Top wool advocate bales out
The conversion of productive farmland into trees has pretty much annihilated the wool industry.
Renewed interest from China saw the finer types well supported in the combined North and South Island wool sales comprising 15,200 bales, NZ Wool Services International Ltd's, general manager, John Dawson reports.
The coarser wools were generally firm to slightly easier. With the better tone, 62% of the offering sold. The weighted indicator for the main trading currencies eased by 0.76% compared to the last sale on July 19.
Dawson advises that Mid Micron wools, 25.5 to 31.5 micron, were firm to 3% dearer. Fine Crossbred 33 to 35 micron 2 to 4 inches and longer were firm to 8% dearer with the 3 to 4 inch bracket appreciating the most. The 2 to 3 inch types were the only area to weaken, by up to 3%.
Crossbred Fleece 36 microns and coarser were firm to 3% easier. Coarse Shears were 1 to 3% cheaper except the 3 to 4 inch bracket which came back 3 to 5%.
First Lambs attracted good competition with the longer types 4 to 7% stronger and shorter types firm to 2.5% dearer.
Long Coarse Oddments were firm overall with the short types firm to 4% dearer.
Well spread activity with China principals supported by Western Europe, India and the Middle East.
The next sale on August 2 comprises about 8250 bales from the South Island.
Puro, the country's largest cannabis cultivator, has won the Supreme Award at the Marlborough Business Excellence Awards.
Rawhiti Environmental Park Limited has been convicted on eight charges and fined a total of $437,000 for persistent discharges of raw piggery effluent into the environment between February and October 2023.
The New Zealand Merino Company (NZM) is expanding its collaboration with TextileGenesis to deliver full traceability for 100% of ZQ certified wool and ZQRX regenerative wool.
According to Federated Farmers, Environment Southland has mishandled the consent process for Waituna Lagoon, leaving the community with numerous bad outcomes.
Metallica's charitable foundation, All Within My Hands (AWMH), teamed up with Meet the Need this week for a food packing event held at the New Zealand Food Network warehouse in Auckland.
According to Zespri's November forecast for the 2025/26 season, returns are likely to be up for all fruit groups compared to the last forecast in August.

OPINION: Winston Peters has described the decision to sell its brand to Lactalis and disperse the profit to its farmer…
OPINION: The Hound reckons a big problem with focusing too much on the wrong goal - reducing livestock emissions at…