Top wool advocate bales out
The conversion of productive farmland into trees has pretty much annihilated the wool industry.
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has been getting quotes for new carpet in the lounge and, being a good keen man, he was looking first at wool carpet.
"Let's have wool!" he said.
He was duly quoted for "medium-quality wool carpet", $104 per square metre plus install costs.
"The carpet salesman took great delight in telling us that there are 48 ounces of wool per square yard. That's roughly 1.3kg of wool per square metre."
Based on current average crossbred prices of about $3.00/kg, our good keen man reckons the farmer's getting a bit under $4 per square metre for that $104 piece of carpet.
"Looks like wool farmers are being 'fleeced' - that's a hell of a mark up!" he said.
The Government is set to announce two new acts to replace the contentious Resource Management Act (RMA) with the Prime Minister hinting that consents required by farmers could reduce by 46%.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says withdrawing from the Paris Agreement on climate change would be “a really dumb move”.
The University of Waikato has broken ground on its new medical school building.
Undoubtedly the doyen of rural culture, always with a wry smile, our favourite ginger ninja, Te Radar, in conjunction with his wife Ruth Spencer, has recently released an enchanting, yet educational read centred around rural New Zealand in one hundred objects.
Farmers are being urged to keep on top of measures to control Cysticerus ovis - or sheep measles - following a spike in infection rates.
The avocado industry is facing an extremely challenging season with all parts of the supply chain, especially growers, being warned to prepare for any eventuality.

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