NZ FARMER – by Mike Watson – “Veteran Marlborough shearer Chris Jones showed he was not yet a spent force claiming another shearing final at the weekend.
The 58-year-old Waihopai Valley farmer more than matched his younger competitors to win the 20-sheep open machine shearing final at the Inangahua A&P Show on Saturday, a week before he turned 59.”
THE SOUTHLAND TIMES – by Amber-Leigh Woolf – “The international nature of the shearing industry means New Zealand probably won’t have much of a home town advantage heading in to the World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships, judges say.
Judges, shearers and woolhandlers have been busy preparing for this week’s competitions, with judges gathering at a woolshed at Myross Bush on Tuesday.”
THE COUNTRY – NZ HERALD – “New Zealand lamb wool, which was trading at a record high last season, has slumped by more than 50 per cent at recent auctions amid weak demand during the peak production period.”
SCOOP INDEPENDENT NEWS – by Tina Morrison – “(BusinessDesk) – New Zealand lamb wool, which was trading at a record high last season, has slumped by more than 50 percent at recent auctions amid weak demand during the peak production period.
The price for 30-micron lamb wool dropped to $3.25 a kilogram at last week’s North Island auction, down from $3.60/kg the previous week and $7.25/kg at the same time last year. The price fell to $3.50/kg at the South Island auction, from $3.90/kg the previous week and $7.35/kg a year earlier, according to AgriHQ. Lamb wool reached record highs of $7.50/kg at auction last season.”
QUEENSLAND COUNTRY LIFE – by Annabelle Cleeland – “Getting lumped with 100 cent a kilogram clean price penalty on woolgrower Tony Butler’s 200-bale wool clip was the catalyst for a shearing overall.
The huge discount because of the staple length contributed towards the farmer from Newstead, in central Victoria, to rein in the flock’s fleece growth by shearing majority of the 8000 Merino sheep every six months instead of annually.”
BOOROWA NEWS – by Rick Power – “The annual Boorowa Flock Ewe competition will be held again on Friday, February 17, 2017.
As in previous years, it is held in conjunction with the Boorowa Show Society.
The idea of the competition is to judge the entrants’ flocks on farm, then the top five place-getters bring their best ten ewes to the show on Saturday, March 4, where the winner will be announced.”
OUTSIDE ON-LINE – by Will Grant – “Fred Roberts’s sheep lead cold, hard lives. The herd of some 500 Rambouillet-Columbia ewes spend the winter on the prairies of southwestern Wyoming, where the wind can strip the paint off a Ford pickup. In the spring, they walk 300 miles north to their summer range in the mountains near Jackson, which can see snowfall just about any day of the year. “
WVTF RADIO – “A Virginia Tech student is gearing up today for international competition in what some call the Olympics of sheep shearing.
Sandy Hausman reports on the American team’s odds for success and one woman’s quest for personal best.”
SHEEP CENTRAL – “BUYERS scouring online stocks for good quality Merino fleece boosted Wooltrade sales last week. Wooltrade market operations supervisor Tom Rookyard said 610 bales of wool were sold online last week with the strong buyer and exporter activity in the market.”
MUDGEE GUARDIAN – by Lisa Duce – “Merryville stud, Boorowa, gained the top-price of $7000 and the top average of $3250 for six rams at the 61st annual Mudgee Merino ram sale held on Monday.
A large buying gallery on hand purchased 34 of the 45 rams offered by nine vendors to average an overall $1874. It was a result similar to last year’s outcome of 33 rams sold to an average of $1811.”
