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 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.
Four years since it was first detected in New Zealand, researchers and growers now know much more about management of maize pest fall armyworm (FAW).
The Government has announced it will pause key parts of Waikato Plan Change 1 (PC1) in a decision that is set to give Waikato farmers a reprieve from new consenting and farm-planning requirements while the wider resource management system is overhauled.
OPINION: The time has come for the Government to back the organic sector.
Plan ahead and be patient. That’s the message to farmers and horticulturalists from the chairman of the NZ Agricultural Aviation Association, Kent Weir.
The industry is crying out for graduates with agricultural related degrees.
While GPS and guidance have become the norm and yield mapping and variable application continues to gain traction, most agricultural machinery manufacturers continue to expand their technology offerings, amalgamating the vast amounts of data being collected to streamline real-time and ongoing management decisions.

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