Diné College Land Grant Office Joins Navajo Nation in Hosting Wool & Mohair Buy Event
June 17, 2025
SHIPROCK, N.M. – The Navajo Nation Department of Agriculture, in partnership with Diné College Land Grant Office, USDA, and the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, hosted the Northern Navajo Wool & Mohair Buy on June 17–18, 2025, at the Shiprock Fairgrounds. The two-day event provided Navajo producers with an opportunity to sell their wool and mohair, thereby strengthening the local agricultural economy and revitalizing the wool market.
Benita Litson, Director, Land Grant Office at Diné College, highlighted the initiative’s broader goals. “Identifying what we have on the reservation, identifying a market opportunity for them, and really trying to create a baseline of the type of wool that we do have on Navajo [is critical],” Litson said. She emphasized how the collaboration sought to improve production quality through breeding, genetics, and other advancements, stating, “We’re trying to enhance what we have and maybe rebuild our reputation as sheep producers as a nation.”
Stanley Strode, who has been instrumental in supporting the event, further explained its purpose. “This is a wool and mohair buy,” Strode said. “Benita and her Diné College Land Grant Department have worked to develop a wool marketing facility or agent for the Navajo Nation. As you can see, we’ve had many producers come through, taking advantage of the opportunity.” Strode noted that grading and sorting the wool improved its marketability and facilitated connections between producers and buyers of fine wool grades.
Teddy Varndell, a longtime buyer participating in the event, provided additional insight into the marketing efforts. “For years, we’ve worked to help the nation collect and market mohair,” Varndell said. “We pushed mohair prices up from $0.40 to $1.50, with some of it sold internationally to England and South Africa.” He expressed optimism about future opportunities, including the potential establishment of a co-op that would enable growers to manage and market their products directly.
The Northern Navajo Wool & Mohair Buy highlighted ongoing collaborations and investments between the Navajo Nation, government agencies, and private partners. The event provided financial support to producers while enhancing the nation’s standing in the wool and mohair industries
