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Nestled in the hills of Northern Worcester County in central Massachusetts, Greenwood Hill Farm sits on the original 32 acres purchased by Silas Greenwood in 1836. Silas was in his early fifties and had seven children at the time. So the home is a large old New England farmhouse. Silas ultimately expanded the farm to include nearly 110 acres, which served primarily as a dairy farm. The property remained in the Greenwood family until sold in 1959. Several owners later, Tom and Andrea Colyer brought their family to the property and in 1985 began a restoration effort while establishing their own flock of Merino and Fine Wool Natural Colored sheep. The selection of the Merino breed was a natural for the farm as research showed that there were several thousand Merino sheep in Worcester County in the early 1830’s when the farm was established during the boom times of the New England wool industry. By the mid 1840’s, the wool industry in the Northeast was largely gone as were the sheep. Today, Greenwood Hill Farm is the largest all Merino operation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Tom is a member of the Wool Council of the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI), the ASI Strategic Planning Committee and the President of the Massachusetts Federation of Sheep Associations. He is a retired Navy Captain and a proud American. While it would be much less expensive to import fine Merino wool, our vision is to promote American agriculture and you have our promise that all of the wool in our products is raised under the "Stars and Stripes"
Greenwood Hill Farm sheep and our fine Merino wool products and accessories can be seen throughout the East at the following 2007, Fairs and Festivals:
Gore Place Shearing Day, 28 April, 2007 at Gore Place, Waltham, MA.
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, 5-6 May, 2007
New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival, 12-13 May, 2007
Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair, 26-27 May, 2007
Knit and Crochet Show, 12-15 July, 2007 in Manchester, NH
New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, 20-21 October, 2007
Tom has encouraged several 4-H shepherds throughout the region and many of them are also out showing their sheep during the summer and fall. Andrea has established a Wool Shop on the farm where her fine Merino yarns, spinning and weaving supplies and finished knitted goods may be found.
We use only natural non-medicated feeds and organic pasture and hay. The yarn is prepared using a certified organic scouring process and is spun and then each skein is washed using an organic soap. In addition, careful care is taken throughout the year to ensure a minimum of vegetable material enters the fleece prior to shearing and therefore we do not need carbonization to clean the wool prior to spinning. The result is a very soft and pleasurable knitting yarn that has not been exposed to any harsh chemicals during its preparation.
While our focus is creating top quality Merino wool yarns for the discriminating knitter; we also are able to provide custom knitting services for those who are not knitters but still enjoy the feel of a top quality hand knit sweater. In our shop we carry an assortment of hand knit hats, mittens and socks as well as kits. We also have merino top and raw fleece available.
Fresh American Lamb is available at the farm to our local customers and each year we provide whole freezer lambs to a growing list of repeat customers.
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