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.
Farmer-owned co-operative Ravensdown is winding down the operations of its agritech subsidiary C-Dax following a long decline in sales.
The recent East Coast Farming Expo, held over two days at Wairoa, offered an insight into the current state of agriculture on the east of the North Island, at a time when the locals are remembering the second anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle.
A Research programme supported by Beef+Lamb NZ is investigating the potential of ‘accelerometer’ sensors for early detection of conditions such as facial eczema (FE) in sheep.
In the past year, the Farmer Time for Schools programme which seeks to connect New Zealand school students with farmers, has experienced further growth.
Fresh Carriers Co. Ltd (FCC) and Zespri have completed the first ever kiwifruit charter powered by a low-emissions fuel.
New Zealand lingerie brand Rose & Thorne is expanding its virtual bra fitting service in an effort to provide rural women in with better access to specialised advice.
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