The Exceptional Fibers of Ross Farm: Meet Rare-Breed Champion Amy Ross Manko

Not long ago, most knitters’ options for yarn were limited to cotton, acrylic, or plain “wool,” with no information about the original source. Today, fiber enthusiasts have a vibrant tapestry of options, including single-breed heritage yarns in a rainbow of natural colors. Tug on any thread in this rich tapestry and chances are it leads back to Amy Ross Manko and Ross Farm.

Amy Ross Manko holds a lamb at Ross Farm. Amy discovered her passion for rare-breed and heritage sheep, which she raises on her family’s six-generation farm, when she focused on her flock’s wool.

Amy, a fifth-generation farmer, didn’t come to the fiber arts world in the usual way. In 2008, she was growing tired of the financial risk involved in raising commercial sheep for meat, where varying market prices could make or break a farm in any given year. She decided to produce sheep for their wool instead, initially buying a few rare breeds–Leicester Longwool, Jacob, and Shetland, among others–to create interesting crossbred fleeces for handspinners. As she got to know the individual sheep and learned more about rare breeds, she saw her true calling was in preserving each breed’s unique genetics rather than diluting them through crossbreeding. “I realized that these sheep need me,” she says.

Though she was new to the fiber arts world, she didn’t stay an outsider for long. She quickly jumped in with both feet, learning to knit and spin while developing lines of breed-specific yarn and fiber that showcased each breed’s unique characteristics–the elegant and lustrous drape of Leicester Longwool, for example, or the bouncy spring of tightly crimped Tunis. As she added more breeds to her own flock, Amy took a good look at the entire industry around rare breeds and its overall sustainability. With her background as a commercial farmer, along with an MBA, she knew that the secret to preserving rare breeds–some of which are represented by just a few hundred animals in total, or even fewer–was to develop a bigger market for their wool.

Most rare breeds shepherds keep only a handful of animals on hobby farms, and may have little experience raising livestock when they get into the business. Amy mentors new shepherds and has helped them form breed associations. She also purchases their fleeces to mill into Ross Farm yarns, which saves farmers the time- and labor-intensive process of marketing each fleece individually to handspinners. This gives farmers more time to focus on their animals and allows Ross Farm to stock more rare-breed yarns and fibers. “If people can’t get these rare breed wools in their hands, there’s no market for them, and farmers can’t afford to raise them,” says Amy.

A trio of rare, critically endangered Hog Island sheep in the Ross Farm flock graze the pastures.

While there are now many sources for certain rare breed wools, Ross Farm has a few truly unique offerings. Amy visited the UK and discovered some critically endangered breeds, such as the Boreray, which come from a single island off the coast of Scotland. Ross Farm is now the only source of Boreray wool in the US, along with fiber from fellow UK “island” breeds North Ronaldsay and Westray Holmes. As part of her whole-ecosystem approach to rare breeds, Amy offers classes on how to work with their wool and get the best result. She recently started a YouTube channel to feature instructional videos, but she’s also planning in-person educational trips to the Orkney Islands and other places.

As Amy reaches out and educates fiber lovers about rare and delightful unusual sheep breeds, the next generation is stepping into the barns at Ross Farm. Amy’s son, Drew, manages the daily running of the farm and shepherding—a role he has been preparing for since raising his first lambs as a child.

Click on the photos below to meet Drew Ross Manko.

Ross Farm will soon be launching a limited-edition capsule collection series of coordinating yarns, each featuring a selection of rare breed wools hand-dyed the same color. Amy loves the “visual texture” of naturally colored wool and is excited to show how each breed takes dye a little differently and how they can be combined into a single finished item.

You can keep up with Amy and try Ross Farm wools for yourself at therossfarm.com, on YouTube, or catch Amy at one of the many wool festivals she travels to around the country, spreading the word about the joys of working with rare breed wools. “One of my friends once called me a ‘rare breed evangelist,’” she laughs. “I think it fits.”