions and knee rugs for visitors to purchase as a momentum of their stay at Huxtable Farm B&B.