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.
The sale of Fonterra’s global consumer and related businesses is expected to be completed within two months.
Fonterra is boosting its butter production capacity to meet growing demand.
For the most part, dairy farmers in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Tairawhiti and the Manawatu appear to have not been too badly affected by recent storms across the upper North Island.
South Island dairy production is up on last year despite an unusually wet, dull and stormy summer, says DairyNZ lower South Island regional manager Jared Stockman.
Following a side-by-side rolling into a gully, Safer Farms has issued a new Safety Alert.
Coming in at a year-end total at 3088 units, a rise of around 10% over the 2806 total for 2024, the signs are that the New Zealand farm machinery industry is turning the corner after a difficult couple of years.