Wool pellets to boost gardens
With wool prices steadily declining and shearing costs on the rise, a Waikato couple began looking for a solution for wool from their 80ha farm.
The strong dollar, restricted off-shore interest and high volumes of one wool category on offer this week saw local prices ease.
New Zealand Wool Services marketing executive, Malcolm Ching says of the 12,180 bales on offer from the predominantly short second shear wools in the North Island, 77% sold.
The weighted currency indicator compared to the previous weeks' auction lifted 0.65%.
Ching advises that compared to the similar offering of North Island wools on June 9:
Fine crossbred shears were 2 to 4% cheaper.
Coarse crossbred full fleece were firm to 3.5% easier.
Coarse shears were down 3 to 6% with the shorter types affected the most.
Short first lambs were 2 to 4% softer.
Coarse short oddments were 2.5 to 5.5% cheaper.
There was limited interest with Australasia, Western Europe, United Kingdom principals, supported by India, Middle East and China.
The news sale on June 30 comprises about 11,300 bales from the South Island.
Among the regular exhibitors at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, the one that arguably takes the most intensive preparation every time is the PGG Wrightson Seeds site.
Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.
Buoyed by strong forecasts for milk prices and a renewed demand for dairy assets, the South Island rural real estate market has begun the year with positive momentum, according to Colliers.
The six young cattle breeders participating in the inaugural Holstein Friesian NZ young breeder development programme have completed their first event of the year.
New Zealand feed producers are being encouraged to boost staff training to maintain efficiency and product quality.
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