{"id":43763,"date":"2021-05-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-12T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/making-the-most-of-mohair\/"},"modified":"2021-05-13T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T12:00:00","slug":"making-the-most-of-mohair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/news\/making-the-most-of-mohair\/","title":{"rendered":"Making the most of mohair"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Today, international supply sits just under three million kilograms a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shortage means huge opportunities; the market is way under supplied,\u201d Woodward said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe high demand for the fibre is creating an opening for anyone wishing to enter the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

NZ prides itself on its safe and reliable reputation for the export of natural fibres, as well as a comprehensive understanding of an evolving consumer mindset that places a high value on products that enhance family safety and health. This has led to the development and innovative uses for fibre markets.<\/p>\n

At a Future of Fibre B.linc workshop at Lincoln University, the potential of mohair fibre was brought to the fore.<\/p>\n

Woodward says the wider fibre ecosystem in NZ has traditionally been dominated by strong wool, but now NZ has moved towards alternative raw materials and innovative use to develop a thriving ecosystem.<\/p>\n

So, what is next for the traditional wool market, what alternatives to wool are being leveraged and what role does mohair play in the development of the wider ecosystem?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first started farming angora goats in 1978, nobody was marketing the fibre \u2013 we were getting $3 a kg, so we started (marketing); the buyers tell you what they want so we followed that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The average 30-micron range market price in April was $36-$43\/kg.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe point is it\u2019s very profitable; you know what the market wants and you supply to that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The major producer in the global production of mohair is South Africa at 47%, followed by the US at 5%, with both NZ and Australia at 1%.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of mohair product in this neck of the world and in NZ, 30% of production goes to blankets and hand-knitting yarns that since covid, has seen demand double,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe chain is clogged, the spinners can\u2019t keep up and we can\u2019t get enough of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no problem selling anything we produce and it\u2019s more profitable than sheep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angora farmer David Brown from Northland says realising the potential in mohair fibre comes down to feeding them well.<\/p>\n

\u201cFeed is the key to profit, and we are sitting in the perfect situation,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrent market demand is very high with declining global production; it\u2019s the perfect storm to increase our mohair production beyond our dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

It does not necessarily mean more angora goats, but more high-end fibre from a specific animal.<\/p>\n

Angora goats have changed over the past 20 years, particularly in the past 10 years, with a transition to higher-end fibre producers.<\/p>\n

The goats today can produce in excess of 10% of body weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cA buck weighing 80kg will produce 8kg and more, there\u2019s no other animal that can do the same,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But Brown says they must be fed accordingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t starve the profit out of a goat \u2013 if you don\u2019t put good food in you won\u2019t get money out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have got to feed good food as they are genetically developed to produce, so be prepared \u2013 deprived nutrition means poor-sized goats and that equals low production.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is important to understand the factors determining mohair quality and quantity.<\/p>\n

Goats do not reach optimum body size until they are four or five years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the fundamental difference between a goat and a sheep; the staple length is higher as younger animals, then it slowly declines, so make the money from the young animal growing fine long hair,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s best to start mating them later, so they are not lactating while in the prime of fibre growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe keep trying to farm goats on sheep-type reasoning and it\u2019s failing for us, simply because we are breeding from goats too young,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrow the mohair, then put the buck out \u2013 and there\u2019s lots of technology available to us today to help us get there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you are going to farm goats on any scale, have a large number of cattle farmed in conjunction.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A dire international shortage of mohair fibre spells a huge opportunity for New Zealand farmers.\nMohair NZ marketing company representative John Woodward says at its peak in 1989, the worldwide production of mohair reached 24 million kilograms.\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":43764,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t