Ben Watts is a wool grower based in Australia who is using automation technology to help him run is farm more efficiently and more effectively. Drones, RFID tags or automated scales all help Ben look after his sheep, the farm, ensure the health of his stock and improve is production and therefore his overall business. Ben explains in this episodes how the different technologies work and how they aid wool growers, sheep and consumers. As Ben saw so much success with the new types of technologies he also started his own consulting and training company, Bralca, to assist other wool growers achieve the same goals. Listen to the fascinating world of automation on farm.

About Ben Watts

Ben has been working in the merino industry over the past 25 years, in this time ben has managed sheep farms for corporate business’ up until 2005 when he and his wife Fiona purchased their second farm and began to focus on utilizing automation.

In this time Ben has developed commercial applications for a number of technologies to better utilize skilled labour by reducing repetitive tasks, providing meaningful live information and identifying individual animals within large commercial flocks.

Traditionally data collection has been based on manual processes to collect mob based information. Utilising individual electronic ID, Ben uses remote data collection for live monitoring of animal body weights, matching ewes to lambs and recording animal treatments.

In the past two years, Ben has incorporated the use of Drones to track stock, monitor water and measure pasture growth. This has provided a new level of automated monitoring to assist in management.

Connect with Ben Watts from Bralca

Bralca website (http://bralca.com/)

Ben Watts LinkedIn profile (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-watts-432285a/)

Key Time Stamps

[spp-timestamp time="01:24"] About Ben Watts

[spp-timestamp time="02:10"] About Ben's farm

[spp-timestamp time="04:34"] The three income streams of Ben's business

[spp-timestamp time="06:30"] How drones can help in day to day tasks on farm

[spp-timestamp time="09:24"] Walk-over scales

[spp-timestamp time="13:09"] Improved animal welfare through technology

[spp-timestamp time="15:00"] How to get more out of ear tags

[spp-timestamp time="17:25"] What is the return of investment

[spp-timestamp time="21:01"] How much knowledge is needed to run the technology

[spp-timestamp time="22:56"] Options for training and learning

[spp-timestamp time="23:58"] How can the available data inform retail?

[spp-timestamp time="26:00"] What are the current challenges that exist?

[spp-timestamp time="27:25"] What will wool growing look like in the next 5 to 10 years?

[spp-timestamp time="30:09"] How can technology help the environment?

[spp-timestamp time="32:28"] How to connect with Ben Watts and his business Bralca

 

Similar podcast episodes

#037 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/037-richard-halliday/) : Richard Halliday explains how a merino stud operation works

#042 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/042-don-macdonald/) : Don MacDonald about growing wool in the Australian Outback

#025 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/025-jen-hunter/) : Jen Hunter is educating consumers by giving them the real farm experience

#021 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/021-philip-attard/) : Philip Attard about creating the Gostwyck Merino Brand

#018 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/018/) : Geoff Kingwill about wool growing in the semi-desert

Professor Stephen Russell is an expert on textile recycling. In this episode, Stephen Russell teaches us the basics of textile recycling. He shares insights into the market for reuse and recycling of textiles as well as future technological developments in this area. Stephen highlights the importance of the consumer participating in the recycling supply chain by donating used textiles as well as buying recycled products. Stephen also talks about issues of sorting used textiles, what to do with blended fabrics and dividing the textile from zippers, buttons and thread. When it comes to recycling, wool is also a special fibre which Stephen explains in detail.

 

About Stephen Russell

Stephen Russell is Professor of Textile Materials and Technology, as well as Group Leader for Technology in the School of Design at the University of Leeds, UK. He is a textile engineer with a background in both academic and industrial research, working mainly on the manufacture, structure and properties of new textile materials. After starting his career in wool processing research, he developed broader interests in textile technology, working on waste minimisation in textile manufacturing, recycling and reuse, design for disassembly of textile products and technical textiles. His work in textile technology has been industrially applied to various industrial, consumer and healthcare products, and in 2005 he co-founded NIRI Ltd. a University of Leeds spinout Company specialising in technical consultancy.

Connect with Stephen Russell and the University of Leeds here

University of Leeds website (http://www.leeds.ac.uk/)

Nonwovens Innovation & Research Institute (NIRI) website (http://www.nonwovens-innovation.com/)

Ellen Macarthur Foundation website (https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/)

IWTO website about recycling (http://www.iwto.org/work/wool-and-recycling)

 

Key Time Stamps

[spp-timestamp time="01:10"] About Stephen Russell and University of Leeds

[spp-timestamp time="02:57"] Who are the customers of NIRI?

[spp-timestamp time="03:55"] The basics about the recycling industry

[spp-timestamp time="06:36"] About the demand for recycled textiles

[spp-timestamp time="07:59"] How many textiles get recycled?

[spp-timestamp time="12:01"] About the circular economy

[spp-timestamp time="15:30"] Why wool is one of the oldest circular economies

[spp-timestamp time="18:59"] Typical recycling cycle of wool

[spp-timestamp time="22:47"] Why wool is special when it comes to recycling

[spp-timestamp time="24:38"] Why blended textiles are a challenge for recycling

[spp-timestamp time="26:35"] How are textiles sorted for recycling?

[spp-timestamp time="27:35"] New technologies for recycling

[spp-timestamp time="31:53"] Is there a demand for recycled products?

[spp-timestamp time="37:17"] Outlook for recycling

[spp-timestamp time="40:00"] How to connect with Stephen's work

 

Similar podcast episodes

#51: Steve Ranford (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/051-steve-ranford/) - Wool recycling research at AgResearch in New Zealand

#043: Sivia Gambi (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/043-silvia-gambi/) - Recycling Wool in Prato, Italy

#30: Ingun Klepp (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/030-ingun-klepp/) - Consumer research and sustainability

#19: Kjersti Kviseth (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/019/) - Circular economy

#15: Beverley Henry (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/015/) - Wool Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Isak Staats is the General Manager for Wool and Mohair at BKB in South Africa. Isak talks about the services BKB offers to wool growers in South Africa. The company handels 32 million kilograms of wool per year. He explains how different technologies help to track the wool within the BKB warehouse. Further, Isak gives insights into the wool industry in Lesotho and the special program BKB runs to employ deaf people.

About Isak Staats

Isak Staats is the General Manager Wool and Mohair at BKB in South Africa. Isak was born and raised on a dairy and irrigation farm in the Northern Cape. He started his career in the fertilizer industry in various positions for the first twenty years of his working life, all over South Africa. In 2002 he completed his MBA. In 2012, Isak joined BKB as the General Manager of the wool and mohair division. Isak is happily married and has three children.

Connect with Isak Staats and BKB here

BKB website (https://www.bkb.co.za/)

BKB on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bkbltd/)

BKB on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bkbltd/)

BKB on Twitter (https://twitter.com/BKBLtd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bkb.co.za%2F)

Key Time Stamps

[spp-timestamp time="00:53"] About Isak Staats and BKB

[spp-timestamp time="02:19"] The number of wool farmers BKB services

[spp-timestamp time="03:56"] Description of the BKB wool warehouse

[spp-timestamp time="05:23"] Automation technology at BKB

[spp-timestamp time="09:19"] BKB about being certified for the Responsible Wool Standard

[spp-timestamp time="10:53"] How does wool vary within South Africa

[spp-timestamp time="13:24"] About the wool industry in Lesotho

[spp-timestamp time="14:58"] How the merino sheep arrived in Lesotho

[spp-timestamp time="16:57"] Wool shearers from Lesotho

[spp-timestamp time="20:04"] BKB's program for the deaf

[spp-timestamp time="23:24"] What fascinates Isak about the wool industry

[spp-timestamp time="24:46"] Isak's most favorite moments so far in the wool industry

 

Similar podcast episodes

#034 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/034-louis-de-beer/) Louis de Beer from Cape Wools about the South African wool industry and communal farming

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gaspard Tiné-Berès is the founder of Lasso Shoes, a young startup based out of France. The first product was a felted wool slipper which the company successfully launched on Kickstarter in 2013. Gaspard talks about how he came up with the idea for the wool slipper and how the put together a very local supply chain. Gaspard explains why it was important to him to source the Lasso shoe within a radius of 500 km of Paris and why the customer needs to do the final assembly.

Furthermore, Gaspard shares insights about this social media strategy and introduces the brand's latest product - a felted wool bag.

About Gaspard Tiné-Berès and Lasso

Lasso is a family business based in Paris, France. Founded in 2012 by Gaspard Tiné-Berès and Amandine Richard, they launched their first product,

the Lasso slippers, on Kickstarter in 2013 and sold more than 1400 pairs in just a month.

As a design driven company they care about the origin, sustainability and production process of their products. They understand the responsibility of a business and the ethic is very important to them. They consequently thrive by building lasting relationships with all of their customers and suppliers.

Connect with Gaspard Tiné-Berès and Lasso Shoes here

Lasso Shoes website (https://lasso-shoes.fr/en/)

Get your own Lasso Bag (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1851515588/lasso-bag-carry-your-essentials-in-simplicity-and) by supporting Lasso's most recent Kickstarter Campaign

Lasso on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lassoshoes?ref=hl)

Lasso on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lassoshoes/)

Lasso on Twitter (https://twitter.com/lassoshoes)

Lasso on Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/lassoshoes/)

 

Key Time Stamps

[spp-timestamp time="00:50"] About Gaspard Tiné-Berès and Lasso Shoes

[spp-timestamp time="03:06"] How Gaspard came up with the idea for Lasso Shoes

[spp-timestamp time="07:02"] Where Lasso sources their wool

[spp-timestamp time="08:49"] The importance of having close relationships with your suppliers

[spp-timestamp time="10:53"] Finding ways to reduce the product footprint of Lasso Shoes

[spp-timestamp time="12:25"] Key consumer markets for Lasso Shoes.

[spp-timestamp time="16:02"] The idea of the final assembly of the shoe

[spp-timestamp time="19:44"] Using Kickstarter to launch the product

[spp-timestamp time="25:31"] How Lasso uses social media

[spp-timestamp time="29:17"] The importance of behind the scenes communications

[spp-timestamp time="31:35"] What other's can learn from Lasso

[spp-timestamp time="35:21"] How to connect with Lasso

 

Similar podcast episodes

These brands also launched their products successfully on Kickstarter

#005 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/005/) Mac Bishop from Wool & Prince

#012 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/012/) Galina Witting from Baabuk

 

Want to get inspiration from other wool retail companies

#050 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/050-claudia-weiss/) Claudia Weiss from Don Baez Eco Chic

#047 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/047-nick-armentrout/) Nick Armentrout from Ramblers Way

#046 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/046-janne-strommen/) Janne Strommen from Devold of Norway

#040 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/040-lorna-haigh/) Lorna Haigh from Alternative Flooring

#039 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/039-david-michell/) David Michell from IO Merino

#038 (http://elisabethvandelden.podcastwebsites.com/038-francesco-botto-poala/) Francesco Botto Poala from Rewoolution

Steve Ranford is a Senior Scientist at AgResearch. In this podcast interview, he is talking about the important environmental role wool has to play in today's world and why it is therefore important to continue research about one of the oldest fibres in the world. Steve covers topics such as biopolymers, biodegradability, isotopes and specifications.

About Steve Ranford

Steve Ranford is a Senior Scientists at AgResearch in New Zealand. During his whole career, Steve has been an important contributor to wool research making huge contributions to the wool industry. Steve is currently working on wool product development, sustainable processing and new tools for process control. His research experience covers the development of visual and infra-red spectrometry, mass spectrometry and sensing technology to provide rapid information on fibre and food products. Steve has recently developed a system for tracing the origin of wool fibres that integrates with current IWTO wool sampling and testing platforms.

Connect with Steve Ranford and AgResearch

AgResearch website (http://www.agresearch.co.nz/)

AgResearch on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/AgResearch)

AgResearch on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/162338/)

AgResearch on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/agresearch/)

AgResearch on Twitter (https://twitter.com/AgResearchNEWS)

 

Key Time Stamps

[spp-timestamp time="00:41"] About Steve Ranford

[spp-timestamp time="01:20"] About AgResearch

[spp-timestamp time="02:00"] Research about wool at AgResearch

[spp-timestamp time="03:01"] Why we can still learn new things about wool

[spp-timestamp time="04:02"] Does wool have a renaissance in research?

[spp-timestamp time="05:37"] What is a biopolymer and what is a biobased product

[spp-timestamp time="08:08"] The research Steve is working on

[spp-timestamp time="10:33"] What would be the ideal condition for wool to biodegrade

[spp-timestamp time="13:45"] Traceability of wool through isotopes

[spp-timestamp time="16:41"] Why are specifications important for the wool industry

[spp-timestamp time="22:06"] Steve's most favorite property of wool

[spp-timestamp time="24:28"] How to connect with AgResearch

 

 

 

 

 

Claudia Weiss de Machado runs her own wool retail company by the name Don Baez Eco Chic. The brand sources only so-called grey wools from Uruguay and uses them undyed in their fashion and accessories products. All products are manufactured in Uruguay and sold online and through the Don Baez shop in Montevideo.

In this interview, Claudia Weiss tells the story about how she got started working in the wool industry by learning directly from her father. She also speaks about her vision of making consumers into wool fans.

About Claudia Weiss

Claudia Weiss de Machado was born in 1958 in Montevideo, Uruguay. Her Czech father Fritz Weiss, was a passionate and very successful wool exporter. Claudia attended the British Schools in Montevideo and later graduated from Sussex University (UK) with a B.A. in Economics and Italian. Later she spent one year in Rome where she developed a keen interest in fashion.  Claudia lives between Montevideo and her small organic farm near Punta del Este with her husband and three children.

Claudia has worked alongside her father, who has been an important mentor for her, for 20 years. Claudia's dream had always been to start a wool brand in un-dyed fine wool, which she could source locally. She named her brand after her father, whom everyone called 'Don Baez'. In 1997 Don Baez started out making woven blankets. Since then the collection has grown to include a wide range of different products including capes, jackets, ponchos etc.

Her interest in fashion, as well as her desire to support animal welfare and a healthy attitude to life (LOHAS) started at an early age. Through the brand, she has created wearable designs that are simply tailored with a feminine edge but which also emphasize the sustainability of un-dyed wool. Her intention is to make Don Baez's designs have a style of their own and be timeless and hopefully very chick.

Don Baez opened its first store in 2013 in Punta Carretas - the trendiest neighborhood in Montevideo. The products are also available in many Uruguayan wineries and top hotels.

Connect with Claudia Weiss and Don Baez Eco Chic

Don Baez website (http://donbaez.com/index.php/en/)

Don Baez on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DonBaez?ref=hl)

Don Baez on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/donbaez_ecochic/)

Don Baez Eco Chic store in Montevideo: 

José Ellauri 532 esq. Montero, 

Montevideo

11300, 

Uruguay

Key Time Stamps

[spp-timestamp time="01:38"] About Claudia Weiss, Montelan and Don Baez

[spp-timestamp time="05:27"] About grey wools

[spp-timestamp time="06:20"] Manufacturing Don Baez from sheep to shop entirely in Uruguay

[spp-timestamp time="08:22"] About Fritz Weiss - the founder of Montelan

[spp-timestamp time="09:47"] About the products of Don Baez Eco Chic

[spp-timestamp time="13:06"] Uruguay is the key market for Don Baez Eco Chic

[spp-timestamp time="16:04"] Staying small to be able to maintain high quality and lead a high quality life style

[spp-timestamp time="18:23"] The importance of having a clear vision for your brand

[spp-timestamp time="21:18"] The need of educating consumers about wool

[spp-timestamp time="22:35"] How Don Baez Eco Chic is using social media

[spp-timestamp time="25:10"] Don Baez challenges

[spp-timestamp time="27:38"] Learnings from Claudia

[spp-timestamp time="29:37"] How to connect with Don Baez Eco Chic

 

 

 

 

 

 

Insights from the expert on wool's Life Cycle Assessment

In this episode, Dr. Beverley Henry talks about why the opinions about the sustainability for fibres varies so much and how we can find common grounds through the method of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). She shares with us the latest findings on LCA research for wool and how this is integrated into the textile supply chain. Beverley  explains how individual companies can use the available research on LCA to improve their product footprint.

About Dr. Beverley Henry

Dr Beverley Henry is a member of the IWTO Wool Life Cycle Assessment Technical Advisory Group, an Adjunct Associate Professor with Queensland University of Technology, and a consultant to agricultural industries. For over 30 years she has conducted research on agricultural systems focusing on profitability and sustainability especially in variable climates and markets.  Beverley is particularly interested in the integration of grazing in extensive pastoral regions with effective environmental management and in communicating the value of these systems.  She is a member of Australian Government technical groups on climate change and research issues and a member of several national and international Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Standards bodies, including roles with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and International Standards Organization.

Connect with Beverley Henry here

Beverley's profile at the Queensland University of Technology Brisbane, Australia (http://staff.qut.edu.au/staff/henry5/)

More information about wool LCA on the IWTO website (http://www.iwto.org/work/wool-LCA)

 

 

 

In this episode, Mac Bishop, founder and CEO of Wool & Prince talks about his business. The goal of Wool & Prince is to deliver durable long lasting apparel out of wool. Mac shares his experience on launching his business with the support of a Kickstarter campaign. For the Kickstarter campaign, Mac created a well-known video where he wore one of his wool button-down shirts for 100 days. In the interview, he shares how the video got created and what to look out for when creating a successful video for your product launch. Mac also talks about key learnings and challenges when growing his business.

 

About Mac Bishop from Wool & Prince

Mac Bishop is the founder of Wool&Prince, an online menswear brand that makes naturally odor- and wrinkle-resistant wool button-downs. When Mac started the company, he wore a wool shirt for 100 days in row to demonstrate the functional properties of wool. After four years in upstate New York at Cornell University and another four years in NYC, Mac moved back to Portland this past summer. Read more about his experience on his  blog (blog.woolandprince.com) .

Connect with Mac Bishop and Wool & Prince here

Website:  https://woolandprince.com/ (https://woolandprince.com/)

Blog:  blog.woolandprince.com (http://macbishop.com/)

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/WOOLandPRINCE/ (https://www.facebook.com/WOOLandPRINCE/)

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/WOOLandPRINCE (https://twitter.com/WOOLandPRINCE)

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/woolandprince/ (https://www.instagram.com/woolandprince/)

Email:  [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Only What Matters website (https://www.onlywhatmatters.com/)

 

 

In this episode, Mac Bishop, founder and CEO of Wool & Prince talks about his business. The goal of Wool & Prince is to deliver durable long lasting apparel out of wool. Mac shares his experience on launching his business with the support of a Kickstarter campaign. For the Kickstarter campaign, Mac created a well-known video where he wore…

Nick Armentrout is the Supply Chain Leader at US retail brand Ramblers Way. Majority of the Ramblers Way products are made out of wool, sourced directly from US based wool growers. In his interview, Nick explains the whole Ramblers Way supply chain from farm to shop. Nick talks in detail about the Ramblers Way target group and how the company plans to grow long term.

About Nick Armentrout

As Ramblers Way’s supply chain leader, Nick oversees the sourcing, processing, and conversion of natural fibers to the finished fabrics that create our products. He enjoys working with raw materials from nature and thinking critically about the lifecycle of Ramblers Way products.

A 25-year animal agriculture and organic farming veteran, Nick has learned on his feet at Ramblers Way since 2009 and appreciates apparel designed for long-term utility and use. His role includes maintaining relationships with individual ranchers as well as manufacturers of yarns, knit and woven fabrics and the dye houses that color Rambler’s yarn and fabric. He also manages certifications of manufacturing operations, such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Cradle to Cradle©.

Over the course of his career, Nick has managed four small businesses for others, and two of his own, throughout start-up phase to maturity. Nick is also a Saltwater Institute veteran where he educated students on Values-Based Business Models, which for the Chappell family emphasize: 1) Quality 2) Sustainability 3) American made 4) Family Owned and 5) Transparency.

Nick holds a BA in English from Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland. He participates in Maine Farm Bureau, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and Draft Animal Power Network. He has lent his skills as a volunteer to gardening, farming, and equine therapy organizations. Nick and his wife, Sarah, run Spring Creek Farm, an organic horse, sheep, hay and grain farm that also serves as the host facility for Carlisle Academy Integrative Equine Therapy & Sports for children and adults with disabilities.

Connect with Nick Armentrout and Ramblers Way here

Ramblers Way website (https://www.ramblersway.com/)

Ramblers Way Twitter (https://twitter.com/ramblersway) account

Ramblers Way Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ramblerswayfarm/) feed

Ramblers Way YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/RamblersWayFarm) channel

Key Time Stamps

[spp-timestamp time="01:06"] About Nick Armentrout

[spp-timestamp time="02:40"] About Ramblers Way

[spp-timestamp time="04:32"] The story behind Ramblers Way

[spp-timestamp time="06:40"]  The values of Ramblers Way and how that lead to sourcing wool

[spp-timestamp time="11:59"]  The journey of Ramblers Way wool from farm to shop

[spp-timestamp time="15:24"]  How the organic standard GOTS enables Ramblers Way to source wool from outside the US

[spp-timestamp time="17:43"]  Ramblers Way target group and their understanding of wool

[spp-timestamp time="23:27"]  Challenges at Ramblers Way

[spp-timestamp time="26:07"]  Nick's perspective on onshoring of knitting industry

[spp-timestamp time="29:15"]  Biggest learning from the Rambler's Way journey