Top wool advocate bales out
The conversion of productive farmland into trees has pretty much annihilated the wool industry.
The North Island sale saw prices lift on the back of a weaker New Zealand dollar and steady off-shore interest, NZ Wool Services International Ltd's marketing executive, Paul Steel, reports.
Of the 10,000 bales on offer 97% sold. The weighted indicator for the main trading currencies compared to the last sale on January 15 was down 1.63%.
Steel advises fine crossbred fleece and shears were 1 to 4% dearer.
Coarse crossbred fleece were 1 to 3% stronger with shears generally firm to 2% dearer.
First lambs finer than 27.5 micron came under strong competition, lifting 7% with the balance 1.5 to 2.5% stronger.
Long oddments were 4 to 6% dearer with short good colour oddments firm and poorer styles up 4%.
There was well spread interest with China, India and Australasia dominating, supported by Western Europe, Middle East and the United Kingdom.
The next sale on January 29 comprises about 9,000 bales from the North Island and 12,800 bales from the South.
Fonterra Edendale has been recognised with the Mars Dairy Supplier Quality Award for the top performing supplier sites in the global food company's dairy supply chain.
Sheep milk processor Maui Milk has achieved grass-fed certification of milk supply against the AsureQuality Grass-Fed Scheme.
OPINION: What goes up must come down. So, global dairy prices retreating from lofty heights in recent months wouldn’t come as a surprise to many farmers.
Fonterra directors and councillors are in for a pay rise next month.
Federated Farmers says it is cautiously welcoming signals from the Government that a major shake-up of local government is on its way.
Ashburton cropping and dairy farmer Matthew Paton has been elected to the board of rural services company, Ruralco.

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…