 Many of you know that we have been trying to sell our beautiful ranch store so we could strengthen our business for the future. It has been a long journey, and more than once we wondered when—or even if—the right buyer would come along. Looking back, we now realize that God simply had His own timing.
Last week, something remarkable happened. We met with a Christian real estate broker who toured the property and, before leaving, prayed with Francis for God's will and blessing over this next chapter. Just one hour after returning to his office, he called to say he had a prospective buyer. An hour after that buyer visited the property, we had a signed contract. We truly believe this was no coincidence. We are humbled and grateful to see God's hand guiding our family and our business into a new season. This new chapter comes at a particularly meaningful time. After 65 years and 4 months of practicing law, Francis has officially retired from the legal profession. While he has faithfully balanced both careers for many years, he is now able to devote his full time and energy to the sheep and yarn industries that have become his true passion. He is excited to spend more time with the flock, continue developing new American-grown wool products, welcome visitors to the farm, and share the story of American wool with generations to come. While we are excited for what lies ahead, this also means our time at this special location is coming to a close. If you've been thinking about visiting the ranch store, taking a farm tour, or bringing family and friends to experience the sheep, now is the perfect time. Over the next seven weeks, we'd love to welcome you one more time to the place where so many wonderful memories have been made. Walk through the store, meet the sheep, enjoy a tour, and help us celebrate the beginning of this exciting new chapter. Most importantly, we are NOT going out of business. Our sheep, our yarn, our socks, our sheepskins, our lamb, and our commitment to producing quality American-grown and American-made products remain as strong as ever. Only our location is changing. In fact, with Francis now fully committed to the business he loves, we are looking forward to expanding our offerings, creating new opportunities, and serving you even better in the years ahead. Thank you for your friendship, your prayers, and your loyal support. We hope you'll come celebrate with us before we hand the keys to the next owners and begin this exciting new adventure together. We can't wait to welcome you and share this special milestone with you.
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At the request of the former American Textile Museum, Francis Chester established a non-profit foundation and invested over $200,000 to house this collection of spinning wheels, winders, and looms. For over five years, we have personally managed the maintenance, utilities, and repairs for these historical pieces.
Unfortunately, the museum has seen very little public support or appreciation, with donations totaling only $50 this year. We can no longer afford to maintain the collection in its current form, and after unsuccessful attempts to partner with other museums, we have decided to sell these items. Each piece will be available for $225, a price significantly below their actual value. All proceeds will go to the foundation, which we are repurposing to focus on promoting U.S. grown and manufactured sheep wool. Please support us in this new direction. Look at the gallery above to see each item as it is numbered so you can easily call with any questions about specific items! Join us for a tour this year! The 2025 tour season begins April 1. We will not have tours May 1-5 as we are at the MDSW (Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival). Book your tour and come visit us! Start HERE.
 We have grown gorgeous pumpkins this year and they're on sale!
One pumpkin: $3.99 Three pumpkins: $8.99 Ten pumpkins: $27 Come and get 'em!  We are so honored to have had Crochet World Magazine review our Cestari Traditional Collection yarn! This is our sheepiest, most natural, 100% American raised wool yarn (mostly from our own sheep) - it's never mulesed, never superwashed and always affordable.  Click here to: Read the review!
Looking for something fun to do while vacationing in Virginia? Maybe you’re trying to find a fun day trip for your family in Virginia. We think our Cestari Farm Tours fit the bill!  What is a Cestari Farm Tour? When you book a Cestari Farm Tour, you are supporting your local Virginia farmer and shepherd, family and community! This 90-minute tour includes history and information about the textile industry and the wool industry, exploring our Textile Museum as well as a Conestoga wagon ride up to our farm where you can see the sheep barns, learn about how we care for and handle the sheep, and take pictures!
You can come to our farm to visit with animals, which is a great way to spend time with your family and friends. Our farm tours are perfect for families, children, couples, tourists, locals, and educational groups. In this farm tour experience you will tour a working farm with your pleasant farm tour guide, Francis the Shepherd himself. Plan your farm tour visit by booking a tour online or calling us at (540) 997-1212. We can’t wait to welcome you!  Cotton is a wonderful fiber for yarn and fiber artists! Cotton yarn is great for crochet, for knitting, for baby blankets, for dishcloths, for amigurumi, for weaving, for crochet bags, and more. Cotton yarn is also known for knit and crochet sweaters and tees, especially for those desiring a lighter fiber for warmer seasons. We strive to create cotton yarn (our Old Dominion Collection) that is eco-friendly in the following ways: We purchase cotton as locally grown as possible. This means we only buy cotton from local farmers in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. These farmers are committed to caring for the land they grow cotton on, by rotating fields responsibly. We keep our cotton minimally processed and only dye using EPA certified-as-safe dyes. Our dyes are eco-friendly and safe for the environment. Cotton yarn is good, especially when the fiber has been grown responsibly and is dyed in an environmentally friendly way. Cotton yarn is better than acrylic because it is a natural fiber, sustainable and non-polluting, whereas acrylic yarns are synthetic, not sustainable, and polluting the earth with their plastics and micro-plastics. When asking if cotton yarn is soft, the answer is that it is a stiffer yarn to work with, but soft to the skin. It is not itchy or scratchy or rough rubbing against the skin, whether as a shirt, sweater, face cloth, or blanket. Which cotton yarn is the softest? Well, we would like to say it is ours! We’ve received feedback from our customers that our cotton yarn is easier to work with, less strain on their hands when knitting or crocheting with it, and creates a pleasing finished product.
If you're wondering about how you'll care for your cotton yarn, have no fear! Cotton yarn is easy to care for! You can handwash or machine wash it and some machine-dry it successfully (on low). Our yarn dye does not rub off on your hands while working with it. |
About FrancisFarming is a lifelong passion for Francis Chester. Born in Brooklyn, he moved to Long Island, NY as soon as he could and learned about vegetable gardening, how to milk goats, and how to care for chickens. Archives
August 2026
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Help us improve and increase the wool sheep numbers in the U.S.A.! Click here to see how.
Thank you for your continued support, Francis Chester-Cestari CEO, Cestari Sheep & Wool Company |