Top wool advocate bales out
The conversion of productive farmland into trees has pretty much annihilated the wool industry.
The 7250 bales of North Island wool on offer saw a 72% clearance with most types easing further.
NZ Wool Services International Ltd’s marketing executive Malcolm Ching reports that some good colour types resisted this trend as buyers continue very focused buying with targeted better style wools getting more support.
The weighted indicator for the main trading currencies was 0.64% lower than last week’s sale, having minimal positive impact.
Ching advises that subdued demand and continued uncertainty around new market interest in coming weeks, is restricting buying activity.
Compared to the last similar North Island selection on November 10: Good colour fine crossbred fleece were 1 to 2% dearer with average/poor styles 3 to 7% cheaper. Good colour fine crossbred shears 3 / 5 and 3 / 4 inches were 2.5 to 5.5%t easier with 2 / 4 and 2 / 3 inches firm to 5% dearer. All poorer style fine crossbred shears were 3.5 to 7% cheaper.
Good colour coarse crossbred fleece were firm with poorer styles 7 to 8% cheaper. Coarse shears 3 / 5 to 2 / 4 inches were 1 to 5% cheaper with 2 / 3 inches 1.5% dearer.
Short oddments ranged from 7 to 13% cheaper.
Competition was limited with Australasia, Western Europe and China principals, supported by Middle East, India and the United Kingdom.
Next sale on December 1 comprises about 4550 bales from the South Island.
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give the green light to supply their American stores, they allowed themselves a week for the exercise.
Fonterra chair Peter McBride says the divestment of Mainland Group is their last significant asset sale and signals the end of structural changes.
Thirty years ago, as a young sharemilker, former Waikato farmer Snow Chubb realised he was bucking a trend when he started planting trees to provide shade for his cows, but he knew the animals would appreciate what he was doing.
Virtual fencing and herding systems supplier, Halter is welcoming a decision by the Victorian Government to allow farmers in the state to use the technology.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
New Zealand’s national lamb crop for the 2025–26 season is estimated at 19.66 million head, a lift of one percent (or 188,000 more lambs) on last season, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) latest Lamb Crop report.

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