Crossbred prices remain at depressed levels and there are still issues to be faced, but the positive start was refreshing, with finer crossbred wools up to 6% dearer at Christchurch on Thursday, and strong wools up to 2% better, PGG Wrightson’s South Island sales manager Dave Burridge said.
The small volumes of new season’s lambs’ wool were keenly sought after, with prices well ahead.
The total bale count was 5800 bales, compared with the rostered number of 7300. Only about 5% of the tally was lambs’ wool.
There was still a lot of shearing catch-up to be done after the wet pre-Christmas period, and there were farmers storing wool for a time before going to market, Burridge said. Nevertheless, those that offered on Thursday did meet the market with just a 7% pass-in rate. Mid-micron wool sold strongly, also on limited volumes.
Lamb’s wool volumes are low also because farmers are taking advantage of lush pasture conditions to grow their lambs and are also delaying shearing to add value by length and wait, sometimes for up to a month.
Farmers did need to be careful not to take this too far and have their lamb’s wool grow-out to a stronger micron reading, he said.
The plentiful grass conditions are also causing some discolouration in wool, putting extra pressure on growers to ensure preparation was of a good standard.
There was cautious optimism about the year ahead, Burridge said. Although crossbred prices are low, the Wrightson average indicator price graph does show a gradual rising trend since mid-November.
A positive start was also made at Napier’s Thursday sale, except for lambs’ wool which sold at a softer value than this time last year, Wrightson’s North Island auctioneer Steve Fussell said.
Otherwise, prices were firmer, notably in the 34-to-39-micron range for both full wool and second shear. The pass-in rate there was just 3%.
CHRISTCHURCH SALE:
(All by micron level, price in kilograms/clean).
Full wool, good to average colour.
27 micron, $9.86kg/clean, up 40c; 31, $5.90, up 75c; 32, $4.58, up 40c; 33, $4.24, up 62c; 34, $3.31, up 12c; 35, $3.14, up 17c; 36, $3.08, up 12c; 37, $3.06, up 10c; 38, $3.06, up 16c; 39, $3.02, up 12c.
Crossbred second shear:
33 micron, 3-to-4 inches, $3.65kg/clean, up 27c; 2-to-3 inches, $3.40, up 22c; 35, 3-to-4 inches $3.15, up 18c; 37, 3-to-4 inches, $3.03, up 3c; 2-to-3 inches, $2.97, up 4c; 39, 3-to-5 inches, $3.00, up 3c; 3-to-4 inches, $3.00, up 4c; 2-to-3 inches, $2.98, up 2c.
Crossbred, lambs’ wool, first shear:
28 micron, $6.82kg/clean, up 22c; 29, $6.40, up 46c; 30, $5.30, up 35c; 31, $4.40, up 15c.
NAPIER SALE:
(All by micron level, price per kg/clean).
Full wool, good to average colour.
34 micron, $3.32kg/clean; 36, $3.02, up 16c; 37, $3.00, up 11c; 38, $2.88, up 6c; 39, $3.09, up 27c.
Cross-bred, second-shear:
35 micron, 2-to-3 inches, $3.09kg/clean; 37, 3-to-4 inches, $3.08, up 21c; 2-to-3 inches, $3.01; up 19c; 39, 3-to-5 inches, $2.96, up 20c; 3-to-4 inches, $3.08, up 11c; 2-to-3 inches, $3.01.
Lambs’ wool:
27 micron, 2-to-3 inches, $7.27kg/clean; 28, 2-to-3 inches, $5.95, down 31c; 29, 2-to-3 inches, $5.74, down 25c; 30, 2-to-3 inches, $5.33, down 31c.
