Editorial: Wool's Back in the Black
OPINION: Confidence in the wool sector is rebounding as prices hit levels not seen in more than 15 years.
The local market lifted significantly for the 10,400 bales on offer at the South Island sale this week, NZ Wool Services International Ltd's general manager, John Dawson says.
The weakening NZ dollar, particularly against the US dollar which was down 4.97% compared to the last sale on May 9 and the weighted currency indicator down 3.91% was the principal market influence. This was supported by recent strong purchasing interest and a seasonal limited wool supply.
Dawson says a nominal offering of mid micron fleece were firm to 3% dearer.Fine crossbred fleece lifted up to 3.5% with the second shears 5 to 8% stronger. Good colour coarse crossbred fleece lifted 6% with poorer styles 2.5 to 5.5% dearer.
Coarse longer second shears were 4 to 6.5% firmer with shorter types 5 to 9% stronger. First lambs fleece ranged from 3 to 7% dearer. All coarse oddments were 9 to 10% stronger.Strong competition from Western Europe, Australasia and the United Kingdom was supported by China, India and the Middle East.
The next sale on the May 30 comprises 11,300 bales from the North Island.
New Zealand dairy farmers are set to be the first in the world to receive access to a new digital physical milk pricing tool that enables them to fix the price for their physical milk.
State farmer Pāmu is opening its farm gates this summer in an effort to give the rural sector the opportunity to see how large-scale, multi-system farming is delivering productivity and profitability across New Zealand.
A five-year study has found that the cost of reducing emissions without technology may be significant and unsustainable for Northland dairy farmers.
DairyNZ says Waikato farmers need certainty on Plan Change 1, but they say that certainty must be matched with practical, workable rules and a clear transition that doesn't get ahead of the new resource management system currently under review.
While the Government has moved quickly to make commercial hauliers' lot easier during the current fuel crisis, they appear to be stuck in the creep box when it comes to the agricultural industry.
Waikato farmers have been told that the Government’s new planning system legislation and the region’s Plan Change 1 (PC1) “won’t mesh together very well”.

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