Mr. Black Sheep Has No Wool

For Virginia sheep farmers, wool has become a nuisance. A worldwide glut of the fiber has left them spending more money to shear their flocks than they’ll earn from selling the wool. That’s one reason a growing number are turning to hair sheep. Stephan Wildeus (Virginia State University) and Joseph Tritschler (Virginia State University) extol the virtues of these four-footed wonders, which require no shearing and produce tasty chops.

Also featured: Praised for its rot-resistance and its light weight, Atlantic white cedar was the wood of choice for colonial roofers and boat builders. But overharvesting and loss of wetlands have left few stands remaining. Biologist Rob Atkinson (Christopher Newport University) and historian Tim Morgan (Christopher Newport University) recall the long history of the Atlantic white cedar and discuss efforts to restore it.