Wool...what will you do with yours...

Anymulewilldo · May 29, 2023

muleman said:
Hate to see it messing the fields up, it wont have much value as a nutrient.
Swaledale has bred the wool off the sheep now so can see why it isnt worth much, some are wondering if theyve taken too much wool off them now which is a contributing factor to them not being as hardy as thry were maybe

That and they’ve bred them into greyhounds…

neilo · May 29, 2023

Skintagain said:
If I could get a tex x mule equivalent that shed I would.

It would be possible if enough folk want to breed that type of sheep, that sheds.
A shedding Texel X Highlander will do me.

Agrivator · May 29, 2023

Once again we will be clipping decent fleeces at a loss.

I am prepared to continue doing that, with the consolation that in the meantime I am providing employment for everyone involved in the 'wool chain' from shearers and wool wrappers at the farm level, to everyone from the graders and secretarial staff at the wool depots.

And maybe someday, the price we get for wool will cover the shearing cost. But it doesn't really matter. If a Texel x Mule or similar productive sheep can produce £150 worth of lamb, I don't begrudge having to shear her for a measly £1.50 loss.

And for the other 364 days of the year, there's a decent sheep to look at. And she has a decent coat to keep her dry all winter.

Frank-the-Wool · May 29, 2023

suffolksmallholder said:
There is huge value in wool for loft insulation!
SS

If only that were true!!

toquark · May 29, 2023

neilo said:
You’ll soon be coming round to the idea of shedders, that spread their own nutrient rich fibres on the ground.

...or on the fences.

I've got shedders btw

Old Tip · May 29, 2023

muleman said:
I'll send my mule and bfl and burn the swale i think, have been sending to DB and they have halved the price for swale to 10p so i got the impression demand isnt going to be as strong.
Makes a mockery of those saying price would mend after covid.

Think BFL is up to £8 a kilo, need to start breeding the wool back onto the bald bast@rds

Northeastfarmer · May 29, 2023

Mine will be going to DB wools again

muleman · May 29, 2023

Old Tip said:
Think BFL is up to £8 a kilo, need to start breeding the wool back onto the bald bast@rds

Thats no way to talk to me

yellowbelly · May 29, 2023

Frank-the-Wool said:
Listening to the news this morning and virtually every week you hear about issues of micro and nano plastics that are polluting and destroying the planet.

Exactly this ^^

......and who has heard the British Wool say so much of a dickie bird about it?
You'd think they'd be shouting it from the rooftops, but no, the silence is deafening.

And while we're on with saving the planet, a fleece is..
33% keratin(which is 50% carbon)
28% suint (basically sheep sweat)
26% dirt
12% fat (mainly lanolin)
1% mineral matter

So 16.5% of every fleece is carbon plus all the carbon that's in the lanolin (which is mainly alpha-hydroxy acids which are high in carbon).

I'd hazzard a guess that every 2kg fleece clipped has locked up 0.4kg of carbon.
16 million breeding sheep in the UK (?) × 0.4kg = 6400 tonnes of carbon.

Why have I never heard anybody from British Wool making a big thing about all the carbon that our sheep are sequesting ??

They're missing a massive opportunity to promote wool, IMHO.

Poorbuthappy · May 29, 2023

yellowbelly said:
Exactly this ^^

......and who has heard the British Wool say so much of a dickie bird about it?
You'd think they'd be shouting it from the rooftops, but no, the silence is deafening.

And while we're on with saving the planet, a fleece is..
33% keratin(which is 50% carbon)
28% suint (basically sheep sweat)
26% dirt
12% fat (mainly lanolin)
1% mineral matter

So 16.5% of every fleece is carbon plus all the carbon that's in the lanolin (which is mainly alpha-hydroxy acids which are high in carbon).

I'd hazzard a guess that every 2kg fleece clipped has locked up 0.4kg of carbon.
16 million breeding sheep in the UK (?) × 0.4kg = 6400 tonnes of carbon.

Why have I never heard anybody from British Wool making a big thing about all the carbon that our sheep are sequesting ??

They're missing a massive opportunity to promote wool, IMHO.

RBST did some research suggesting wool is on average about 45% carbon iirc.

Lamb's Orchard · May 29, 2023

Try and buy anything made with wool and you pay a premium (wool filled mattresses, duvets, woollen clothing, wool based composts etc). It's mad that the fleeces are worth so little. 🫤

yellowbelly · May 29, 2023

Yeah, but that would probably be after all the muck, sweat, grit and bits of wire, etc had been taken out.

The figures I was working on were as clipped, ie fleeces straight off the sheep - what actually leaves the farm.

yellowbelly · May 29, 2023

Lamb's Orchard said:
Try and buy anything made with wool and you pay a premium (wool filled mattresses, duvets, woollen clothing, wool based composts etc). It's mad that the fleeces are worth so little. 🫤

Yeah, I get that but if you've ever been to a scouring plant and seen what it takes to wash all the crap out, it's not a cheap process.

I still agree with you though. Us primary producers get a very little margin compared to everybody else in the chain.

Stw88 · May 29, 2023

muleman said:
I'll send my mule and bfl and burn the swale i think, have been sending to DB and they have halved the price for swale to 10p so i got the impression demand isnt going to be as strong.
Makes a mockery of those saying price would mend after covid.

Think we will be doing the same.

muleman · May 29, 2023

Stw88 said:
Think we will be doing the same.

Its going to come to about £6 per sheet for swale so debatable if its worth it....i suppose 10 sheets is 60 quid and you wouldnt burn £60

Stw88 · May 29, 2023

muleman said:
Its going to come to about £6 per sheet for swale so debatable if its worth it....i suppose 10 sheets is 60 quid and you wouldnt burn £60

Its the principle tho. Plus its easier at the end of the day picking the fleeces up with the handler and dropping a match than rolling and packing it all, then taking them to the collection center. Think last year was about £180 for 1000 fleeces.

Anymulewilldo · May 29, 2023

Doing well to get them to burn

when I have a clean up they just smoulder

Stw88 · May 29, 2023

Anymulewilldo said:
Doing well to get them to burn when I have a clean up they just smoulder

Need to burn it within a week while the fleece is still greasy. The last time father took some diesel to help it along but couldnt get near to put any on!

muleman · May 29, 2023

Stw88 said:
Need to burn it within a week while the fleece is still greasy. The last time father took some diesel to help it along but couldnt get near to put any on!

Always burns well here, as you say the grease helps it, think i will burn and do my bit for the ozone layer!

Northeastfarmer · May 29, 2023

muleman said:
Always burns well here, as you say the grease helps it, think i will burn and do my bit for the ozone layer!

Roll it up and pop it in your wood burner…will save a few Bob on logs and keep you warm

Wool...what will you do with yours...

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Up to 25%

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100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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