Wool What Will You Do With It?

[Nithsdale]

Sheep producing a lot of wool, must be diverting protein towards producing it. Given the same protein input, unless those sheep are more efficient, it must have a cost to meat production (whatever Romney enthusiasts might tell us).

I didn't say a lot of wool... You lot are going from one extreme to another here (probably deliberately)

I'll name a different breed... Cheviot. You get a decent 'crop' of wool, and it returns a high value - 126ppkg last year IIRC. I would reckon it costs no more for her to grow her wool than a Blackie @ 65ppkg, Swale 40ppkg or Mule @ £1pkg.

Do you see what I'm saying now?...


But anyway hence why I said earlier a lot who moan at the price of wool not covering the cost would be better considering shedders.

 

[unlacedgecko]

If they needed crutching.....

As I've posted before, my main lot don't get shorn until mid-August, after weaning. The main reason is that there are no lambs to shed off then and I can pen up & roll on my own, without any extra labour needed. Earlier lambing groups are done after weaning too. Had too many years of running myself ragged trying to shed lambs off.

There are ways to simplify things if you think outside the box a little. Also gets a few locals scratching their heads when they see sheep in full fleece come August.

Interesting system. Do the shearers not charge you moe for clipping uncrutched sheep?

 

[yellowbelly]

Do the shearers not charge you moe for clipping uncrutched sheep?

Even if they do I expect @neilo is shrewd enough to negociate a discount on his 'out of season' shearing - how busy can they be in August?

 

[It was already broken.]

Sheep producing a lot of wool, must be diverting protein towards producing it. Given the same protein input, unless those sheep are more efficient, it must have a cost to meat production (whatever Romney enthusiasts might tell us).

Also use more energy getting around surely. If they have to carry a heavy fleece everywhere then that will need to be paid for in extra energy used.

 

[ianlucasshearing]

We charge a bit extra if they are uncruched and dirty but the extra goes to the shearers and the rousies.

 

[yellowbelly]

Aye... But the moisture content is measured, and the sheet weight adjusted accordingly.

Never seen any measurement of moisture, or allowance for it?

Same here. I've never seen any moisture measuring, or means to do it.

Sorry, a bit late to the party with this (Mrs YB couldn't find her pics) but this shows sheets being emptied onto the grading tables at Bradford. There's no moisture test the graders throw the fleeces from there straight into the appropriate blue bin (depending on grade).

 

[neilo]

Interesting system. Do the shearers not charge you moe for clipping uncrutched sheep?

We charge a bit extra if they are uncruched and dirty but the extra goes to the shearers and the rousies.

Quite right too, it makes the job a lot harder for all concerned if they are dirty. I would definitely crutch daggy sheep, I just try not to have too many of those to start with.
I always see it as my failing if there are any that slip through the net, and apologise for them.

 

[neilo]

Sorry, a bit late to the party with this (Mrs YB couldn't find her pics) but this shows sheets being emptied onto the grading tables at Bradford. There's no moisture test the graders throw the fleeces from there straight into the appropriate blue bin (depending on grade).
View attachment 535400

Same at Newtown.

 

[Nithsdale]

Sorry, a bit late to the party with this (Mrs YB couldn't find her pics) but this shows sheets being emptied onto the grading tables at Bradford. There's no moisture test the graders throw the fleeces from there straight into the appropriate blue bin (depending on grade).
View attachment 535400

Surely with BWMB it would be accounted for at point of sale (which could be in another 10 months), not when it's graded?..

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Surely with BWMB it would be accounted for at point of sale (which could be in another 10 months), not when it's graded?..

Once it's been graded and weighed it's mixed with other people's wool of the same grade for baling - it would have to be moisture tested at grading/ weighing for any allowance to be made.

 

[Tim W]

Kiwis having a poor time with wool by the looks of it ---not sure how this affects the UK price or how much of our wool goes to China? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11886276

 

[exmoor dave]

Bit OT, but last Wednesday our farm group visited a uk flock of merinos....... that was a insight!

They also kept a herd of cashmere goats...... that looked hard work!

 

[jackstor]

Kiwis having a poor time with wool by the looks of it ---not sure how this affects the UK price or how much of our wool goes to China? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11886276

I was speaking to an Australian farmer at our local show who was on holiday and he was saying the same, merino wool was a good trade while coarser wool had crashed.
China is the main market for our wool.
But don't worry, the BWMB is forecasting the 2017 wool clip will be dearer than 2016, 14p/kg more for texel wool..........

 

[unlacedgecko]

Bit OT, but last Wednesday our farm group visited a uk flock of merinos....... that was a insight!

An insight in what way?

 

[Spudie]

Same here maybe got a pint out of what's left

 

[exmoor dave]

An insight in what way?

Work involved
Price received
Just the fact that merinos can be kept in the uk (& actually have quite a history here)
Opportunities available if you can produce wool to that extremely high grade.



Needless to say it did not make me re-think going over to shedders.

 

[Dyffryn]

The Irish have dropped the price 15p a kg. Half way through the season.

 

[Nithsdale]

Work involved
Price received
Just the fact that merinos can be kept in the uk (& actually have quite a history here)
Opportunities available if you can produce wool to that extremely high grade.



Needless to say it did not make me re-think going over to shedders.

What are they doing with them? Apart for the wool...

Do they cross some to a terminal breed? If so what are the lambs like?
How do the pure lambs kill out?

 

[exmoor dave]

They were building the flock up so all ewe lambs retained.

Males ringed at birth and kept for life for the wool.

Some females exported as nucleus flocks to Europe.


The ewes weren't hugely dissimilar to a poll Dorset in shape so I guess they'd kill ok, but they were genuine wool merinos, the hosts explained that the trouble with crossing or even just breeding for better shape came at the expense of wool quality.

Circa £15/ kg for the wool.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Kiwis having a poor time with wool by the looks of it ---not sure how this affects the UK price or how much of our wool goes to China? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11886276

It is true that NZ has had a difficult time selling wool this last year. This has not been helped by farmers holding on to wool so there has been a large amount left to sell.
British wool has been very competitively priced over the last few months with NZ. The first sale of 2017 wool was held at Bradford last week and was a relatively small entry. Prices were very slightly down but 96% was sold.

The differential between the price of fine wool and medium is at a record gap and with NZ sheep numbers continuing to decline all the medium term indicators are for the price to rise. Wool is a very volatile commodity in price and the swings in value can be as much as 50% in one selling season, only the bravest speculators can survive those swings. This is why the BWMB is a very stable way to trade wool.

I am convinced we will see the finer, medium wools lift in price considerably as manufacturers look to cheapen their sourcing of raw wool by taking higher micron to blend, this then has the effect of pulling up the price of all wool. The next sale at Bradford is in just over 2 weeks time.