Jeanne Carver, 52, is a wool-working ball of energy. Her bright-green eyes dart around her kitchen on Imperial Stock Ranch as she picks bits of straw off a panel knitted from her sheep’s wool.

The panel will be sent soon to local artisans, who will turn it into a jacket for Hillsboro, Ore.-based retailer Norm Thompson Outfitters.

”Live poor, die rich,” Carver says as she describes the hard farm life she’s had since she and her husband, Dan Carver, 62, bought the more than 100-year-old ranch near Maupin 17 years ago.

The Carvers are part of a new partnership finalized last spring with the national retailer. The union is a symbol of interdependence between local farmers, artisans and retailers.

The Carvers supply the wool from sheep raised on land that is farmed using practices of sustainable agriculture; Oregon artisans design and create the products; and Norm Thompson advertises the uniquely local, handmade garments to its customers. The artisans all live in Central Oregon.

Through the Carvers’ management, the 32,000-acre ranch has become a case study in sustainable agriculture, which they define as environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable.

The ranch produces organic beef and lamb, wool and leather garments and practices environmentally friendly agriculture like crop rotations and ”no-till farming,” which means that instead of plowing the land, a special machine inserts seeds in stubble from the previous crop.

”We want to tell our sustainability story so when a customer eats our meat or buys a jacket, it’s part of making this business economically viable,” Dan Carver said. ”Norm Thompson is very concerned that we’re economically viable.”

The partnership was born out of the Carvers’ declining wool sales amid cheap foreign imports and the popularity of retail giants like Wal-Mart.

”In 1999, we were told by our wool buyer that they were closing after 100 years because they couldn’t compete,” Jeanne Carver said. ”The small guy has a tough time competing with big manufacturers. It’s tough to beat the Wal-Mart mentality.”

The Carvers had to find another way to market their wool if they wanted to keep the sheep, she said, adding that using her wool to make custom products made sense.

”You have to be adaptable in order to survive in this business,” Jeanne Carver said. ”Many people were asking for ready-made garments, so that’s when I started hiring Central Oregon artisans.”

Through contacts in the Oregon Environmental Council, the Carvers were able to inform Norm Thompson executives about their unique products and how they support the Central Oregon economy.

”We look for these types of products that are attractive, high-quality and have a sustainable quality, which is too rare in the marketplace,” said Derek Smith, director of corporate responsibility and communications for Norm Thompson.

”We have a heritage of taking Oregon products to a national marketplace and selling them,” he said. ”This partnership is a continuation of that.”

Before they hit the pages of Norm Thompson’s catalog, Imperial Stock products pass through the hands of eight different Oregon artisans – all women – who will spend an average of six hours per piece on all 600 units ordered by the retailer, Jeanne Carver said.

The Carvers harvest the wool and then send it to Alberta, Canada, to be washed without chemicals and then dyed. After the Canadian mill turns the wool into yarn, it goes back to the ranch and Jeanne Carver takes it to local knitters, who knit the wool into panels.

Then, the panels are returned to her and she gives them a final inspection before taking them to seamstresses who fashion the panels into garments. Once the garments are complete, she ships them to Norm Thompson, which markets the products to customers nationwide.

Bend seamstress Therese Langley is one of the artisans in the product circle, applying finishing touches that include sewing hems, and adding buttons, trims and labels. She said she’s ”honored” to be included.

”There’s so much love put into each garment because I do each one by hand; that part is important because artisans have to love their work,” Langley said. ”The fact that I’m involved gives me a lot of pride. I have a lot of respect for what they (the Carvers) are doing in terms of sustainable farming.”

This kind of retail is a first for Langley, who’s owned her own business for 21 years and operates Threads By Therese out of her home.

”It makes me feel so good when people appreciate the extra effort, care and thought that goes into a product,” she said.

The bigger partnership has been successful and customers regularly inquire about Imperial Stock Ranch products, according to Norm Thompson officials.

Jeanne Carver said the success is rewarding – especially since she has no background in fashion, marketing or business.

”Textiles are a tough game,” she said. ”Women are fickle buyers.”

Nothing is fickle about supporting local artisans and businesses, which is a growing trend in Oregon, said John Emrick, president and CEO of Norm Thompson.

As consumers realize the importance of sustainability, as in the wake of national disasters like Hurricane Katrina, they look to products that support the local economy, he said.

”I think people really care now about where their products are coming from,” Emrick said. ”There is a market for sustainable products and when consumers say they want to buy from a company that is socially and environmentally responsible, those companies will be the winners.”

Oregon is ripe for the development of sustainable business practices, Smith said.

”There is evidence of tremendous economic opportunity in pursuing sustainable development,” Smith said, pointing to alternative energy sources like windmills, for example. ”Now it’s even in garments. It’s an exciting future for Oregon’s economy.”

Keeping business and retail manufacturing local is key to maintaining quality products that consumers feel personally connected to, he said.

”Sustainable business offers an incredible economic development opportunity for the state of Oregon,” Smith said. ”It’s really neat that the talent from all these communities came together to create a real Oregon original.”

The collaboration is mutually beneficial. Norm Thompson executives saw in the Imperial Stock Ranch a chance to bring the company motto, ”Escape from the ordinary,” to a more personal level.

”(Imperial Stock garments) represent what Norm Thompson is all about,” said Smith. ”It’s a unique product, it fulfills the brand promise and showcases sustainability in a way consumers find valuable.”

As for Jeanne, she is up to her neck in garment orders as she single-handedly picks over each garment, searching for imperfections or stray pieces of grass in the fabric.

Does she trust anyone else to manage these details?

”No way, I’m a one-man band,” she said, adding that she’s currently working on her 2006 designs. ”But, seriously, selling what we grow in this partnership is a three-pronged balance. A lot of loving hands are in this project.”

Norm Thompson carries three Imperial Stock Ranch women’s garments: the wool chapeau, a thick, brownish-mauve hat, $99; Wildhorse wool scarf, a heavy scarf the same color as the hat and accented with a rainbow of colorful yarn fringe, $99; and the Victoria sweater jacket, made of ivory-colored wool with buttons of naturally shed deer antlers collected on the ranch, $298.

For more information about Norm Thompson, visit www.normthompson.com.

Imperial Stock Ranch also offers products not carried by Norm Thompson. Pictures and information about those products and the ranch are available at www.imperialstockranch .com.