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 latest wool auction of 4,700 bales from the North Island saw mixed price movements with a generally steady market overall.
New Zealand Wool Services International general manager, John Dawson says that despite dramatic currency movements in some sectors, the weighted indicator for the main trading currencies eased only 1.53%, having limited impact on local prices.
He says that hand to mouth customer buying activity and limited seasonal wool volumes combined with current exporter shipping requirements, underpins the market presently.
Fine Crossbred Full Fleece and shorter shears were firm to 2.5% easier with longer shears up to 2% dearer.
Good style full Crossbred Fleece were 1% easier, average 1% firmer and poor firm to 1% cheaper.
Coarse Shears were firm to 2% easier with shorter types affected the most.
Long Lambs Fleece were firm to 1% dearer, with shorter types 1 to 3% cheaper. Long Oddments lifted by up to 3% with good colour
Short Oddments 1 to 2% easier and poor styles firm.
The auction saw limited activity with China principal, supported by Australasia, India, Middle East and Western Europe.
The next sale on May 7 comprises about 6700 bales from the South Island, down 32% on anticipated rostered quantities.
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.
OPINION: The world is bracing for a trade war between the two biggest economies.