The Utah Wool Grower: Newsletter of the Utah Wool Growers Association
Profile updated November 2026
The Utah Wool Growers Association has spoken for Utah's sheep producers since March 16, 1935, and its newsletter, The Utah Wool Grower, has long carried association business, ram sale news and public lands issues to members across the state.
| Publication | The Utah Wool Grower (association newsletter) |
|---|---|
| Association founded | March 16, 1935, Salt Lake City |
| Structure | Local associations across Utah, annual statewide convention |
| Signature events | State ram sale each autumn; Miss Wool of Utah |
| National affiliation | One of 22 state and regional associations in the National Wool Growers Association |
| Archives | Records at Utah State University Special Collections |
| Official website | Utah State University Special Collections: UWGA records |
History of Utah Wool Growers Association Newsletter
The Utah Wool Growers Association was established on March 16, 1935, in Salt Lake City, during the Depression years when Western sheep producers faced low prices and new federal grazing rules. Its founding purpose was to foster and protect the sheep and wool industry within the state, defend wool growers' rights to use national forests and public lands, oppose harmful legislation and educate the public about the industry.
Membership was open to sheep owners and to shareholders in corporations that own sheep. Members belonged to local associations around the state, met each year at a statewide convention and gathered every autumn for the state ram sale. The association also sponsored the Miss Wool of Utah and Miss Wool of America competitions, which promoted wool fashion for decades.
The association's newsletter, The Utah Wool Grower, reported on all of this. Its records, including the executive secretarial papers of officers such as Jas. Hooper, Marcelius Palmer and Clair Acord, are preserved at Utah State University, with an addendum covering 1940 to 1990.
Utah Wool Growers Association Newsletter Today
The association continues to represent Utah sheep producers, and its newsletter remains its main channel to members between conventions and the ram sale. Recent industry concerns facing Utah wool growers include grazing on federal lands, predators, labor for sheepherding, and lamb and wool markets.
As part of the national wool growers network, the Utah group works alongside the American Sheep Industry Association on national legislation, disease research and wool promotion.
What Utah Wool Growers Association Newsletter Is Publishing Now
Association news
Convention reports, board actions, membership notices and the annual ram sale.
Public lands and policy
Grazing permits on national forests and BLM land, predator control and state and federal legislation.
Markets and promotion
Wool and lamb prices, wool promotion and youth and pageant programs such as Miss Wool of Utah.
Utah Wool Growers Association Newsletter Editors and Staff
People connected with the association and its newsletter include:
- Sierra Nelson - Editorial contact, Utah Wool Growers Association
- Clair Acord - Former executive secretary (historical records)
- Marcelius Palmer - Former executive secretary (historical records)
Historical files of the association, including newsletters and convention material, can be consulted at Utah State University Special Collections in Logan.
Who Reads Utah Wool Growers Association Newsletter
Readers are Utah sheep ranchers, many of them running range flocks that move between winter desert ranges and summer mountain allotments, along with farm flock owners and allied businesses. USDA NASS Quick Stats publishes Utah sheep inventories and wool production for readers who track the state's industry.
Utah Wool Growers Association members have spent ninety years arguing with federal land managers and coyotes, which builds a certain dry wit. When the sheep are on summer range, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor in a straight-faced rural voice, with ranch humor fit for any sheep camp. Its farm jokes are short enough to tell before the herder's dog gets bored.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
Utah Wool Growers Association Newsletter Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Utah State University: Utah Wool Growers Association records - history and archival collection.
- Archives West: Utah Wool Growers Association addendum - records from 1940 to 1990.
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - Utah sheep and wool statistics.
- American Sheep Industry Association - the national sheep producer association.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - state and county farm data.
Utah Wool Growers Association Newsletter FAQ
When was the Utah Wool Growers Association founded?
On March 16, 1935, in Salt Lake City.
What is the association's newsletter called?
The Utah Wool Grower.
What events does the association hold?
An annual statewide convention and an autumn state ram sale; it also sponsored Miss Wool of Utah and Miss Wool of America.
Where are the association's historical records?
At Utah State University Special Collections, listed through Archives West.
Ninety years on, the Utah Wool Growers Association still uses its newsletter to keep Utah's sheep producers informed and organized.