£7.49

[primmiemoo]

I'll think you'll find that wool isn't nearly as good as glasswool insulation aka fuzzy wuzzy and a lot more natural wool is needed compared to the commercially produced alternative to achieve the same insulation rating. This goes against building regs where X amount of insulation is required making natural sheep's wool unfit for the job. Snookered by our own British red tape. I wouldn't expect it to be any other way.

Hmmm, the blurb says it meets regs, but I don't actually know the regs.

Home - Thermafleece british sheeps wool insulation

Thermafleece Sheeps Wool Insulation made from the fleece of British Hill Sheep and manufactured in Yorkshire the home of British Wool.

www.thermafleece.com

 

[tepapa]

Hmmm, the blurb says it meets regs, but I don't actually know the regs.

Home - Thermafleece british sheeps wool insulation

Thermafleece Sheeps Wool Insulation made from the fleece of British Hill Sheep and manufactured in Yorkshire the home of British Wool.

www.thermafleece.com

Looks like they're mixing it with polyester. It must improve its properties

 

[primmiemoo]

Looks like they're mixing it with polyester. It must improve its properties

Recycled plastic bottles turned into a fibre. It might be an acceptable compromise?

 

[Sid]

Local depot is busy busy and always meet people hauling wool in to be graded.

IIRC wool doesn't burn but smoulders and smoulders

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Wool does make an excellent insulator, however it still has to be processed first. There are different ways of doing this but all expensive, it also needs moth proofing. It is much nicer to handle than Rockwool.

With wool at such a low price it will be more competitive but will still be 2 or 3x more expensive than Rockwool.

At the auction last week there were no bids for Swaledale or Welsh! The finer wools are being sold but also at a low level. This is not just a UK problem, it is worldwide, Australia have over half a million bales unsold at present or around 100 million kg, we only produce less than 30 million kg. NZ prices are lower than ours.

It will get better but not for some time. To put it in context when Australia abandoned their wool board and the guaranteed price system they had there were 10 million bales in store. They eventually set up a separate company to trade it out. At the end they worked out it would have been more economic to just dump it in the desert!!

 

[Munkul]

I never before realised the advantages sheep wool has being partially flame resistant. Better than any other polymer insulation for safety, then, although maybe not quite as good as rock wool.

 

[gatepost]

It takes quite some time to rot, especially if in a big clump.
If well mixed, you'll see bits when spread but not cause any problem.


I thought I'd alluded to that.
My point is that there are thousands of potential uses for wool that might not normally be cost effective. A marketing board should be promoting it as a better alternative to 'rockwool' etc.
They've had time to come up with a strategy.
If there job is just turning up for auction, there's not much marketing going on.

I agree , but there is no real manufacturing infrastructure left in this country, thanks in part to Maggie and then Blairs globalisation, and we as consumers are to blame, you have to have someone to sell it too, and they aren't there.

 

[Henarar]

I agree , but there is no real manufacturing infrastructure left in this country, thanks in part to Maggie and then Blairs globalisation, and we as consumers are to blame, you have to have someone to sell it too, and they aren't there.

Didn't they line up all the vehicles that are made in this country on top gear once, quite surprising, I know a lot will use imported components but still

 

[gatepost]

I think the government should have reinstated the medieval statute to support the wool industry, as in all bodies to be buried in a woollen shroud, ideal in the circumstances, maybe just wrapped up in a couple of fleeces would do.

 

[Farmer_Joe]

That should be a massive selling point. No microparticles from wool.

You dead right, i keep thinking we are missing a trick with all the plastic everywherre in the sea etc off clothing yet wool is worth nothig.

Mines been bagged up and put up in and old barn managed to stuff it tightly into 6 sheets,(pushed i through the old hay loft window!) i had about 10 fleeces left over ive just thrown on the muck heap

 

[thesilentone]

We are supposed to live in a world, of re-cycle and reuse. Then we have a superb product like wool that is worth next to nothing, something gone wrong somewhere.

We're about to spend gazzillions on even more loft insulation, why not made from sheeps wool ?

 

[Extreme Optimist]

Looks like they're mixing it with polyester. It must improve its properties

Think thats to stop it slumping when put in the walls

 

[primmiemoo]

I never before realised the advantages sheep wool has being partially flame resistant. Better than any other polymer insulation for safety, then, although maybe not quite as good as rock wool.

When I was a girl, there was a fire at home. Lightning strike through the electrical system set the curtains alight, and there was a brave blaze when I found it. Ran for the extinguisher, put out the fire in the curtains and wallpaper, and then realised the old armchair was smouldering.

Shoved it outdoors, where it was put out by the rain. It was stuffed with horsehair and wool. Definitely stopped the fire from spreading, and probably saved the house, according to the Fire Brigade.

 

[Exile_AM]

Good afternoon everyone. I'm a first time poster, midterm lurker, and not actually a farmer; supposed to be an ag college employee, and find this forum fascinating. I've followed the threads on wool this year too. I stumbled across a few wool use initiatives including Lanaco in NZ working on wool as a natural air filter:
https://www.lanaco.co.nz/index.cfm/about/lanaco-news/the-world-s-most-valuable-wool/

Aside from the interesting product it talks about the perils of 'commoditisation' for wool producers " because it’s become just another commodity where the cheapest producers – like China – are able to undercut everyone else on price".

It feels like what they're getting at is it will take primary producers partnering with manufacturing to create a product and then market the heck out of it creating demand. Would take a bit of vertical integration, probably a farmers coop or joint venture between a group of farmers, or perhaps a very progressive breed society.

Anyway, thanks for reading and some measure of apologies for inserting myself into the forum.

Best wishes,

AM

 

[bactosoil]

Wool does make an excellent insulator, however it still has to be processed first. There are different ways of doing this but all expensive, it also needs moth proofing.

we have put up several buildings , inc the farm office and workshops 8x3 studwork stuffed with as rolled fleeces and vapour sealed and 9in thick cut weatherboard /finished inside , brilliant cheap insulator and have no problems with it at all , added bonus should anyone try to cut their way in the fleeces will snag most attempts

 

[Tim W]

Some thoughts here for wool https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/41079-vision-and-action-for-new-zealands-wool-sector-report

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Some thoughts here for wool https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/41079-vision-and-action-for-new-zealands-wool-sector-report

How much would the wool price have to be for you to consider keeping wool sheep rather than shedders?

 

[Tim W]

How much would the wool price have to be for you to consider keeping wool sheep rather than shedders?

Good question and I must admit i haven't done a COP for wool for a long time (but i bet there aren't many wool farmers that could tell you their COP?)
Last time i did this was 2012...using figures from AHDB , i reckoned then that:
Costs of harvesting and protecting the fleece was £3.90/ewe
Value of wool that year was £1.19/ewe
Then you have to try to sort ;
1) the costs involved in growing excess wool (this requires energy/food just like meat production does)
I don’t know quite how to do this practically as there are few estimates for energy conversion of grass to wool
2) adding in the extra management associated with wool and the figure goes up

I'm guessing £4/kg before i thought about it & probably nearer £6/kg before i went to @yellowbelly looking for woolly rams

If i wanted to make wool pay i would select for it at the farm level---measure yield and quality just like we do any other trait
I would simultaneously invest in market development/research and in lobbying for producer pays taxes on synthetic textiles
The synthetic taxing and new market opportunities are the best way for wool to become a profitable commodity again

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Good question and I must admit i haven't done a COP for wool for a long time (but i bet there aren't many wool farmers that could tell you their COP?)
Last time i did this was 2012...using figures from AHDB , i reckoned then that:
Costs of harvesting and protecting the fleece was £3.90/ewe
Value of wool that year was £1.19/ewe
Then you have to try to sort ;
1) the costs involved in growing excess wool (this requires energy/food just like meat production does)
I don’t know quite how to do this practically as there are few estimates for energy conversion of grass to wool
2) adding in the extra management associated with wool and the figure goes up

I'm guessing £4/kg before i thought about it & probably nearer £6/kg before i went to @yellow belly looking for woolly rams

If i wanted to make wool pay i would select for it at the farm level---measure yield and quality just like we do any other trait
I would simultaneously invest in market development/research and in lobbying for producer pays taxes on synthetic textiles
The synthetic taxing and new market opportunities are the best way for wool to become a profitable commodity again

I’m pretty sure @yellow belly won’t be too arsed about wool...
@yellowbelly on the other hand...

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

Good question and I must admit i haven't done a COP for wool for a long time (but i bet there aren't many wool farmers that could tell you their COP?)
Last time i did this was 2012...using figures from AHDB , i reckoned then that:
Costs of harvesting and protecting the fleece was £3.90/ewe
Value of wool that year was £1.19/ewe
Then you have to try to sort ;
1) the costs involved in growing excess wool (this requires energy/food just like meat production does)
I don’t know quite how to do this practically as there are few estimates for energy conversion of grass to wool
2) adding in the extra management associated with wool and the figure goes up

I'm guessing £4/kg before i thought about it & probably nearer £6/kg before i went to @yellow belly looking for woolly rams

If i wanted to make wool pay i would select for it at the farm level---measure yield and quality just like we do any other trait
I would simultaneously invest in market development/research and in lobbying for producer pays taxes on synthetic textiles
The synthetic taxing and new market opportunities are the best way for wool to become a profitable commodity again

Do shedding sheep need less fly strike protection products?