DILLON, Mont. — A family-owned sheep ranch has put a spin on the “farm-to-table” concept by trademarking a similar slogan — “Sheep to Shelf” — that captures its unusual business model.

In 2013, John Helle, a third-generation sheep rancher in Western Montana, co-founded a wool clothing company called Duckworth Co. The brand sells shirts, hoodies, socks, hats and other clothing made from the wool produced by ranch’s roughly 10,000 sheep.

At a time when wool producers and the American textile industry are struggling, the Helle family is going against the trend by expanding its operation. The Helles plan to partner with additional mills and ranches to boost production in the coming years.

“We have more demand than we can service,” said Evan Helle, 31, John’s son. Evan works on both sides of the business, overseeing production from sheep to finished fabric.

Reed Anderson, a large-scale sheep rancher in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, has known John Helle since the 1990s through industry associations and has watched the family’s business become more vertically integrated over time.

“I’ve watched the Duckworth thing evolve. I think he (John Helle) has done really, really well at that,” said Anderson. “He’s an inspiration, I think, to people in the sheep industry.”

Fine wool

The Helles raise Rambouillet sheep, a large, white-faced breed descended from the Merino breed that was developed in Spain during the 12th century. Rambouillets produce fine wool soft enough to be worn next to the skin.

The Helles have improved their flock’s genetics through careful selection and breeding. Evan Helle said the ranch’s average wool is less than 19 microns in size. A micron is the measurement used to describe the wool fiber’s diameter. The smaller the micron, the finer and softer the wool.

“We basically have bred the itchiness out of wool,” said Evan Helle.

The average mature ewe produces between 8 and 14 pounds of wool per shearing — enough to make 8 to 10 T-shirts.

The ranch

Helle Rambouillet, the family’s ranch, is based in Dillon, southwest of Bozeman.

The Helles pasture their Rambouillet sheep on a mosaic of public and private land in Western Montana. The family owns about 30,000 acres and leases 80,000 to 100,000 acres.

“I love the lifestyle. I love being able to go outside and work outdoors, and I am thankful not to be in an office,” said Karen Helle, John’s wife. She grew up on a cattle ranch but said she especially enjoys the gentle temperaments of sheep.

Raising 10,000 sheep, however, is an all-consuming occupation.

“It’s how you raise your family and how you live your life. It’s not a 9-to-5 job,” said John Helle.

For the operation’s herders, it’s more like an around-the-clock job. The Helles employ five full-time sheepherders, most of whom are Peruvian, through the H-2A guestworker visa program. One of the herders has worked for the Helles for 23 years.

The sheepherders live in sheep wagons, compact homes that can easily move from place to place as the herders follow the sheep across rangelands throughout the year. The Helles’ sheep wagons look like metal huts the shape of covered wagons. Historical records credit blacksmith James Candlish with inventing the sheep wagon in Wyoming in 1884.

The sheep trail

Twice a year, the sheepherders and Helles make a pilgrimage called the sheep trail, herding the sheep up to the mountains to pasture in the summer and back down to the valleys in the fall.

Lambs are born in the spring — between 5,000 to 6,000 annually, said John Helle. The lambs start life in the valley, and when they’re strong enough, they make the journey with their mothers to the mountains in June or July.

The trek takes six to seven days with about 5,000 feet in elevation gain through the rugged Northern Rockies.

“It’s just beautiful up there,” said Evan Helle.

The sheep and their keepers walk through wide meadows, by winding creeks and past jagged cliffs. Mike Somerby, Duckworth’s marketing director, said the range is dotted with wildflowers: “It looks like someone dumped a bowl of sprinkles onto the mountainside.”

On the way back to the valleys in the fall, the journey takes four to five days because the lambs are stronger and it’s easier to walk downhill.

Many challenges

The Helles and their employees must keep a watchful eye on the sheep as they walk — first, because there are no fences, and second, because predators are all around. The sheep face threats from coyotes, wolves, black bears, grizzly bears, eagles, ravens and mountain lions.

“You just have to learn to adapt to them and deal with them,” John Helle said of the predators.

To herd and protect the sheep, the ranchers rely on about 40 dogs: Border Collies for herding, and Akbash, Great Pyrenees and Kangal breeds for guarding.

In addition to predators, the ranchers face other challenges: Montana’s harsh weather, rough terrain and opposition to grazing from some non-farming neighbors and environmental groups.

That opposition to grazing is part of what motivated John Helle to co-create the Duckworth clothing brand: to tell his family’s story and to teach the public about the value of agriculture.

Shearing time

Throughout the year, four to five shearing crews from around the U.S. descend on the ranch to clip wool from thousands of sheep. They shear each fleece from its sheep in a single, unbroken mass — a skill that takes practice.

This February, the Helles hosted a shearing school, and in March, they ran an event that offered members of the public a chance to try their hand at shearing with guidance from experts.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte helped shear sheep at the event and wrote in an email to Capital Press afterward that he had “a great time with the Helles.”

After shearing, the wool gets sorted into categories for different purposes. Coarser wool will go into socks, for example, while finer wool will be used in next-to-skin shirts and similar clothing.

Wool processing

Duckworth Co. has worked with in-house and freelance designers to create its clothing lines.

The company works with contractors, all of which are based in the U.S., to process the wool.

John Helle and three original business partners with textile industry experience co-founded Duckworth Co. in 2013. From the start, the mission was to create 100% American-made products, in contrast to most U.S. clothing brands that rely on mills and factories in other countries.

“We’re in it to support American communities and to provide value to the American ag system,” said Somerby, the marketing director.

Evan Helle said Duckworth works with 23 facilities in 12 states, and as the brand expands, he is looking for new textile manufacturing partners.

As the wool moves through the supply chain, it starts at the ranch, then heads to a distribution center in Missoula, Mont. From there, the wool gets shipped to different locations across the Southern and Eastern U.S. where it is scoured, spun, dyed, knit, woven and turned into garments. Duckworth then sells the garments to customers via its online store.

Market appeal

Duckworth’s clothing tends to appeal to 25-to-45-year-olds with active lifestyles, partly because of the functional garment styles and partly because of wool’s natural properties. Wool is moisture-wicking, fast-drying, odor-resistant, flame-resistant, breathable and durable.

Duckworth’s brand attracts skiers, rock climbers, hunters and others with active lifestyles.

Somerby said the brand’s e-commerce model allows it to sell to people all across the U.S. Duckworth’s biggest sale markets, he said, include Seattle, Chicago, New York, Denver, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas and cities across Montana.

Evan Helle said he gets excited when he sees someone wearing his family’s brand. On one occasion, he said he was startled to see a man on the History Channel wearing a Duckworth hoodie. “It was really cool,” he said.

Value-added wool

Although the business is not fully vertically integrated, the Helles now represent both the start and end of their wool supply chain, which they say is more economically sustainable than selling on the global commodities market.

“That’s a big thing in ag right now. You just can’t make it on commodity prices. So many ranches are trying to find ways to add value to their products,” said Evan Helle.

John Helle agreed, saying the family has found their business to be more sustainable and predictable because they have more control over setting prices.

Expansion ahead

Duckworth Co. continues to expand, and Evan Helle is on the lookout for more partners.

“Duckworth has outgrown our ranch’s ability,” he said.

Although the brand could quickly scale up production by working with overseas textile mills, the Helles say they plan to continue working exclusively with American producers and processors, which will mean scaling up more slowly.

“We’re really about rebuilding the American domestic apparel industry,” said Evan Helle.

The ranch has already identified several sheep ranches to buy wool from across the West.

Because of the brand’s high standards, the Helles have strict criteria for the wool they buy. To help boost other flocks’ genetics, they are selling some of their breeding stock to ranchers who are interested in working with them.

This year, Duckworth will buy wool from other Montana ranches. In 2024, it will also buy from producers in Texas, South Dakota, Utah and potentially North Dakota and Wyoming. In 2025, the Helles are open to buying wool from producers in other states as well.

Looking to the future

The Helles say they hope the ranch operation will continue to be a family affair. John Helle and his brother Tom have been partners since the 1980s. John and Karen Helle have four adult children. Their daughter Claire works in healthcare; their son Nathan works in construction; their son Weston works mainly on the ranch; and their son Evan works on both the ranch and clothing brand.

The ranch now even has a fifth generation on it: Evan Helle’s children, 4-year-old Jack and 2-year-old Ben. Evan said raising his kids on the ranch has been a fulfilled “bucket list item.”

John Helle said what keeps driving him despite the challenges is his love for the ranching lifestyle and his delight at seeing how much customers appreciate Duckworth’s apparel.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding,” he said.

https://www.duckworthco.com/