Editorial: Wool's Back in the Black
OPINION: Confidence in the wool sector is rebounding as prices hit levels not seen in more than 15 years.
The 15,000 bales of South Island wool on offer this week saw an 82% clearance and a generally dearer market overall, fully recovering from the previous weeks' North Island softer sale on April 18.
New Zealand Wool Services International Ltd's marketing executive, Paul Steel reports the currency factor had practically no influence this week with the weighted indicator firming only 0.11%.
Steel advises that most pressure came on the Chinese types with fine crossbred fleece firming 1% and the shears lifting between 3 and 7%.
Average style coarse fleece were 3 to 5% stronger with poorer styles 1.5 to 4% dearer. Coarse shears were generally 1.5 to 2.5% firmer.
Short, fine First Lambs were 1% dearer with coarser types generally 2 to 3.5% softer.
Long oddments lifted up to 5% with short oddments firm overall.
There was competition with China principal, supported by Australasia, Western Europe, Middle East, United Kingdom and India.
The next sale May 2 comprises about 4,900 bales from the North Island, down 34% on anticipated roster due to the shorter intake week and recent poorer weather conditions restricting shearing.
Potatoes New Zealand has congratulated Peter Reynolds of TA Reynolds Ltd in Pukekohe on being awarded the Horticulture New Zealand Bledisloe Cup, recognising a lifetime of service and contribution to New Zealand horticulture.
Signing up to a benchmarking tool is not about competition, but about improving collectively, says Ximena Puig and Alvaro Luzardo who are 50-50 sharemilkers at a 164-hectare (effective) dairy farm in Eketāhuna in the Lower North Island.
A leading British farming politician says he's impressed with the positive attitude of New Zealand farmers that he met during his recent trip here.
OPINION: With 10,500 dairy farms, New Zealand continues to punch above its weight around the world.
The Southern Dairy Hub (SDH), which runs a demonstration farm for South Island farmers, has a new general manager.
Esther Guy-Meakin has been announced as the new chief executive of the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).

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