ISSUE 61 DECEMBER 2014 - Australian Wool Innovation

ISSUE 61 DECEMBER 2014
PROFIT FROM WOOL INNOVATION
www.wool.com
04
CAMPAIGN
FOR WOOL
32
COMBATTING
SHEEP WORMS
48
OPTIMUM GRAZING
MANAGEMENT
04 CAMPAIGN
32 COMBATTING
FOR WOOL
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Richard Smith
E [email protected]
A AWI Marketing and Communications
L30, 580 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
GPO Box 4177, Sydney NSW 2001
P 02 8295 3100 F 02 8295 4100
E [email protected] W www.wool.com
AWI Helpline 1800 070 099
OFF-FARM
SHEEP WORMS
ON-FARM
04 Campaign For Wool France
28 Films Showcase Woolgrowers
06 Campaign for Wool China
31
07 Campaign for Wool UK
32 Low risk paddocks for sheep worms
08 Campaign for Wool roundup
33 New DNA test to identify worm types
10 IWP Winner Visits the Farm
34 National Wool Declaration
12
Iconic US retailer backs luxury textiles
35 Wool Selling Systems Review
13
11.1 micron bale wins Loro Piana award
36 Merino Superior Sires
Lice control practices: survey results
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14 Menswear Style Icon Visits the Farm
37 Wild dog management: survey results
16
AFL star wears Cool Wool at Brownlows
38 Wool handling workshops
17
Driving demand in the babywear market
39 Shearing tally and wool book app
18 Machine Washable Wool Campaign
40 State of the art shearing shed at Wyvern
19
42 New wool packs introduced
Wool Care Guide app launched
20 Jaggard introduces Merino into collection
43 National shearing championships: results
21
44 Young Judges Championships
MiniJumbuk celebrates 40 years
22 2015 Wool4School competition launched
45 Lifetime Ewe Management app
23 Exporters and brokers back Vietnam
46 Inventions From Sheepvention
24 Education Highlights
48 Optimum grazing management
26 Wool textiles showcased in China
50 Reducing fertiliser: legumes for low P soil
26 Wool Education Centre: China
51
TM
ADVERTISING SALES
Summer sowing serradellas
52 Nuffield scholarship winners
Max Hyde, Hyde Media Pty Ltd
P 03 5792 1314 F 03 5792 1359
E [email protected]
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which is available from Hyde Media.
53 Readers’ photos
54 Market Intelligence
ISSN 1447-9680
FRONT COVER
‘The Ram’s Long Blow’ by
Chantel Renae Photography
www.chantelrenaephotography.com
Beyond the Bale is published by Australian Wool
Innovation Limited (AWI), a company funded by Australian
woolgrowers and the Australian Government. AWI’s goal
is to help increase the demand for wool by actively selling
Merino wool and its attributes through investments in
marketing, innovation and R&D – from farm to fashion
and interiors.
AWI INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
On-Farm R&D
Off-Farm R&D
Marketing
Global Business Services
View Beyond the Bale online with image galleries
BtB and video at http://beyondthebale.wool.com
UPFRONT
GETTING ON WITH
BUSINESS
We are continuing with initiatives to help increase the
demand for wool through investments in marketing
and R&D – from farm to fashion.
LIFETIME EWE
MANAGEMENT
(LTEM) APP
AWI has developed and launched an
LTEM smartphone app which is suited
for woolgrowers who have completed
or are in the process of completing the
popular LTEM course. Having evolved
from the course notes, the free LTEM app
incorporates all the key estimations and
calculations of feed on offer, condition
scoring, feed budgeting and supplementary
feeding calculations. The development of
the smartphone app means woolgrowers
can now carry with them millions of
dollars of research and extension in their
pocket and make day-to-day decisions to
optimize flock management. This is an
example of how AWI is creating innovative,
practical and low-cost solutions to help
woolgrowers improve the profitability of
their businesses.
WOOL SELLING
SYSTEMS REVIEW
A Wool Selling Systems Review (WSSR) has
been commissioned by AWI on behalf of
shareholders. The scope of this review is to
study the exchange of ownership process
between the seller (the woolgrower) and
the first buyer (usually an exporter or
processor) and the associated costs and
processes that sit within the current
industry selling system. The aim is
to reduce costs within the exchange
of ownership process and increase
competitive tension at the point of sale.
The panel intends to release an ‘Issues
Statement’ before the end of December
2014 and submissions from industry will
be invited at that time. The WSSR will run
for a 12 month period and the final report
is expected to be made available from
October 2015.
AWI STRATEGIC PLAN
The end of this calendar year marks the halfway point in the company’s three year Strategic
Plan. I am optimistic about achieving the large
majority of the three-year targets in the Plan.
The progress the company made in the first
of the three years in achieving the targets set
out in the Strategic Plan is detailed in the AWI
Annual Report, available at www.wool.com/
annualreport. Our on-farm R&D portfolio
remains a very important part of the business –
expenditure in this area increased last financial
year. The on-farm portfolio continues to
develop and promote products and practices to
directly reduce woolgrowers’ cost of production
on-farm through innovations in areas such as
sheep health and nutrition, genetic technologies
to breed more productive sheep, pastures and
grazing, and shearing and wool handling.
THE WOOLMARK
BRAND’S 50-YEAR
ANNIVERSARY
As we look back on 2014 and the 50th
anniversary of the world-famous Woolmark
brand, it’s pleasing to see that its enduring
appeal continues to deliver significant
returns to Australian woolgrowers who
own it. It has been applied to more than five
billion products worldwide since it was first
launched in 1964, and is now being widely
used to promote Australian wool through
all of AWI’s global marketing campaigns.
INTERNATIONAL
WOOLMARK PRIZE
We are delighted to announce that acclaimed
fashion designers Victoria Beckham and Paul
Smith will head two distinguished panels to
judge the women’s and men’s finals of the
International Woolmark Prize in 2015. Victoria
Beckham will be joined by other fashion
industry heavyweights including Editor-inChief of Vogue Italia, Franca Sozzani, and
Editor-at-Large of Vogue China, Angelica
Cheung. Paul Smith will sit alongside other
industry greats including Editor-at-Large of
Style.com, Tim Blanks, and Editor-in-Chief
of GQ UK, Dylan Jones. The participation of
such well-known and illustrious personalities
will help generate even more interest in the
awards and help reinforce the presence of
Australian Merino wool in the international
fashion industry.
EDUCATIONAL
RESOURCES FOR
SCHOOLS
In conjunction with the launch of our
latest Wool4School Merino wool fashion
design competition, a new ‘Learn About
Wool’ website has been developed by AWI
in conjunction with Australian teachers. It
provides online resources developed with
the Australian curriculum in mind and
can easily be implemented into everyday
classroom activities. It provides a hands-on
opportunity for teachers and their primary
and secondary students to investigate and
be inspired by every aspect of the wool
production process.
CAMPAIGN FOR WOOL
The Campaign for Wool was celebrated on
an unprecedented global scale during the
northern hemisphere autumn with many
countries creating their own programs of
activity to celebrate International Wool
Week. This included some of our key
consumer markets such as France, China,
UK, Japan, Korea, Germany, Belgium and
the Netherlands. The Campaign for Wool
has been instrumental in driving a new
demand for wool on an international scale.
AWI AGM 2014
AWI held its 2014 Annual General Meeting
(AGM) on Friday 21 November in Sydney. At
the AGM, I gave a detailed presentation of the
activities of the company during 2013/14. AWI
shareholders who were unable to attend the
AGM in person were able to view the AGM
proceedings via webcast and also had the
opportunity to submit questions online for
the AWI Chairman and CEO. As well as being
broadcast live, the broadcast is now available
to be viewed on demand on the AWI website
at www.wool.com/2014agm
STUART McCULLOUGH
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
AUSTRALIAN WOOL INNOVATION
3
4
OFF
FARM
PARIS LIGHTS UP
FOR CAMPAIGN FOR WOOL
• This year France – one of the most
important consumer markets for
fashion and wool – held its biggest
Wool Week yet as part of the
Campaign for Wool.
During Wool Week, wool apparel was promoted in shop windows across Paris, with the accompaniment of
Campaign for Wool branding. This shop window is at the BVH Marais department store.
• The highlight was the partnership
with the hugely popular Vogue Fashion
Night Out retail and fashion showcase
in Paris, which helped align retailers
including the iconic BVH Marais with
premium fashion brands all in the
name of wool.
• As well as the important retail aspects
of the campaign, events were held
along the Left Bank in Paris to educate
students andconsumers about the
natural benefits of wool.
France has held its biggest Wool Week in the
fashion capital of the world, bringing the
Campaign for Wool to the City of Light, Paris,
and urging consumers to ‘Live Naturally and
Choose Wool’.
Now in its fifth year, the Campaign for Wool,
of which His Royal Highness The Prince
of Wales is Patron, is a global campaign
that aims to encourage manufacturers,
retailers and designers to choose wool and,
in turn, educate consumers about the fibre’s
environmental benefits.
Against the backdrop of the iconic Eiffel
Tower during September, wool was
showcased to fashionistas at the famed
Vogue Fashion Night Out (VFNO) retail
festival, to the general public during
activities on the Left Bank, and to shoppers
at the BVH Marais department store and
other retail outlets across Paris.
Supermodel Saskia de Brauw with Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Emmanuelle Alt during their walkabout at
Vogue Fashion Night Out.
During VFNO, the stores around the iconic
Rue De Faubourg St Honoré were packed
with shoppers buying essential wool pieces
from the new Autumn/Winter collections of
the many participating brands and retailers
in the festival, including Campaign for Wool
fashion supporters such as Gerard Darel,
IRO, Maje, Michael Kors, Sandro, Tricot St
James and Zadig & Voltaire.
In the heart of the VFNO action a special
wool garden, complete with two sheep pens,
in a typical Australian pastoral landscape,
provided a calming spot for shoppers.
Dutch supermodel Saskia de Brauw and
Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Emmanuelle Alt
dropped by to see the sheep and commented
that AWI and Vogue were perfect partners.
“I think [the collaboration tonight] is great,
I think it is fun, and Paris needs these kinds
of things. I think sometimes we (Paris) are
like a too serious city and tonight it shows
that people are having fun in the streets and
we love it,” Alt said.
“I think that [the Woolmark brand and
Vogue Paris are] two labels that should
be together, they work very well together,
it's like we have both a strong past and
great future.”
Emmanuelle Alt
OFF
FARM
WOOL IN VOGUE
A
s a preview to Vogue Fashion
Night Out, Vogue Paris produced
an eight-page promotion of wool in its
September VFNO supplement edition.
In addition, Vogue Paris Hommes produced
a four-page promotion of wool in its
September edition.
WOOL IN VOGUE AGAIN!
COMMUNIQUÉ VOGUE HOMMES
présente
WOOL
APPEAL
“As Vogue, in partnership with
The Woolmark Company & The Campaign
for Wool, celebrates fashion in the heart of
Paris, wool proves that it is synonymous
with out-and-out style … and the height of
fashion,” Vogue says in both features.
AWI’s Merino Wool. No Finer FeelingTM fibre
advocacy campaign continues to align the
natural benefits of the fibre with premium
retailers, fashion brands and consumers.
The latest collaboration sees AWI team up
with Vogue Paris for its October edition,
celebrating Merino wool with an eight-page
fashion feature that sets five French designers
firmly in the spotlight.
Iconic designers Jean Paul Gaultier,
Christophe Lemaire, Maison Martin Margiela,
Lanvin and Isabel Marant have come together
to celebrate the important role of Merino wool
for autumn/winter.
“This natural, renewable, time-honoured
fibre plays a vital role in the world of fashion
and design, shaping today’s and tomorrow’s
trends, and adapting to every look, from
casual cool to the ultimate in elegant
sophistication. And this season, it’s making
its mark as an absolute style must-have.”
Featuring outfits by IRO, Zadig & Voltaire,
Sandro, Michael Kors, Maje and Gerad
Darel, two complementary videos were also
produced to further show-off the key looks.
5
“Wool stirs the feelings. And the Woolmark is
the mark of exceptional Merino wool,” Vogue
stated in the feature titled Wool Sensation.
The cover of the feature on wool in the September
edition of Vogue Paris Hommes
"The warmth of its touch, the caress of a
drape, the soft embrace of the fibre next to the
skin: wool fires the imagination for designers
and lends itself to their creative visions.
From traditional classics to contemporary
transgressions, fashion's favourite fibre is
reinvented, as wool's soft warmth lights up
the runway season after season.”
For the exclusive shoot, Vogue Paris selected
five wool looks that reflect the artisan skill
and expertise of each of the selected labels,
in a careful edit that focuses on timeless
cuts and the sensuality of the fabric itself.
A behind-the-scenes video was also produced,
showcasing the five designer wool looks.
“Wool has always been a go-to fibre for
designers and Merino wool is synonymous
with quality and tradition, instantly evoking a
feeling of pure comfort,” Vogue stated.
AWI, through its Merino Wool. No Finer FeelingTM
campaign, works with many well-known
designers and fashion houses, helping to
promote Merino wool across the world –
celebrating the natural fineness and luxury
of the fibre. The initiative is a fibre advocacy
campaign addressing a new, younger
generation of astute shoppers – establishing
Merino wool as the fibre of choice for fine,
contemporary fashion.
MORE INFORMATION
http://en.vogue.fr/woolmark2014
In addition to the retail aspect of the Wool Week, the popular Left Bank of Paris hosted a series of fun events and
activities highlighting the natural benefits of wool.
Cover of the October edition of Vogue Paris
COMMUNIQUÉ VOGUE N° 951 OCTOBRE 2014 POUR WOOLMARK
Later in the week along the Left Bank, at
Berges de Seine, resident shipping containers
known as “Zzz” showcased wool in interior
textiles along with a fashion exhibition from
influential fashion designers.
The newly refurbished BVH Marais
department store offered visitors the
chance to discover the journey of wool from
farm to fashion. From window displays
introducing the Campaign for Wool
through a photo exhibition retracing the
sheep to shop journey and workshops run
by the French boutique knitting company
Woolkiss, BVH Marais championed the
Campaign for Wool’s cause.
présente
“The choice of VOGUE” proclaims the Vogue/Campaign
for Wool swing tag on wool apparel during the Vogue
Fashion Night Out retail festival in Paris.
MORE INFORMATION
www.campaignforwool.org
WOOL
SENSATION
OFF
FARM
CAMPAIGN FOR WOOL CHINA
FROM SHEEP TO SHOP
• Vogue China and GQ China, in
partnership with the Campaign
for Wool, featured wool apparel
from leading Chinese brands in
their November editions.
STUDIO
• The photo and film shoot was at
Wyvern Station near Hay, NSW,
highlighting to consumers wool’s
journey from farm to fashion.
• During Wool Week in China, the same
leading brands also participated
in a retail showcase held at one of
Shanghai’s largest shopping malls.
纯粹风尚
具备着天然、可再生分解特性的澳洲美丽诺羊毛 (Merino Wool)，一直被视为是
透过名模裴蓓的步伐，
世界上极纤细和极柔软的羊毛材质。
2014 Vogue Studio，
探访澳洲新南韦尔斯农场，在原始的大自然中找寻美丽诺羊毛踪迹，同时携手
中国知名设计师品牌，展演今年秋冬优雅与纯粹的羊毛时装风采。
摄影：NICK LEARY 执行创意总监：GRANT PEARCE
设计：ALEXANDER CHOW 时装编辑：JACKY TAM 文字：SHERISA
C
hina hosted its third annual Wool Week
in October, placing a strong emphasis on
retail along with two high-profile magazine
features showcasing to consumers the origin
of wool.
美丽诺羊毛驼
色圆帽、
长板
大衣与印花毛衣
均为EIN
服装:EIN、
JNBY、ICICLE,
MARISFROLG
场地: WYVERN
WOOLSHED
The opening spread of the six-page promotion of wool in Vogue China, in partnership with the Campaign for Wool,
shot on location at Wyvern Station near Hay, NSW.
The Campaign for Wool in China is part of
a global endeavour initiated by its patron,
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, to
raise awareness amongst consumers about
the unique, natural and sustainable benefits
offered by wool.
美丽诺羊
毛宽松长衫
美丽诺羊毛条紋
式大衣与洋装
均为EIN
ICICLE
STUDIO
During Wool Week, Condé Nast (the owner
of Vogue and GQ) and AWI, together with
eight high-profile apparel brands, held a
Campaign for Wool event at Super Brand
Mall in Shanghai to provide an opportunity
for consumers to learn more about and
purchase the brands’ wool products.
These same brands also featured in a
stunning photo shoot in the November
editions of Vogue China and GQ China,
shot on location at Wyvern Station near
Hay, NSW (see pages 40-41).
The 500 square kilometre woolgrowing
property provided the perfect backdrop
for the photo shoot, which saw top Chinese
models Emma Pei and Hao Yun Xiang travel
to rural Australia to highlight where Merino
wool comes from.
广袤的澳大利亚新南
韦斯农场，洪荒自然的氛围
令人神往，被誉为“世界上
极纤细和极柔软的天然纤
维”——澳大利亚美丽诺羊
毛（MerinoWool）便可在
此觅得踪迹。极致精良的美
丽诺羊毛供以最暖人心的温
Pei showcases the natural aesthetic of wool
in the promotion titled ‘Wool in Vogue’,
featuring five wool looks, while Xiang’s
promotional shoot, titled ‘The Charisma
of Wool’, featured four looks.
存，其可再生、可生物降解
等特性为冬日男装平添时髦
与实用双重功效。来到2014
秋冬，名模郝允祥演绎被赋
予轮廓、体量以及花色的美
丽诺羊毛的全新组合，并且
携手中国备受关注的知名设
计师品牌，让温润儒雅的绅
士模样跃然纸上。
Merino wool striped coat and dress by Chinese brand EIN, as featured in Vogue China (left) and available for purchase
in EIN stores in China (right).
创意策划：GQ IMC 摄影：NICK LEARY 亚太区创意总监：GRANT PEARCE 资深服装编辑：JACKY TAM 模特：郝允祥
6
“Natural, renewable, biodegradable –
Australian Merino wool is regarded as
one of the finest and softest wools produced
worldwide,”暖冬风尚
Vogue China says in the feature.
THE CHARISMA
OF WOOL
“The vast area of the farm in New South
Wales, Australia, has an old-world and
natural atmosphere, and Australian Merino
wool with its reputation as ‘the slenderest
and softest wool in the world’ can be found
here,” says GQ China.
Woolmark v1.indd 2-3
左页
迷彩外套
黑色长裤
高帮运动鞋
均为Trendiano
右页
灰色羊毛毛衣
Croquis
Sweater by Chinese brand Croquis, as featured in GQ China (left) and to consumers at the Super Brand Mall in
Shanghai (right).
14-10-23 下午2:45
MORE INFORMATION www.merino.com/campaignforwool
OFF
FARM
CAMPAIGN FOR WOOL UK
The UK’s fifth annual Wool Week in support of the Campaign for Wool was bigger than ever!
WOOL WEEK IN THE UK
IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE GENERATED:
PUBLIC RELATIONS WORTH MORE THAN
$58 MILLION
28.9 MILLION
AND
IMPRESSIONS ON DIGITAL CHANNELS
T
he Campaign for Wool’s UK Wool Week
returned in October for its fifth year with
a host of activities showcasing the best wool
has to offer across fashion and interiors.
The Best Dressed Team in the Wool Ride around London was Jigsaw for their beautiful striped
Merino cycling jerseys.
“And then we have the Great Wool Ride – a
bicycle safari following the route of the Wool
Week participants and their storefronts. If
you love wool, if you love the environment,
if you believe in a better world where
natural fibres are chosen every time over
synthetic ones, if you love fashion, decorating,
wonderful carpets – and you want to support
the world’s sheep farmers…I urge you to join
the ride, join the campaign.”
n
ed jacket and white shirt both by JAEGER
“This year’s Wool Week is our biggest and
boldest to date, with the added excitement
of the Campaign for Wool Collections for
Fashion and Interiors, which showcases
the very best of wool and innovation,” said
Campaign for Wool chairman Nicholas
Coleridge at the week’s launch.
Mustard wool jacket and skirt both by CAROLINE CHARLES and
grey and white patterned wool knit jumper by JIGSAW
Wool jacket and skirt by UK brand Caroline Charles, as featured in Wonderland magazine (left) and in a shop window
for purchase (right).
Keen to make a real impact this year, the
Campaign for Wool Fashion Collection was
launched with brand partners nominating
their favourite wool items from their autumn/
winter 2014/15 collections. Each brand
promoted their contribution to the collection
online and in store and the Campaign for
Wool website hosted a digital exhibition of
the Wool Fashion Collection to offer fashion
lovers a selection of the best coats, knitwear,
tailoring and accessories to wear this coming
northern hemisphere winter.
Participating brands included Marks &
Spencer, Austin Reed, Jaeger, Pringle, Jigsaw,
Brora, Barbour, Daks, Gieves & Hawkes,
John Lewis, John Smedley, Harvey Nichols,
Brora and Johnstons of Elgin. Many of the
apparel items were featured in promotions
of wool in magazines and newspapers
inlcuding an eight page feature in the
Sunday Time ‘Style’ supplement.
British furnishing and furniture store Heal’s was one of many retailers showcasing wool interiors products in
window displays during Wool Week.
MORE INFORMATION www.merino.com/campaignforwool
As well as celebrating the use of wool in
fashion, the Campaign for Wool Interiors
Collections was launched. This collection
is a curated selection of more than 50 wool
interior pieces from high street brands plus
a selection of specially commissioned items
from emerging and established designers.
7
8
OFF
FARM
KOREA
K
orea celebrated its third annual Wool Week
in October with Korea’s largest retailer,
the Lotte department store, and 24 apparel
brands including Galaxy, Brooks Brothers,
Daks, customellow, T.I for Men, Pal Zileri and
Cambridge Members collaborating in a fashion
show and promotional retail activities.
The fashion show, held in Lotte’s main store,
launched Wool Week celebrations. The latest
looks in men’s wool suits by participating
brands from the current season were seen.
Leading Korean stylist Woosik Shin was also
on hand to pass on some valuable styling tips.
Lotte’s seven major stores across the
country held special consumer promotions,
giving shoppers the opportunity to win
wool suits from the Lansmere brand,
Woolmark-certified washing machines or
wool apparel care sets. More than 24 men’s
suit brands offered Lotte customers
some of their wool suits at a special price
to celebrate Wool Week.
ABOVE The latest looks in men’s wool suits for the current season were showcased in front of media and consumers
at the prestigious Lotte department store. LEFT Wool products from leading men’s fashion house Galaxy being
promoted during Wool Week in Korea.
WOOL
WEEK
AROUND THE WORLD
The Campaign for Wool is instrumental in driving new demand for wool on a global scale.
Now in its fifth year, The Campaign for Wool is a global endeavour initiated by its patron,
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, to raise awareness amongst consumers about
the unique, natural, biodegradable and renewable benefits offered by wool.
GERMANY
G
ermany celebrated its fourth annual
Wool Week in October, welcoming an
extensive program of workshops, exhibitions
and events around wool in the Bikini Berlin
Concept Mall.
The week kicked-off with a flock of Merino
sheep taking up residence on a temporary
pasture on the terrace at Bikini Berlin,
showcasing the journey from farm to fashion.
Various retailers, designers and brands were
also involved in Wool Week, highlighting the
retail aspect for the global Campaign for Wool.
In addition, a series of art installations
by Swiss art school ECAL was launched
in collaboration with sportswear label
MOVER, focusing on specific properties of
wool and encouraged the students to think
outside the box and use Merino wool in
unconventional ways.
LEFT German model Franziska Knuppe, dressed in
a Merino wool jacket by ODEEH, with Merino sheep
being showcased in front of the media at the Bikini
Berlin Concept Mall. RIGHT Wool apparel included
Campaign for Wool swing tags promoting the
benefits of wool to consumers.
OFF
FARM
9
JAPAN
For Japan’s Wool Week, Tokyo paid homage
to the Campaign for Wool’s place of origin,
with a ‘Shopping is GREAT Britain’ campaign
initiated by the British Embassy in Japan
and UK Trade and Investment.
100,000 copies of Time Out Tokyo featuring
the ‘Shopping is GREAT Britain’ campaign
and a shopping map were distributed at the
Marunouchi building and shopping centres
in Tokyo, outlining participating stores and
their wool products so consumers could
easily find the latest in wool fashion. Talks
and presentations highlighting the benefits
of wool and British fashion were also held
across the Marunouchi retail district.
A Fashion Night Out event was also held,
which saw 13 premium brands partner with the
Campaign for Wool and decorate their store
windows with campaign window stickers and
distribute point of sales material highlighting
the Campaign for Wool’s key messaging.
Wool products being promoted in one of many stores around Tokyo.
THE NETHERLANDS
BELGIUM
The city of Amsterdam played host to Wool
Week Netherlands in November, championing
the natural benefits of wool and celebrating
the premium fibre.
An important highlight from Wool Week
held in Antwerp was the Tour de Wool, which
connected consumers to designer shops and
multi-brand stores, with special attention
given to wool garments and products.
Shoppers were given a map of the city with
Campaign for Wool partner stores marked,
including Bugaboo, Tommy Hilfiger and
Xandres, allowing shoppers to easily connect
with retailers and their wool products.
The Tour de Wool shopping route helped
consumers to discover first-hand the
wonderful, natural benefits of wool. Shoppers
were invited to follow the Tour de Wool to
locate and buy comfortable wool garments and
interior products just in time for winter.
Creative space Pistache hosted an exhibition
inspired by The Netherlands’ rich history,
where old meets new in designs by modern
Dutch designers. Guest speakers, including
Dutch author Stella Ruhe, offered insights into
the connection between the history of wool
and Dutch tradition and a wool pop-up shop
was installed offering consumers a variety of
wool products available for purchase.
BELOW Garments from Dutch designer Nanna van
Blaaderen on show in the De Bijenkorf department store.
Iconic department store Isetan Men’s featured
fashion brands working with wool, from
emerging designers to well-established
brands, celebrating tradition and innovation
in men’s fashion.
Another highlight of Wool Week was an
exhibition at the fine art WM Gallery.
The exhibition showcased special-made
wool objects by Belgian creatives including
2012/13 International Woolmark Prize
winner Christian Wijnants, along with
other designers and artists.
Helping to champion the fibre’s naturally
inherent benefits, a flock of sheep moved
into the main shopping street of Antwerp.
Model Lamine Diouf, dressed in Jan-Jan Van
Essche, was the flock’s super-stylish shepherd,
helping to illustrate the journey of farm to
fashion as shoppers were able to get up close
to the sheep.
ABOVE Exhibition at WM Gallery, showcasing special-made wool
objects. LEFT Wool apparel with Campaign for Wool branding
showcased in the window of a Xandres store in Antwerp.
10
OFF
FARM
RAHUL
MISHRA
VISITS THE SOURCE
2013/14 International Woolmark Prize winner Rahul Mishra on a
visit to Alan and Claire McCormack’s Walwa Stud near Gunning
to see a Merino woolgrowing property for the first time.
• 2013/14 International Woolmark Prize
winner Rahul Mishra visited Australia
for the first time in October to visit the
source of the fibre that has made his
winning Merino wool collection such
a success.
• During his visit, Rahul launched his
collection in David Jones in Sydney,
which follows launches in other leading
retailers across the world.
for such a long time and it has given me so
much – I express myself really well when I
work with wool, with Merino especially.”
Female woolgrowers from the Goulburn
region were invited to Walwa Stud to meet
Rahul and gain an exclusive insight into his
International Woolmark Prize collection
– notable for its hand embroidery on
lightweight Merino wool – as well as the
philosophy behind his design.
• Rahul has followed up his International
Woolmark Prize win by launching at
Paris Fashion Week his Spring/Summer
2015 collection that predominantly
comprises Australian Merino wool.
“The entire inspiration of this collection
started with the story of wool, of Merino,
and how something which is so sustainable
and starts on a farm goes to the highest
places in fashion,” Rahul told them.
N
The woolgrowers also had the opportunity
to get up close and personal with individual
garments and were amazed at the intricate
detailing of Mishra’s work.
ine hectic months after winning the
2013/14 International Woolmark Prize,
Indian fashion designer Rahul Mishra visited
Australia for the first time to launch his
winning Merino wool collection at Sydney’s
flagship David Jones store.
But the day before that event, Rahul was
keen to travel to the source of Merino wool
and visit a woolgrowing property – to see for
himself where Merino wool, the beautiful
fibre that has changed his life, comes from.
So with AWI’s assistance, Rahul travelled
the three-hour journey down the Hume
Highway from Sydney to visit Alan and Claire
McCormack’s Walwa Stud near Gunning,
taking some pieces from his winning
collection to show them.
The visit provided Rahul with a first-hand
insight into the Australian woolgrowing
industry, and was the first time he had seen
and handled a Merino sheep.
“It makes me so emotional right now that I’m
here actually touching it,” Rahul told Alan, as
he parted the fleece on the sheep’s back for
the first time. “I have worked with this fibre
“My mother Gillian and I had a wonderful
time and enjoyed the company of all of
the other women, and we thoroughly
enjoyed the explicit insight into Rahul
Mishra’s simply exquisite collection,”
Emma Gilbert from Canberra said after the
event.“The pure professionalism displayed
by the AWI team made the afternoon
special and I believe all the ladies
involved felt unique.”
Rahul loved being on the farm learning as
much as he could about the sheep and
where they are raised.
“The farm visit was inspiring and humbling,
seeing the environment where the fibre
starts from and the people and animals that
grow it has convinced me even more why
wool is the perfect sustainable fibre for
the future not just for winter but warmer
months as well,” he said.
Woolgrower Alan McCormack discussing the finer points of his Merino flock with
2013/14 International Woolmark Prize winner Rahul Mishra.
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FARM
11
“It's pretty important for him
to come here and see where it
comes from and get a feel of the
grassroots. The more of these
fashion designers we can get
involved and show what a great
product it is, the more markets
we can get our wool into.”
ALAN McCORMACK, woolgrower
ABC Landline www.abc.net.au/landline
WINNING COLLECTION AVAILABLE IN STORE
The following day, fresh from an invigorating
day on the farm, Rahul launched his winning
collection into Sydney’s David Jones store.
At the event, David Jones Group Executive
Merchandise, Donna Player, hosted a Q&A
session with Rahul discussing his inspiration
behind the collection and his experience of
winning the International Woolmark Prize at
the finals of the competition in Milan.
The retailers of Rahul’s collection report
his collection is selling extremely well
with many items selling out and having
to be restocked.
MORE INFORMATION
www.woolmarkprize.com
A shot from the David Jones launch event on the front
cover of that afternoon’s mX newspaper which is read
by 657,000 people each day.
“The judging panel in Milan was amazed by the
skill and craftsmanship in Rahul’s collection,”
explained Donna Player. “He is well deserving
of the recognition. We are very pleased to
be presenting this unique collection, which
carries with it such a great story of success, to
our customers at David Jones.”
The launch in David Jones follows similar
launches in leading retailers across the world
including Harvey Nichols in London, Colette
in Paris, 10 Corso Como in Milan, Saks Fifth
Avenue in New York, JOYCE in Hong Kong
and online at mytheresa.com.
As well as reaffirming AWI’s deep
connection with the global fashion industry,
an important aspect of the International
Woolmark Prize is to promote Merino wool
at a commercial level.
Harvey Nichols Group Buying Fashion
Director, Anita Barr, said at the launch in
London: “Rahul has shown the versatility of
Merino as a luxury fibre and has produced
a collection that challenges the perceptions
of wool. We’ve got a reputation for
launching and supporting brands and we’re
really excited about this. We are proud to be
championing his collection and show our
continued support to the Woolmark Prize;
it’s probably the prize to win.”
Two weeks prior to his visit to Australia, Rahul joined
the elite group of designers at Paris Fashion Week,
showing a new Spring/Summer 2015 collection that
explores the versatility of Australian Merino wool as a
lightweight and trans-seasonal fibre.
Group Buying Director at Harvey Nichols Anita Barr
with Rahul Mishra at the launch of his 2013/14
International Woolmark Prize winning collection
at Harvey Nichols in London.
12
OFF
FARM
• In partnership with AWI, leading
American luxury retailer Saks Fifth
Avenue has announced two Italian
textile mills as the winners of the third
annual Fabric No. 1 award.
• AWI supports these awards to help
increase the demand for Australian
Merino wool in the lucrative US market
for luxury menswear.
T
o help promote Australian Merino wool
in the lucrative US market for luxury
menswear, AWI has collaborated for the
second year running with leading American
specialty retailer Saks Fifth Avenue to
support its prestigious Fabric No. 1 award.
ICONIC US
RETAILER
BACKS LUXURY TEXTILES
This award extols the season’s finest Merino
wool fabrics for made-to-measure suits and
sport coats from the world’s premiere mills.
This year, Saks and AWI announced two
Italian textile mills as the winners of the
award: Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti was selected
for suiting and Vitale Barberis Canonico was
selected for sport coats.
By partnering with Saks Fifth Avenue on
the initiative, AWI is helping to increase
awareness and promote the benefits of
Australian Merino wool to more than
300,000 customers of the US retail icon, as
well as the wider US market.
The Fabric No. 1 program is being
supported by window displays in Saks
Fifth Avenue’s flagship store in New
York, a spread in the Men’s Fall Fashion
Catalogue, advertising in the Wall Street
Journal and promotion on Saks Fifth
Avenue’s social media platforms.
Saks Fifth Avenue is renowned worldwide
for being one of America’s preeminent
specialty retailers, with first-rate fashion
expertise and outstanding American and
international designer collections that are
sold through its 39 stores in 22 states.
“We’re thrilled to announce our third year
of the Fabric No. 1 competition, which
is returning in 2014 for a second year of
partnership with AWI,” said Tom Ott, SVP
GMM of Saks Fifth Avenue Men’s, Home,
Food and Gifts. “Our collaboration with
AWI provides a greater ability to highlight
the mills’ quality and fabrics. Together, we
broadened the competition globally this year
with a total of 30 international brands who
submitted fabrics for consideration.”
To qualify for consideration, each mill was
invited to submit up to two signature cloths
from their Fall/Winter collection per category.
Tom Ott led a select panel of made-to-measure
experts from Saks Fifth Avenue and AWI, who
examined and voted on the submissions.
The previous winners of the annual Fabric
No. 1 award are Dormeuil of England and
Fratelli Tallia di Delfino of Italy in 2013, and
John Foster of England and Reid & Taylor of
Scotland in 2012.
THE WINNING APPAREL ON DISPLAY IN THE WINDOW OF
SAKS FIFTH AVENUE’S FLAGSHIP STORE IN NEW YORK
PHOTO: Getty Images for Saks Fifth Avenue
LANIFICIO FRATELLI CERRUTI (left)
Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti’s fabric knocked out all
other contenders in the suit category. Inspired by
New York’s 1950's renaissance in art and architecture,
the fabric’s subtly checked blue was designed to be
reminiscent of the sky-reflective glass towers that
overtook Manhattan’s skyline.
VITALE BARBERIS CANONICO (right)
Vitale Barberis Canonico beat all entries in the sport
coats section with a high-blue fabric that’s soft
and cool to the touch. The mill scored extra points
for sustainability by using innovative purification
technologies to ensure that the water and air released
after fabric manufacturing don’t harm the environment.
The two winning mills of the Saks Fifth
Avenue Fabric No.1 award were honoured
at a special award ceremony in Saks Fifth
Avenue’s New York flagship store. Left to
right: Thomas Ott, SVP GMM Men's, Gifts
and Home at Saks Fifth Avenue; Howard
Corber of Cerruti; Larry Case of Vitale
Barberis Canonico; and Shawn Howell
VP DMM, Men's Tailored Clothing and
Furnishings at Saks Fifth Avenue.
PHOTO: Getty Images for Saks Fifth Avenue.
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Merinos at Pamela and Robert Sandlant’s property Pyrenees Park in Victoria.
11.1 MICRON BALE WINS
LORO PIANA AWARD
• The Loro Piana Record Bale
award has this year been won by
woolgrowers Pamela and Robert
Sandlant from Victoria.
• Their winning bale of 11.1 micron
Merino wool was the finest bale of wool
entered into the competition from all
Australian and New Zealand entrants.
• AWI partnered with Loro Piana at
the award event to recognise the
commitment and professionalism
of Australian woolgrowers who
constantly work to improve the
quality of Merino wool.
T
he Loro Piana Record Bale has been won,
once again, by Victoria’s ‘Pyrenees Park’
owners Pamela and Robert Sandlant, who
were awarded for producing the finest wool
bale in Australia of 11.1 micron.
The award ceremony this year fittingly took
place in the same state in which the winning
fleece was produced, Victoria, at the Mansion
Hotel in Werribee Park, a property that was
built in the 1870s by pastoralists, Thomas and
Andrew Chirnside.
Loro Piana hosted the event which was
attended by Loro Piana Deputy Chairman,
Pier Luigi Loro Piana and Loro Piana CEO,
Matthieu Brisset.
“This award celebrates the professionalism,
the skills and the passion so typical of
these farms,” Loro Piana Deputy Chairman,
Pier Luigi Loro Piana, said. “Thanks to their
constant efforts, the wool industry can
count on a quality and fineness that was
inconceivable 10 years ago. It is indeed two
microns lower compared to those days.”
Loro Piana established the Record Bale Award
in 2000 to promote quality by supporting
breeders in their pursuit of excellence. The
competition involves Australia and New
Zealand, the world’s main producers of Merino
wool, and awards the win to the finest bale
from the two nations produced in the course of
the previous year. The Loro Piana Record Bale
Award invariably sets an annual record, which
is often also a world record. Every record bale is
archived by Loro Piana. Until a finer wool bale
is purchased, the previous one cannot be used.
A bale weighs on average between 90 to 100
kg, which is also the minimum lot that can
be transformed into fabric, suitable only
for a few dozen made-to-measure suits.
Numbered and marked by an exclusive label,
the wool fabrics created with the record bale
are absolutely unique.
Every year Loro Piana encourages Australian
and New Zealand woolgrowers to take part
in the challenge, which is judged by a panel
formed by the presidents of the Australian
Superfine Wool Growers’ Association and
the director of the New Zealand Stud Merino
Breeders Society.
The panel certifies bales of wool with respect
to specific weight, length and strength
standards. The finest of the bales allowed in
the competition is awarded as the winner.
AWI has partnered with Loro Piana since 2011
in the award event, as a way to help promote
recognition for the commitment of Australian
woolgrowers’ to growing wool of an extremely
high standard of fineness and quality.
Rob Sandlandt (left) showing some of his Merino fleece to Laura Loro Piana, Pier Luigi Loro Piana
and Matthieu Brisset on a visit to Pyrenees Park prior to the award ceremony.
13
14
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Sartorial commentator Nick Wooster
on Jock McCrae’s ‘Elan Donan’property
in Elphinstone, Victoria, while on a visit
to Australia to enter into a strategic
partnership with AWI.
WOOL'S
ALPHA MALE
Menswear style icon Nick Wooster visited Australia in October as part of a strategic
partnership formed with AWI. Wooster has an illustrious career in menswear
spanning more than 30 years and a reputation like no other.
While in Australia, he met with leading Australian brands and travelled to two woolgrowing
properties to see first-hand where and how Australian Merino wool is produced.
OFF
FARM
O
rdained by GQ magazine ‘the alpha male
of American street style’, Nick Wooster
is a leading icon in today’s menswear
industry. One of the most respected fashion
industry influencers, Wooster’s authentic
interest in Merino wool has seen him enter
into a strategic partnership with AWI to
help the company promote Merino wool as
the fibre of choice for the world’s leading
designers, brands and consumers.
As AWI looks for new opportunities for
Merino wool, the ‘contemporary fashion’
segment of the apparel market is crucial,
and the partnership with Nick Wooster
provides an influential voice on a global
scale. Thanks to the power of digital
and social media, consumers look to be
educated and inspired by people with
credibility and Wooster’s popularity (he
has a huge following on social media with
@nickwooster having more than 350,000
followers on Instagram), combined with
his long affinity with wool, bodes well with
AWI’s long-term plans.
During his visit, Wooster’s wealth of sartorial
knowledge – particularly regarding the US
market – was passed on to fashion designers
and university students.
“I always say wool is the cornerstone of a
man’s wardrobe; a great wool suit or sweater
will never go out of style,” Wooster said as
he split his nine-day visit between Sydney,
Melbourne and two woolgrowing properties.
“Merino wool is the most versatile, noble
fibre; I grew up having every type of wool
garment in my wardrobe so it’s always been a
necessary part of my fashion vocabulary.”
Whilst in Melbourne Wooster delivered an
inspiring talk to RMIT fashion students and
met with Melbourne-based brands DrizaBone, Strateas.Carlucci and From Britten P/L,
and visited luxury department store for men,
Harrolds. In Sydney, he met with leading
Nick Wooster with the McCrabb
family at their property ‘Avenel’
in Wanganella, NSW
15
brands Jac+ Jack, Song for the Mute, Patrick
Johnson Tailors, M.J. Bale and Bassike,
connecting with these labels that have a
reputation for working with Australian
Merino wool.
But perhaps what Wooster will remember
most was escaping the cities and going back
to the very source where wool is produced.
Visiting Jock McCrae’s ‘Elan Donan’ property
in Victoria, and ‘Avenel’ run by Colin McCrabb
in NSW, Wooster was inspired by the natural
beauty of the landscape as well as the obvious
respect Jock and Colin have for their flocks.
Jock McCrae showing Nick Wooster the fine fleece on
one of his rams.
“To spend the morning in the city and to now
be two-and-a-half hours away in a place that’s
a completely different world, it’s magical;
it’s something that you just can’t describe.
And then to see something and experience
something that’s so incredibly beautiful, it’s
really fascinating. I could spend three days
here and I never want to leave the city.
“These guys (the farmers) have to be
meteorologists, veterinarians, geneticists;
they have to have mastery of so many skills.
But to really understand how much respect
Jock has for these sheep it’s really touching.
He clearly enjoys himself and he’s been
able to share that with us – if he came to
New York I don’t know that I could return
the favour.”
After the visit Jock said Wooster’s fascination
with both the Australian landscape and
Merino sheep was obvious, and it was an
honour to link Australia’s woolgrowing
industry to someone of Wooster’s status.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to meet men’s
style icon Nick Wooster,” Jock said. “His
world in New York seems like a million miles
away, yet we are inextricably linked through
Merino wool, and with Nick I believe we have
developed a champion for our wonderful
fibre. We need more people like him.”
Melvin Tanaya and Lyna Ty of Australian menswear
label Song for the Mute demonstrating that wool
fabric is water resistant.
Nick Wooster on a visit to the Sydney Cricket Ground
with the tailor for the Australian Test cricket side M.J.
Bale. Pictured from left: Jonathan Lobban, writer and
editor; Drew Hoare, brand and marketing manager at
M.J. Bale; Shane Watson, Australian cricket team player;
Nick Wooster; Matt Jensen, founder and CEO of M.J.
Bale; Andrew Pollard, fashion industry entrepreneur.
MORE INFORMATION
www.merino.com/nickwooster
16
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WOOL KEEPS
TOM COOL
AT THE BROWNLOWS
• Through its Cool Wool campaign, AWI
continues to promote Merino wool as
a fibre suitable for warmer climates
and seasons.
• Geelong Cats footballing star and
ambassador for AWI’s Fibre of Football
campaign Tom Hawkins wore a Cool
Wool suit, made by M.J. Bale, to the
Brownlow Medal ceremony.
• Fashions designers Christopher Raeburn
and Holly Fulton incorporated Cool
Wool into their Spring/Summer 2015
collections, which they showed at
London Fashion Week.
A
ustralian Merino wool continues to
breakdown misconceptions that wool is
only suitable for cooler climates. AWI’s Cool
Wool campaign is reaching both local and
international markets, educating consumers
about the fibre’s trans-seasonal properties
and promoting it as a natural choice for
warmer weather.
At the Brownlow Medal ceremony held at
Melbourne’s Crown Casino in September,
Geelong superstar Tom Hawkins wore a suit
from Australian retailer M.J. Bale, created
from Cool Wool fabric. Hawkins, who recently
joined AWI’s Fibre of Football campaign,
impressed on the red carpet, keeping his cool
on a hot evening at the AFL’s night of nights.
Tom’s partner Emma Clapham, the
granddaughter of legendary Boonoke
studmaster Basil Clapham, also walked the
carpet and grabbed quite a few headlines
wearing a stunning Merino wool dress made
by Australian fashion label Aje.
“I was really excited to wear wool to this year’s
Brownlow Medal, as was Tom,” she said. “It
was a great platform to support the industry
and show the wider community that there
are so many different ways to wear wool and
also show the fibres versatility.
“I really believe that as Australians we
should be so proud of the natural fibre that
we produce, and the fibre has come such a
long way; the dress was so comfortable and
felt amazing on my skin.”
Emma’s father, Harold Clapham, posted on
Twitter: “Very proud of Emma and Tom, I am
very sure that Basil would be very proud of
his granddaughter. He would be delighted
to see wool back on the front page, where
it should be, the world’s best and most
environmentally sustainable fibre.”
Both Emma and Tom are from the Riverina
district of NSW, with Emma being brought up
in Deniliquin and Tom coming from a wool,
cropping and rice property in Finley, NSW.
Geelong star Tom Hawkins with partner Emma Clapham
– both proudly wearing Australian Merino wool at
the Brownlows.
“I am very proud to have grown up on
a farm that produces wool,” Tom said.
“My fondest memories from my childhood
are working with my father on the farm and
playing junior football for my local Finley
Football Club. So I feel very privileged to be
involved in the Fibre of Football campaign
that supports two of the industries that
I am extremely passionate about.”
LONDON FASHION WEEK
O
n the other side of the world, in central
London, influential fashion designers
Christopher Raeburn and Holly Fulton
incorporated Cool Wool into their Spring/
Summer 2015 collections, exploring the
unique benefits of the lightweight fabrics
which can be produced.
Summer 14 range, but in fact the hybrid
piece became one of my best sellers for the
season,” Raeburn said. “It has been extended
from menswear to womenswear using the
same techniques and developing it into a
more feminine look … to offer commercially
wearable and affordable pieces.”
Having worked with AWI on sourcing and
integrating Cool Wool into their diverse
collections to promote wool as a year-round
luxury fibre, both designers have used fine
Australian Merino wool transformed into
lightweight fabrics and knitwear pieces.
For Holly Fulton, this season was the first time
she had worked with Cool Wool, following in
the footsteps of contemporaries Mark Fast,
Richard Nicoll and Jonathan Saunders.
Raeburn has been working with AWI for
three consecutive seasons, and has enjoyed a
welcome success with his Cool Wool collections.
“It was a challenge initially to see how
I could fit Cool Wool into my Spring/
“Cool Wool adds a very sophisticated touch
to pieces,” Fulton explained. “The lightweight
wool provides a sheer quality and luxurious
touch, in long gowns and knitwear with
sequin necklines.”
MORE INFORMATION
www.merino.com/coolwool
A Holly Fulton design that uses Cool Wool, on the runway
at London Fashion Week.
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FARM
FROM MERINOS
TO MUSLIN
• Innovative US babywear brand aden
+ anais has released a Pure Merino
Muslin collection with Woolmark
Nurture certification.
• Through test certificates AWI was able
to trace which farms produced the
wool for aden + anais.
A
critical part of AWI’s strategy is to
find new markets for Merino wool –
especially those markets that highly value
Merino wool’s natural attributes, and in
which consumers are prepared to pay
premium prices.
The market for baby and infant wear is
an important example of such a lucrative
market, with AWI’s ‘Mothers and Babies’
program working in three main areas:
funding scientific research into Merino’s
health benefits, innovative product
development, and creating awareness
of the fibre’s benefits.
One of the most recent product
developments within this field resulted
from the partnership formed by AWI with
innovative US babywear brand aden + anais.
AWI’s Mothers and Babies
program continues to help
drive the demand for Merino
wool in the lucrative
babywear market.
A leader in the market, aden + anais has
combined its award-winning muslin weave
with pure Australian Merino wool to create
a luxurious Merino muslin fabric, offering
to consumers the ultimate in softness,
breathability and temperature regulation.
has an upper limit for each product category
to ensure the products are comfortable for
babies. For instance, an aden + anais Merino
muslin product is guaranteed to be made from
Merino wool with a micron of 18.5 or finer, so
will feel luxuriously soft against baby’s skin.
The aden + anais Pure Merino Muslin
collection features a swaddle, sleeping bag,
dream blanket™ and a security blanket,
with each product carrying Woolmark
Nurture certification.
Through test certificates, AWI was able
to trace woolgrowing properties which
supplied the wool that went into the latest
aden + anais Merino wool products.
“Over the years, we’ve grown to be recognised
as the true innovators of muslin in the
marketplace and I wanted to explore other
fibres that would work with our signature
muslin weave,” explains aden + anais
co-founder and CEO Raegan Moya-Jones.
“Merino wool just seemed like the perfect
fit – it’s natural, breathable, and one of the
loveliest fabrics I’ve ever felt.”
The Pure Merino Muslin collection carries
Woolmark Nurture certification to offer
parents additional reassurance through
strict testing which follows global industry
standards. The diameter of the Merino wool
fibre in certified Woolmark Nurture products
One of the properties was ‘Bochara’,
owned and run by Bernie, Linda and Matt
Hair near Hamilton in Victoria. A retired
policeman, Bernie and his family have
slowly been building his flock since 2007
and these days enjoys taking care of his
1100 sheep rather than the often tense job
of working as law enforcement.
“It really is special learning where your wool
ends up, particularly when it makes such
wonderful products as these,” said Linda
clutching an aden + anais blanket. “When he
was a baby, our son Matt slept with wool and
it kept him perfectly warm and comfortable
and now as a young man it’s great having
him help grow the fibre.”
Woolgrowers Bernie, Linda and Matt Hair from near
Hamilton supplied some of the wool that went into
the manufacture of the aden + anais Pure Merino
Muslin collection.
An advertising image that is helping
aden + anais promote its Pure Merino
Muslin collection to consumers.
MORE INFORMATION
www.merino.com/adenandanais
17
18
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FARM
MACHINE-WASHABLE WOOL
IF YOU THINK WOOL'S
DELICATE, YOU SHOULD SEE
TESTED BY NATURE,
WHAT IT GOES THROUGH
TESTED BY US.
BEFORE IT GETS TO YOU.
TESTED BY NATURE,
TESTED BY US.
WOOL CARE
GUIDE
In nature, wool survives the toughest tests. And
then we test it again. So if the label on your wool
garment says "machine-washable", and you
see the Woolmark logo, you can wash it in your
machine with confidence.
www.wool.com
www.merino.com
www.woolmark.com
ilgufo.it
woolmark.com
ilgufo.it
woolmark.com
In UK, Eire, Hong Kong and India
the Woolmark trademark
is a Certificated trade mark.
In UK, Eire, Hong Kong and India
the Woolmark trademark
is a Certificated trade mark.
The Woolmark Company Pty Limited makes no representations about the content
and suitability of the information contained in these materials. Specifically,
ABOVE and RIGHT Advertising collateral from Italian childrenswear brand
Il Gufo
thatPtyuses
Tested
by Nature,
The Woolmark
Company
Limited AWI’s
does not warrant,
guarantee
or make any
regarding the correctness, accuracy, reliability, currency, or
Tested by Us washable wool messaging to help sell Merino wool itemsrepresentations
from its new
collection.
any other aspect regarding characteristics or use of the information presented
• Italian childrenswear brand Il Gufo
is using AWI’s Tested by Nature,
Tested by Us campaign to help sell
machine-washable Merino wool
items from its new collection.
• The marketing campaign for
the collection not only educates
consumers about wool’s natural
benefits, but also spreads the
message that wool is easy to care for.
• This Autumn/Winter 2014/15
collection is Il Gufo’s second Merino
wool capsule collection that results
following collaboration with AWI.
P
remium Italian childrenswear label Il
Gufo has released its second Merino wool
capsule collection in partnership with AWI
and has become the first European and first
childrenswear brand to join AWI’s Tested by
Nature, Tested by Us washable wool campaign.
The Tested by Nature, Tested by Us campaign
launched earlier this year by AWI aims to
inform consumers that Woolmark-certified
garments, labelled as “machine wash” or
“machine wash and tumble dry” have gone
through rigorous testing to make sure it’s
safe to machine wash and won’t felt, shrink
or fade.
By educating consumers that wool apparel
is easy to care for, the aim ultimately is to
increase consumer demand for wool apparel.
The campaign’s tagline Tested by Nature,
Tested by Us makes reference to the fact that
wool on the sheep’s back is resilient enough
to withstand all the elements that nature
can throw at it, so a washing machine is not
a challenge.
in these materials. The user accepts sole responsibility and risk associated
with the use and results of these materials, irrespective of the purpose to
which such use or
results are applied.
Users
shouldIl
confirm
information
The partnership
between
AWI
and
Gufo
from an appropriate and relevant source if it is of sufficient importance for
to dodevelopment
so. In no event shall The Woolmark
Company Pty Limited be liable
has seenthem
the
of a colourful
for any loss or damages (including without limitation special, indirect or
consequential damages),Autumn/Winter
whether in an action of contract, negligence or tort,
machine-washable
arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of these materials.
collection
comprising
100
per
© The
Woolmark Company Pty
Limited
2014.cent
All rights Merino
reserved. This work is
copyright. Except as permitted under Copyright Law no part of this publication
wool sweaters,
cardigans and turtlenecks.
many be reproduced by any process, electronic or otherwise, without the
express permission of the copyright owner. Neither may information be
stored electronically in any form whatsoever without such permission.
A promotional
flyer, conveying the easy care
In UK, Eire, Hong Kong and India the Woolmark trademark
is a Certification trade mark.
qualities of the collection,
was inserted inGD1118a
an Il Gufo catalogue that was sent to 50,000
of the company’s customers. Promotional
material was also placed in Il Gufo’s stores
in the USA, China, the Middle East as well as
Italy, and online including social media.
“This winter season we joined the Tested
by Nature, Tested by Us campaign, thanks
to parts of our new collection made with
machine-washable wool,” explained
Alessandra Chiavelli, owner of Il Gufo S.p.A.
“The core message of this season is related to
the fact that wool is easy to care for. This is a
very important topic in our business because
very often mothers don’t know how to care
for their woollen items.”
Developed with assistance from AWI’s
Mothers and Babies and Apparel Care
programs, Il Gufo’s collection has been tested
by independent laboratories to ensure no
shrinkage, colour fastness and felting. As a
certification mark the Woolmark symbol offers
piece of mind that these garments can be
safely washed in a domestic washing machine.
AWI’s collaboration with Il Gufo started in
2012 and continues to represent the positive
values AWI shares with Il Gufo, proposing
a joyful image of childhood and a modern
concept of childrenswear.
“We believe that wool is a precious material
which can be worn at every time of the year,”
Ms Chiavelli said.
The new Il Gufo flagship store’s grand opening in Milan,
featuring the easy care message of wool.
“Wool is an amazing, versatile material. There
are no items which cannot be created from
wool, from baby rompers to the detailing
on our shoes. It is a natural fibre and adds a
high level of quality to the collection.”
The launch of the new Merino wool
collection also coincided with the opening of
a new Il Gufo flagship store in Milan. Il Gufo
celebrated the arrival of the new collection
by telling the story of wool and its natural
benefits, as well as spreading the message
that wool is easy to wash.
MORE INFORMATION
www.merino.com/ilgufo
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WOOL CARE GUIDE APP
AWI has rolled out a Wool Care Guide app, placing information on caring for wool
apparel readily at the tips of consumers’ fingers. The app includes information on
understanding care labelling, stain removal and general care instructions.
T
o help ensure consumers regard wool
garments as easy to care for, AWI has
released its Wool Care Guide as an app.
The app is available free of charge for all
Apple and Android devices.
The app places information on apparel
care easily and quickly at the fingertips
of consumers, whether they’re wondering
what a particular washing symbol on a care
label means to how to prevent a spill of
coffee from staining.
THE APP COVERS THE FOUR MAIN
CATEGORIES OF APPAREL CARE:
CARE LABELS
Care instructions vary depending on
the style and type of garments, so it is
important to always read and follow
the care instructions on the garment’s
care label. The app helps consumers
understand the symbols on care labels,
to determine for example whether
their wool product is safe for machine
washing or hand washing only.
CARE TIPS
Irrespective of the laundering method,
there are ways to prolong the “as new”
appearance of a garment, such as
turning wool garments inside out prior
to laundering. The app provides many
such tips on how to best look after you
wool products.
EQUIPMENT
The app provides information on the
appliances and laundry products that
The Woolmark Company tests under
the Woolmark Apparel Care program.
STAIN REMOVAL
From red wine to black coffee, from
lipstick to grass, different stains
need different treatments. The app
provides a simple and handy guide to
how to remove everyday stains.
The Wool Care Guide app has been launched to help consumers easily and correctly care for their wool apparel.
“The Wool Care Guide app is part of
the Woolmark Apparel Care program’s
overall strategy to provide consumers
with educational and functional tools for
laundering their wool apparel with ease,”
explains AWI’s Chief Strategy and Marketing
Officer Rob Langtry.
“These initiatives address a misperception
among some consumers that wool garments
are more difficult to care for than garments
made from other fibres, yet we address these
misconceptions through global marketing,
education and R&D, spreading the message
that wool is easy to care for.”
The Woolmark Apparel Care program seeks
to provide quality laundering technology
to consumers to provide the very best care
options for wool garments. The program
allows for the Woolmark Apparel Care symbol
to be licensed for use on detergents, washing
machines, tumble driers, irons, fabric softeners
and bleaches for domestic use. All products are
tested by independent laboratories, authorised
to carry out Woolmark testing. Detergents
were first licensed with the Woolmark symbol
in 1969, and the symbol has been applied to
washing machines since 1968.
MORE INFORMATION
The FREE Wool Care Guide app can
be downloaded via the Apple App or
Google Play Stores.
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Carlton AFL legend Chris Judd is part of the
team at Jaggad – testing its prototype garments
to ensure they are quality standard.
JAGGAD
MAKES ITS MARK WITH MERINO
Australian sports and lifestyle brand Jaggad, with the support of AWI, has introduced wool into
its range for the first time. Merino wool’s presence in the sports apparel market continues to grow.
B
eing based in the beachside
Melbourne suburb of Elwood – a leafy
neighbourhood whose locals value being
active, living healthily and staying true
– perfectly suits the ethos for recently
relaunched apparel brand Jaggad.
The company is not so much a sports
performance brand, but more of an active
lifestyle brand for everyone.
“Jaggad is for anyone who wants to wear
sportswear, whether it’s mums heading to
the park to do yoga or dads out training for
a local fun run,” CEO Steve Greene says. “We
want it to be a community based brand, for
real people, not sporting personalities who
are only in it for the sponsorship money. We
don’t believe in hype, marketing jargon or
empty promises.”
The company was relaunched in September
2013 after a new ownership team took over,
and with AWI’s support has for the first
time introduced wool into its range for the
spring/summer season, available from the
company’s new online store. The collection
includes 100 per cent Merino wool baselayers
for men and women, and Merino/polyester
blend short and long sleaved T-shirts.
This is a long-term commitment by the
company into using wool, with the company’s
autumn/winter range – available in February
– to include many more garments made from
wool, such as hoodies and pants.
“The company wants to be known as the
Australian Merino lifestyle brand. We are
Australian owned and we use Australian
Merino wool,” Steve says.
“Importantly for us, we are very focused on
quality. Our garments use the best performing
textiles and construction techniques. They are
cut from the best fabrics, created by passionate
designers, for people who appreciate beauty,
simplicity and design in sport and in life.
“One of the main reasons I got into this
business was because I didn’t believe there
was much sportswear on the market that was
both really good quality and also stylish. With
Jaggad, there now definitely is. We’ve infused
fashion and lifestyle into a sports brand.”
Jaggad’s wool products are made from
fabrics knitted by Melbourne-based ABMT
Textiles which is an AWI MerinoPerformTM
partner. The fibre used is 19.5 micron
Australian Merino wool.
While the brand is aimed at anyone and
everyone who wants to wear sports apparel,
its prototype garments are tested to the limit
by somebody far from ordinary: one of the
most successful sportsmen in the country,
Carlton footy legend and dual Brownlow
medal winner Chris Judd.
“What we want are products that are durable
and reliable, as well as stylish, and Chris has
been a great help in ensuring that,” says Steve,
who himself used to play AFL with Hawthorn.
“Chris started his career wearing a footy
jumper made from wool, and he wants to end
his career with wool, testing it as part of the
team here at Jaggad.”
Steve forecasts the sports apparel market
to continue to grow, as it has done over the
past decade, and sees Merino wool being an
increasingly large part of that growth.
MORE INFORMATION
www.jaggad.com
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MINIJUMBUK TO
CELEBRATE 40 YEARS
• Manufacturer of wool bedding
products, MiniJumbuk, will next
year celebrate its 40th anniversary.
• The Woolmark licensee uses the
latest technology and a long-serving
team of skilled craftspeople to
manufacture its products.
• The company is based in Naracoorte,
South Australia, and is very proud of
its rural heritage and the Australian
wool that it uses.
As 2014 and the 50th anniversary of the
Woolmark brand come to an end, next
year marks another major milestone for a
particular Woolmark licensee whose heritage
is very much connected to rural Australia.
It was back in 1975 in the small country
town of Naracoorte, South Australia, that
MiniJumbuk started as a cottage industry
hand-crafting miniature Merino souvenir
sheep – which led to the company’s unusual
name ‘MiniJumbuk’, meaning ‘mini-sheep’.
In 1977 local sheep shearer Don Wray
joined the business and began carefully
selecting and experimenting with the best
wool varieties from local farms to create
MiniJumbuk’s first quilt – Australia’s
first commercially produced wool-filled
quilt. The company went from strength to
strength adding woollen underblankets and
pillows to the range.
Today MiniJumbuk is still proudly based
in Naracoorte and has grown to become a
global leader in the design and manufacture
of premium wool bedding products.
The company’s products are sold in the
major department stores in Australia – Myer,
David Jones, Harris Scarfe – as well as in
leading homewares retailer Adairs.
MiniJumbuk Managing Director Darren Turner
said a commitment to excellence and a passion
for wool are at the heart of the company.
“It’s our attention to detail and quality
that has given us the reputation we have
today,” he said. “Our staff have a genuine
commitment to providing excellent
customer service and top quality products
that we are truly proud of.
“MiniJumbuk was founded on wool, and the
fibre continues to be the focus of the company.
We source the best possible Australian wool –
much of it from the local area.”
The company has a strong presence in the
domestic market, with about 90 per cent of
the company’s sales in Australia, but also has
a desire in due course to expand further into
overseas markets.
“We put a lot of effort into building and
maintaining partnerships with the supply
chain and retailers here in Australia. Good
relationships with retail sales staff is very
important – we regularly visit them to
provide information on our products and
training about the benefits of wool, which
they can pass on to consumers.
“The Woolmark is a powerful brand and
an additional symbol of quality for us.
Consumers can rely on it to know they are
buying a product that has pure new wool
content. We have also used Campaign for
Wool branding on point of sale promotions,
to increase sales.”
The company has recently put an increased
focus on digital marketing and retailing,
investing in a new website – optimised
for tablet and mobile devices – on which
customers can research and learn more
about the heritage of the company and the
authenticity of the handcrafted products.
The company offers free shipping on
Australian orders of more than $250, and also
offers international shipping of its products.
Research and development of new products is
also a feature of the company, with it recently
launching a new Airlight TechnologyTM
range of quilts, which Mr Turner says are the
company’s best ever quilts.
“We continue to innovate and improve
our products. Airlight TechnologyTM is an
advanced process we apply to wool fibre,
allowing each layer to trap more air. This
design offers superior insulating properties
while allowing for the creation of lighter,
more comfortable quilts that perfectly
regulate sleeping temperature.”
The range contains five quilts, each with
a different number of wool layers to suit
individual sleeping needs.
“The past year has been another good one for
MiniJumbuk,” Mr Turner adds. “And we are
looking forward to 2015, in which our dedicated
team will be celebrating 40 years of producing
quality products from Australian wools.”
MORE INFORMATION
www.minijumbuk.com.au
MiniJumbuk has manufactured wool bedding products in Australia for nearly 40 years – and has recently launched a new Airlight TechnologyTM range of quilts.
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STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION
WOOL4SCHOOL
TM
The apparel design competition Wool4SchoolTM returns for its fifth year, continuing to educate
Australian high school students about the unique and natural benefits of Australian Merino wool.
• The Wool4SchoolTM 2015 design brief
asks students to design an ultimate
winter outfit suitable for a student
exchange to New York City, Tokyo,
Paris, Moscow or New Delhi.
• AWI online resources have been
extended to include a new LEARN ABOUT
WOOL website tailored to both primary
and secondary Australian schools.
A
WI is continuing to educate the next
generation about the unique and
natural benefits of Australian Merino wool.
This is the fifth year that high school
students and teachers across the country
are being invited to take part in AWI’s
Wool4SchoolTM apparel design program, with
$10,000 in prizes on offer. Open to Year 7, 8,
9, 10 and 11 design and technology, textile
design, home economics and visual art
students, Wool4School™ sets the challenge
to design an original outfit made from
Australian Merino wool.
This year’s theme is Live Life, Love Wool,
with students having to design their ultimate
winter outfit that showcases their personality
and is suitable for a student exchange to New
York City, Tokyo, Paris, Moscow or New Delhi.
Lesson plans have been developed in
line with the Australian curriculum
specifically tailored for the classroom, and
when teachers register they also receive a
Wool4SchoolTM fabric pack to incorporate
into their teachings of Merino wool.
2014 teacher winner Anna Dyer teaches
textile and design at Belridge Secondary
College in Western Australia. This year she
had 51 students from Years 8-10 take part in
Wool4SchoolTM, plus three Year 11 students
who were working through units to gain
their Certificate II in Applied Fashion
Design & Technology.
“The competition fitted beautifully within
one of their competencies and next year
there will also be a Year 7 ‘Fashion’ class and
I’m looking forward to them entering in 2015,”
Mrs Dyer said.
Mrs Dyer implemented the lesson plans
supplied by AWI into each of her classes,
but went above and beyond expectations
to further educate her students.
“The lesson plans supplied were very useful
and I used many of them. I also introduced
other activities that were devoted to each
year group, for example felting with the
Year 9 class and microscopic fibre structure
with the Year 11 class. This allows me to enter
the students in following years but keep the
content new and fresh for each year group.”
A new LEARN ABOUT WOOL website has
also been developed by AWI, in conjunction
with Australian teachers, as part of
Wool4SchoolTM.
The website www.wool4school.com/
learnaboutwool provides online resources
developed with the Australian curriculum
in mind and can easily be implemented into
everyday classroom activities supporting
HOW TO GET INVOLVED IN
WOOL4SCHOOLTM 2015
WOOLGROWERS AND PARENTS
Contact your local high school and
encourage them to get involved in the
Wool4SchoolTM program. Information
for schools and teachers is available
at www.wool4school.com.
YEAR 7-11 TEACHERS
Simply register your school and year
groups at www.wool4school.com to
receive a free Merino wool fabric pack
and resource kit for the classroom.
YEAR 7-11 STUDENTS
Learn more about the exciting competition
at www.wool4school.com and talk to your
teacher about getting involved.
KEY DATES
REGISTRATIONS CLOSE
31 May 2015
SUBMISSIONS CLOSE
Years 7 & 8
Years 9 & 10
Years 11 & teachers
16 July 2015
23 July 2015
30 July 2015
the development of students in line
with curriculum guidelines. The LEARN
ABOUT WOOL website has been designed
so teachers can search for resources by
content area, Year level, and subject from
foundation year through to Year 10.
Belridge Secondary College and Wool4SchoolTM winning teacher Anna Dyer with students that entered last year’s Wool4SchoolTM competition.
MORE INFORMATION
www.wool4school.com
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EXPORTERS AND BROKERS
SEE STRENGTH IN
VIETNAM
A
delegation of Australian wool exporters
and brokers travelled to Vietnam in
September with AWI to see first-hand the
progress of AWI’s ‘Out of Vietnam’ project,
which is developing a sustainable wool
supply chain in Vietnam and expanding its
current manufacturing sector.
The tour also provided the delegation with
the opportunity to provide feedback on
the project as well as their thoughts for the
project’s future.
With Australia sending three quarters of its
wool to China and becoming increasingly
reliant on this country, AWI launched its ‘Out
of Vietnam’ project two years ago to develop
a new processing and manufacturing market
for Australian wool.
Visiting a range of different types of
companies manufacturing sweaters, socks,
underwear and accessories, the delegation
also visited Vietnamese retailer Canifa
to gain a better understanding of wool
manufacturing and sales.
AWI General Manager for Product
Development and Commercialistion Jimmy
Jackson led the tour, alongside AWI Trade
Consultant Scott Carmody.
• Key Australian exporters and
brokers have visited Vietnam to
see first-hand the opportunity
for Australian wool.
• As a result of the trip, the delegation
backs AWI’s ‘Out of Vietnam’
project which is developing a
sustainable wool supply chain in
Vietnam to increase the demand
for Australian wool.
Quality Wool Managing Director Mark
Dyson echoed Mr Watson’s sentiments, and
said it was very promising to see Vietnam
increase its usage of wool and was impressed
by the variety.
“We will certainly see more of the ‘Made in
Vietnam’ label in the future,” he said.
“It was very encouraging to see the wide range
of wool microns being used by the various
knitting companies in Vietnam, from 18.5
microns through to coarser crossbred types
in the 34-36 micron range. This enables them
to utilise wool in different fashion ranges
for their target markets around the world,
including Japan, Korea, Europe and the US.
“Numerous knitting companies, especially
the flat-bed knitters, are developing strongly
and this is highlighted by their ability to
upgrade from cheaper, imported secondhand machinery to investing in state-ofthe-art German and Japanese flat-bed
knitting machines.
“With the improved performance and
investments being made by these companies,
it augurs well for the Vietnamese wool textile
industry and, hence, its requirement for
Australian wool.”
Watswool Pty Ltd Managing Director James Watson
(right) with AWI General Manager for Product
Development and Commercialistion Jimmy Jackson
(centre) on the tour.
“The tour provided us with the opportunity
to provide key members of the Australian
wool industry with an insight into the
Vietnamese textile market, and see firsthand the opportunity for wool in Vietnam,”
Mr Jackson said.
“Since AWI launched the Out of Vietnam
project two years ago, it has gone from
strength to strength, and now has a
total of 53 partners which has surpassed
our expectations in this short time.
The exporters and brokers who joined
us on the tour were also impressed by
the scale of the project.”
Watswool Pty Ltd Managing Director
James Watson was one representative
who travelled to Vietnam and backs AWI’s
decision to focus on this market.
“Vietnam is already a textile processing hub
supplying the world with a range of knitted
and woven products,” Mr Watson said.
“With help from AWI, Vietnam can
easily incorporate wool into existing and
new products providing the Australian
wool industry with a fresh and exciting
new market.”
Quality Wool Managing Director Mark Dyson touring a wool apparel manufacturing company in Vietnam:
“With the improved performance and investments being made by these companies, it augurs well for the
Vietnamese wool textile industry and, hence, its requirement for Australian wool.”
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EDUCATION
HIGHLIGHTS
FOSTERING TEXTILE EDUCATION WITH TEXPRINT
AWI continues to encourage the use of Merino wool by emerging textile designers, through sponsoring an award at
the UK’s leading textile graduate design prize – Texprint.
T
o highlight the versatility and benefits of
Merino wool to the UK’s leading textile
students, AWI has once again partnered with
the UK’s foremost textile graduate design prize
– Texprint – and sponsored a special award.
Texprint provides a vital bridge between
the best of British textile design talent
and the commercial world. The Woolmark
Company Texprint Award encourages the
most exceptional British-trained textile
design graduates to use Merino wool in an
innovative manner.
Tali Furman was announced the winner of
the 2014 award at the Indigo/Première Vision
trade show in September. Tali’s cohesive
collection impressed the judges for its subtle
use of print on the finest quality Merino
wool to create textiles that are intrinsically
beautiful and achieve a classic sense of style.
The Woolmark Company Texprint Award
was judged by the globally renowned Italian
designer and head of Biella-based textile
mill Lanficio Fratelli Cerruti, Nino Cerruti,
together with Agi Mdumulla and Sam Cotton
of the trend-setting UK menswear brand
Agi & Sam.
“It has been a very difficult decision because
all the candidates for The Woolmark
Company Texprint Award had something
interesting and unique to present,” said Nino
Cerruti. “So we decided to set the criteria
of creativity, innovation and harmonious
design, as well as of course respecting
The Woolmark Company rule that the
work must incorporate at least 60 per cent
Merino wool.
The Woolmark Company Texprint Award winner Tali Furman (left) speaks with judges Nino Cerruti (right)
alongside Agi Mdumulla and Sam Cotton of Agi & Sam next to him.
SEMINAR MAKING IT IN TEXTILES
AWI has helped fund a seminar to promote Merino wool and help encourage
UK textile students to join the wool industry.
Consequently, in conjunction with the
Campaign for Wool and two City Livery
Companies, AWI organised a textiles
education conference in October in Bradford,
Yorkshire, for final year textiles students.
“It is great to see a very high level of work
from both a technical and creative point
of view – especially to team creativity and
energy resulting in ideas that become real
practicable textiles.”
AWI Global Strategic Advisor Peter Ackroyd
added, “Texprint is unique; it’s the only
scheme that we are aware of that gives
graduates a tangible and valuable industry
experience so soon after graduating. AWI
actively believes in education and has
devoted time and resources so that this
remains a priority. New talent is the future
of our business.”
It was a full house at the Making it in Textiles seminar
in Bradford, Yorkshire.
W
ith the UK’s textile industry on a high,
there’s never been a better time for
UK textile graduates to forge a career, and
AWI is keen to ensure that the cream of these
graduates consider joining the wool industry.
The Making it in Textiles seminar was
attended by more than 120 students and
tutors from universities throughout the UK,
with talks from Woolmark licensees and
trade partners covering the weaving process,
from spinning to finishing, with a major
focus on Merino wool due to its significance
in the British weaving industry.
Students also had the chance to visit a local
mill and see these industry processes in
person, something which surprisingly few
students usually do in their university time.
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VISIT BY BIELLA MASTERS
AWI has supported a visit by the three ‘Biella Masters’ postgraduate students to learn more about Merino wool.
T
he three Italian students on the Biella
Masters Noble Fibre postgraduate course
visited Australia during October to learn
more about the source of Merino wool.
During their visit, supported by AWI, they
travelled to the ‘Roaring Rock’ property of
David Gay at Boorowa, NSW with Ruth Flick
from Landmark to learn about the process of
woolgrowing and classing.
25-year-old Debora Tricarico, who has a double
degree in Industrial Production Engineering
and Business Studies from the Polytechnic
University of Turin, was one of the students on
the visit who is forging a career in the textile
industry. She said she felt extremely lucky
to have the opportunity to visit a working
Australian farm.
“That was something unbelievable: talking
with farmers, classers, brokers and getting
in touch with the sheep and the field is not
something everybody has the opportunity to
do,” she said.
David Gay with the three Italian students, Ruth Flick from Landmark, and Emily King and Sarah Parnell from AWI.
SHORT FILM LOST AND FOUND
AWI has released a captivating three minute film to show the journey of Merino wool from farm to fashion.
A
WI has worked alongside London-based
creative studio NEON Pictures Ltd to
create a visually and emotionally captivating
short film titled Lost and Found to show
how wool clothes are made, and ultimately
grow the profile of Merino wool garments
amongst trade partners and consumers.
Using a combination of photo-real
animation and up-close live action film,
the story follows the journey of some
fleece – from farm to fashion – through all
the manufacturing processes, educating
consumers about the provenance of this
fine fibre and the artisanal value of Merino
wool products.
As the film follows our hero on its journey,
we see its fibres subject to a series of amusing
and intriguing chance events which mirror
the larger scale manufacturing processes we
see in the background.
NEON Pictures Ltd came up with the idea of
introducing into the film some hero fibres,
which become lost at the very beginning
of the process, separated from the rest of
the fleece.
With around 200,000 views on Facebook
and other digital channels, Lost and Found
is reaching a wide audience across the
world. View the film at www.merino.com/
lostandfound/
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WOOL TEXTILES SHOWCASED
IN CHINA
• AWI partnered with the China Wool
Textile Association to host the inaugural
Australian Merino Wool Best of China
Wool Awards 2014.
• The awards highlight the strong
relationship between China’s wool
textile industry and the Australian
wool industry.
• AWI displayed the entries to the
awards – along with The Wool Lab
Autumn/Winter 2015/16 and its latest
innovations in woven wool –
at the Intertextile Shanghai Apparel
Fabrics trade show.
AWI partnered with the China Wool Textile
Association (CWTA) to host the inaugural
Australian Merino Wool Best of China
Wool Awards 2014 in Shanghai in October.
The awards recognise the leading Chinese
textile companies across a range of 10 award
categories covering woven and knitted fabrics.
At the Intertextile trade show in Shanghai, AWI exhibited fabric samples from each of the companies that entered
the Australian Merino Wool Best of China Wool Awards 2014.
The awards aim to expand the innovative
applications of Australian Merino wool, as
well as promote China’s wool textile industry,
expand product research, and market China’s
premium textile enterprises to global buyers.
“The awards are a way for AWI to highlight
the outstanding achievement in wool
manufacturing in China,” said AWI CEO
Stuart McCullough. “The submissions have
come from our key partners with whom
we have been working alongside for many
years with great success. The opportunity
to recognise and award their great
achievements is our way to celebrate the
bond between the Australian wool industry
and the Chinese textile industry.”
China has long been an important market
for Australian Merino wool. Over the past
decade consumption of Australian Merino
wool by Chinese textile companies and
Chinese consumers has steadily increased.
As consumption has grown, the expertise
of Chinese manufacturers in working with
Australian Merino wool has increased.
“China Wool Textile Association has always
supported AWI to carry out various activities
to help China’s wool textile enterprises,” said
CWTA President Wang Shu Yuan. “The awards
aim to encourage the use of wool and increase
the influence of wool textile enterprises in the
international market.
“We are looking forward to establishing a
closer relationship with AWI and offer a better
service for Chinese Wool Textile Association
members. At the same time, we want more
consumers to experience, love and enjoy
Australian Merino wool – one of the world’s
most premium natural fibres.”
Delegates at the AWI exhibit during the Intertextile trade show took great interest in The Wool Lab seasonal guide
to the best wool fabrics and yarns in the world.
At the Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics
trade show, AWI exhibited fabric samples from
each company that entered the awards.
Also on show were key innovations from
AWI in woven textiles. Some key innovations
with particular interest to the fabric sector
attending Intertextile were Neulana fabrics,
warp knit Merino, knitted denim, mottled
Merino wovens, and mercerised Merino.
The Wool Lab Autumn/Winter 2015/16 was also
on show presenting seven inspiring themes
for the season. The Wool Lab was of great
interest to designers, manufacturers, retailers,
fashion and apparel brands, providing them
with a concrete sourcing service to put them in
contact with the world’s best wool suppliers.
MORE INFORMATION
wwww.woolmark.com
AUSTRALIAN MERINO WOOL BEST OF CHINA WOOL AWARDS 2014 WINNERS
• Most Luxurious Product Worsted Fabric
Shandong Nanshan Fabric and Garment
Company Ltd
• Most Luxurious Product Woollen Fabric
Shandong Companion Group Company Ltd
• Best Woven Product in Quality Worsted Fabric
Shandong Ruyi Woolen Textile Company Ltd,
and Jiangsu Sunshine Group Company Ltd
• Best Fashion Product Worsted Fabric
Lanzhou Sanmao Industrial Company Ltd
• Best Fashion Product Woollen Fabric
Zhejiang Linglong Textile Company Ltd
• Best Fashion Product Semi-Worsted Fabric
Shengzhou Youngor Wool Textile Company Ltd
• Best Fashion Product Knitted Fabric
Jiangsu Danmao Textile Company Ltd
• Wool Technical Innovation Fabric
Wuxi Xiexin Worsted Spinning Weaving And
Dyeing Company Ltd
• Best Knitted Product in Fashion Apparel
Zhejiang Qianqiu Knitwear Company Ltd
• Wool Technical Innovation Knitted Apparel
Beijing BIFT Fashion Investment Management
Center
OFF
FARM
27
The International Wool Education Centre will educate
university students about wool manufacturing.
Pictured is 10 micron Merino wool.
INTERNATIONAL WOOL
EDUCATION CENTRE
IN CHINA
• AWI has partnered with leadings woollen
textile enterprise The Nanshan Group
to establish the International Wool
Education Centre (I-WEC) in China.
• The I-WEC will educate university
students on most aspects of wool
manufacturing, and complements
the Wool Development Centre (WDC)
set up last year.
• I-WEC officially opened in October and
53 students have already completed
its first training course.
AWI and one of China’s leadings woollen
textile enterprises The Nanshan Group
have worked closely together to establish
the International Wool Education Centre
(I-WEC), which was officially opened in
October 2014.
The I-WEC is attached to Nanshan Yantai
University, located in the township of
Nanshan in the Shandong province, China.
Already, 53 tertiary students have completed
I-WEC’s first course, run by AWI’s Post-Farm
Environmental Issues Manager Dr Allan De
Boos, on woven fabric finishing.
The development of I-WEC further
highlights AWI’s commitment and dedication
into fostering the next generation’s
education, ensuring that technical education
remains readily available in a market as
important as China. The collaboration
between Nanshan and AWI helps drive
the expansion of the Chinese wool textile
industry.
“The demise of wool manufacturing
operations in global regions and its shift
to China has left a void for technically
based training and education for the wool
manufacturing industry,” explains AWI Group
Manager for Trade Education Julie Davies.
“To fill this void and address both current
and future needs, AWI and Nanshan agreed
to closely collaborate in the creation of the
International Wool Education Centre. The
centre will eventually run a whole series of
courses, up to degree level, covering most
aspects or sectors of the wool manufacturing
supply chain. This course content has been
developed and is owned by AWI. It will be a
Woolmark Company accredited course.”
The I-WEC complements the Wool
Development Centre (WDC) which was
also set up at Nanshan twelve months ago
with co-funding from AWI. Although the
WDC at Nanshan is primarily focused on
research and development, it will play a
dual role enabling students from the new
I-WEC to gain first-hand practical knowledge
by operating for themselves the sample
machines housed within the WDC.
An official opening ceremony for the I-WEC
was held in October and was attended by the
mayor of Longkou City Han Shi Jun, AWI
chairman Wal Merriman, AWI CEO Stuart
McCullough and Nanshan Group President
Cheng Rence.
The Executive Director of Technical Center
of Nanshan Group and Vice Dean of
Nanshan Engineering College Mr Pan Feng
praised the establishment of the I-WEC and
said it would be crucial in maintaining a
healthy wool production industry.
“The opening of the International Wool
Education Centre, as a result of the
cooperation between the Nanshan Group and
Australian Wool Innovation, is an extremely
important milestone in helping ensure
the future of both wool manufacturing
in China and the woolgrowing industry
in Australia,” said Mr Feng. “Without the
knowledge of wool processing we won’t have
people capable of running wool processing
machines in the future.”
28
ON
FARM
A new series of short films from AWI
showcases “the source” of Merino
wool: Australian woolgrowers and
the land they work.
The woolgrowers are the lead
characters in this narrative, telling
their own stories in their own words.
Dion Lebrun on his property ‘Wullara’, Tumby Bay, South Australia.
“ THE SOURCE ”
I
nformation about the origin of Australian
Merino wool and the farmers that grow
this fine fibre are of increasing appeal to
consumers and industry partners across
the world.
After all, Australian woolgrowers have a
unique and interesting heritage of more than
200 years growing Merino wool across a range
of environments – from the high rainfall
areas, to the wheat/sheep zone, out to the
drier pastoral zone.
As a result AWI prepares marketing collateral,
telling the story of wool’s provenance and
its key benefits, targeted both directly at
consumers, and also for partner brands to
help them market their wool products.
One such piece of recently produced
marketing collateral is a series of short films,
prepared by AWI’s in-house video production
team, featuring woolgrowers across Australia
telling their own stories, about their own
farming enterprises, in their own words.
woolgrowers and their farms that all produce
the fibre of our nation: Merino wool.
NB: The operation of an in-house video
production team at AWI (as opposed to
paying external service providers) provides
considerable costs savings to the business.
It also provides a more efficient workflow,
reduced turnaround, and more consistent
and effective results.
Four films have been produced to date with
more in the pipeline. Take a look below – and
at www.merino.com/thesource – to discover
the diverse stories of the some of your fellow
EPISODE 1 – ALL IN THE FAMILY
Will, Dion and Lenny Lebrun – ‘Wullara’, Tumby Bay, South Australia
Life growing Merino wool can have its
challenges, but for three generations of
the Lebrun family who all work together
on the family farm in South Australia, they
wouldn’t have their lives any other way.
There's grandfather Will who's in his
eighties but still really enjoys turning up
for work every day, although he does like
a round of golf too. Then there's Dion,
the father who, when he's not chasing
after sheep, likes chasing the lead pack
in adventure races. And there's the son
Lenny, who loves his job, but also loves
nipping off for a surf too.
Each man’s work, life and livelihood are
invested in ‘Wullara’, allowing the Lebruns
to collectively focus on producing the
finest Merino wool for the world.
But besides passing on skills honed
over decades, each generation must
make room for the next to make their
own decisions – and mistakes – as they
prepare to take over the business.
There are no guarantees, of course. Will
even likens life on the farm to “legalised
gambling”. But it’s a gamble that has
paid off so far at ‘Wullara’.
“It’s a business, it’s a way to make money,”
says Dion. “But it’s also a lifestyle.”
To find out more about what makes this
family tick and why they love growing
Merino wool, take a look at the video at
www.merino.com/thesource
ON
FARM
29
EPISODE 2 – THE SCIENCE OF SHEEP
Matthew and Cherie Coddington –'Roseville Park', Dubbo, NSW
In the quest to produce top quality
Merino fleece in Australia, fifth
generation woolgrower Matthew
Coddington and his wife Cherie take a
scientific approach to breeding. Which
is not to say they meddle with nature…
rather, they bring out its very best.
They strive to combine the natural
elements with the genes of the finest
rams to produce superior Merino wool.
“It’s hard getting to the top,” Matthew says.
“It’s even harder staying there, to keep it
moving forward so that our genetics are at
the elite end of the industry.”
“It’s like we’re training for the Olympics
every year,” Cherie adds. “We’re always
aiming for the gold medal.”
Reaching the top of the podium isn’t the
only goal. Creating healthier, happier
Merino sheep that are more resistant to
disease brings benefits all round.
“They actually produce more,” Matthew
explains. “They cut more wool, they grow
into bigger bodied sheep and they produce
more lambs, so it’s a win-win.”
When Matthew’s grandfather George
bought a sheep farm in 1928, he spent
decades sourcing the finest Merino rams
to increase the quality and quantity of the
wool cut from his flock.
What would grandfather George make
of it all if he could see Matthew and
Cherie's Merino flock today? Take a
look for yourselves in the video at
www.merino.com/thesource
EPISODE 3 – ROLE REVERSALS
Jessica and Rob Horstman – ‘Mulga Springs’, Northampton, Western Australia
Meet Jessica Horstman who is taking
over her parents’ Merino wool-growing
farm in Western Australia. She works
hard, and enjoys a beer and steak at the
pub after work.
Her husband Rob doesn't have a farming
background and definitely isn't a farmer;
he works for a pharmaceutical company
and attends meetings of the local
childcare association.
This reversal of traditional roles works well
and has allowed Jessica to become a very
successful farmer. And after seven years,
Rob is even starting to see how living on
the land “can get into your blood.”
Despite the hard work, Jessica is adamant
that women make successful farmers.
“There is this perception that you need to
be really tough, that you need to be a bit
manly to be a farmer,” says Jessica.
“I just want people to see, men and
women, that it’s possible. You don’t have
to be extraordinary. You just have to try.”
Get some further insights into the world
of Jessica and Rob by viewing the video at
www.merino.com/thesource
EPISODE 4 – CULTIVATING THE LAND
Richard and Jenny Weatherly – 'Connewarran', Mortlake, Victoria.
Over the years, Richard and Jenny
Weatherly have repaired a relatively
degraded piece of land to produce a
thriving Merino wool-growing farm,
built on respect for the land and its
natural inhabitants.
“We have to learn to understand the
environment and that’s what we’ve been
trying to do here,” explains Jenny. “We live
within it.”
For Jenny, the importance of the
environment has always been at the
forefront of her mind. The couple
established one and a half million
trees and added pastures, wetlands
and drainage.
Working with their son and business
manager, Hamish, the couple has delighted
in Connewarran’s gradual evolution over
time, revealing ecological riches and
bringing great pleasure to many.
“It’s a bit like coming to the end of a
really good painting and realising that it’s
something that has come from me,”
says Richard.
He sees his Merino flock as the "workmen"
of the business and takes care of their
creature comforts like shelter and a good
diet to ensure they are placid and content.
And his "workmen" now happily share
the land with a flourishing abundance
of wildlife including emus, koalas and a
quarter of all bird species in Australia.
Take a look at the beautiful environment
at 'Connewarran' in the video at
www.merino.com/thesource
30
ON
FARM
DEAD FAST.
DEAD EASY.
UNIQUE KNOCKDOWN
CHEMISTRY
OFF-SHEARS, UNSHORN LAMBS
& LONG WOOL SHEEP
NIL WOOL WHP &
MINIMAL ESI
Extinosad® Pour-On delivers four important benefits for Australian sheep and wool producers. Its unique knockdown
chemistry is ideal for rotation programs. It can be used off-shears, on unshorn lambs and long wool sheep. It has
no wool withholding period and minimal ESI. And best of all, it’s a convenient water-based formulation. For more
information about why Extinosad Pour-On is the dead fast, dead easy way to control sheep lice, contact your local
rural store, call Elanco Animal Health on 1800 226 324 or visit extinosad.com.au
*Elanco®, Extinosad® and the diagonal colour bar are trademarks of Eli Lilly and Company. EAH13438A4
WATER-BASED
FORMULATION
ON
FARM
LICE CONTROL
PRACTICES
NATIONAL SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS
• Lice infestations remain a concern
for Australian sheep producers with
detection of lice being reported by
23% of producers, with a further 27%
reporting rubbing.
• LiceBoss is a decision support system
that can help woolgrowers control
lice more effectively, minimise
pesticide residues and reduce the
cost of lice control.
D
etails of lice control practices used
by Australian sheep producers were
collected via a national survey conducted in
2012 by Professor Steve Walkden-Brown and
Dr Ian Reeve from the University of New
England, which was supported by AWI and
Meat and Livestock Australia.
Lice infestations remain a concern for
Australian sheep producers with detection
of lice being reported by 23% of producers
in 2011 with a further 27% reporting rubbing
(see Figure 1). Rubbing can be caused by a
number of factors other than lice, including
grass seeds, itch mite and wool breaks.
The LiceBoss ‘Rubbing Tool’ (available at
www.liceboss.com.au) helps producers to
determine the probability that rubbing
was due to a lice infestation. It’s likely the
increased detection of lice infestations
(up from 10% in 2006) is due to treatment
failure associated with the development
of lice populations resistant to synthetic
pyrethroids and/or insect growth regulators.
Twenty six percent of producers reported
they suspected resistance to lice treatments
on their property with the majority of
suspicions of the effectiveness of products
from the insect growth regulator group
(eg triflumuron and diflubenzuron). While
some sheep lice populations have developed
resistance to synthetic pyrethroids and/or
insect growth regulators, treatment failures
are also due to incorrect application or
under-dosing.
Lice prevention involves an integrated
approach to management, including
preventing new infestations from strays and
purchased sheep, where possible avoiding
split shearings, and careful choice of products
and treatment methods when treating
lice in ewes within six weeks of lambing.
Advice about these preventative measures
is contained in LiceBoss as are a number of
decision-support tools to improve the chance
of lice eradication and compliance with wool
and meat residues.
70
70
60
60
50
50
No evidence of lice
Sheep rubbing
40
Lice detected
30
20
MORE INFORMATION
www.liceboss.com.au
Jet
Shower
Plunge
Backliner
40
30
20
10
10
0
The LiceBoss website can help advise on
the three main elements of lice control: (1)
preventing new infestations, (2) structured
monitoring to detect infestations, and (3)
strategic use of chemical treatments. The
LiceBoss tools provide decision support for
long wool treatments, short wool treatments,
ewe and lamb treatments, rubbing, products,
and wool residues.
Figure 2
Percentage of producers using various lice control techniques in
the period 2009–2011.
% OF PRODUCCERS
% OF PRODUCERS
Figure 1
Percentage of producers reporting lice detection for the years 2006–2011.
Backline treatments used off-shears, can be a
relatively quick and easy method of treating
sheep to eradicate lice, but they require care
during application to obtain good results.
Most products must be applied within 24
hours after shearing and some up until seven
days after shearing. As with all lice control
treatments, it is essential that every sheep is
treated according to the label directions for
dose rate and application pattern.
0
0
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
No treatment
Short wool
Long wool
31
32
ON
FARM
Cattle can be grazed on paddocks during the time
when the paddocks are being prepared
SHEEP WORMS
LOW RISK PADDOCKS
• Effective grazing management
reduces the exposure of sheep
to worms.
• There are four key guidelines to
follow to ensure sheep suffer
less from worms and need
fewer drenches.
• Timing of paddock preparation
varies across regions but uses
the same key principles.
G
razing management improves worm
control by:
• avoiding paddocks heavily contaminated
with worm larvae
• reducing contamination of paddocks with
worm eggs
• allowing time for most of the eggs and
larvae on the pasture to die.
These paddocks are only required for lambing
ewes or weaners to use in the few months
when they are most susceptible. The latter
two points are used when preparing low
worm-risk paddocks.
Grazing management to produce low wormrisk paddocks can dramatically improve worm
control if four key guidelines are followed.
Producers can try it with just one or two
paddocks initially, to see the result.
1
Effectively use the paddock
during the preparation time
without further contaminating
the paddock with worm eggs
Do this by any of the following (goats and
alpacas must also be included):
a. Keep sheep off the pasture, so no worm
eggs can possibly be deposited. But you
can use the paddock freely with adult
cattle or cows and calves, for cropping,
haymaking or new pasture establishment,
or simply spelling to let pasture regrow.
b. Graze sheep on the pasture only when
they are not depositing worm eggs –
that is, for a time immediately after they
receive an effective drench (after a shortacting drench: three weeks in barber’s pole
worm areas and 30 days in scour worm
areas; longer if a mid-length or long-acting
treatment has been used and where
persistent protection has been confirmed).
c. Graze sheep on the pasture when the
worm eggs they deposit can’t possibly
develop to infective larvae for continuous
lengthy periods:
• during very cold weather where
maximum daily temperatures are
under 16°C in winter rainfall areas and
under 18°C in the summer rainfall areas,
regardless of rainfall; or
• when there are extended periods with
no rain, regardless of temperature.
2
Allow 3–6 months (depending on
temperature) before use for at
least 90% of the existing worm
larvae to die
These periods are generally effective for
paddocks that will start their use at the time
shown below:
STARTING OF
PADDOCK USE
PERIOD BEFORE USE
FOR LARVAL DIE-OFF
Mid to late
summer
3 months
Early spring
6 months in cold frosty areas
5 months in temperate areas
Mid autumn/
early winter
4 months
While it might seem that even a seventy or
eighty percent reduction in larvae survival is
substantial, it is not enough for this strategy
to be effective, irrespective of the initial level
of contamination.
Figure 1 opposite, shows a range of
temperatures and the proportion of an
initial population of barber’s pole worm
infective larvae (scour worms are similar)
surviving over time, depending on the daily
maximum temperatures.
ON
FARM
SHEEP WORMS
The new test has so far been installed
at Veterinary Health Research (VHR) in
Armidale, NSW (in collaboration with
Merial Australia) and Gribbles Veterinary
in Clayton, Victoria.
DNA TEST
Dr Kahn believes that this new test will
enable sheep producers to respond faster
to worm infections and provides a more
accurate indication of drench resistance
across worm types.
A new DNA test can identify the different types of
worms in a mob and guide treatment choices.
O
utbreaks of barber’s pole worm in central
and southern NSW have highlighted the
benefits of knowing what types of worms are
actually present, so that effective treatments
can quickly be used.
But it’s not just NSW. With varied seasonal
conditions, areas of Victoria, Tasmania,
South Australia and Western Australia see
barber’s pole worm where scour worms are
typically the problem. In northern NSW and
Queensland, the reverse can be true.
Wormboss.com.au, Australia’s sheep worm
control resource, recommends worm egg
counts with larval cultures to identify worm
species, but the skills to identify different
worm species is a specialist task that few
laboratories can now do with accuracy.
Dr Lewis Kahn, the Executive Officer of
ParaBoss (which manages WormBoss,
FlyBoss and LiceBoss), said, “A new
DNA test has solved this lack of skills.
The test identifies the different types
of roundworms with their proportions
calculated in a fraction of the time and
3
Drench sheep on entry to the clean
paddock (but consider how you
will manage the increased risk of
developing drench resistance)
As the paddock will have a very low level of
larvae, worms will take a fair time to build
up and the pasture will often be used by the
time levels are getting higher.
This strategy does, however, favour the
development of drench resistance, so follow
the practices outlined at www.wormboss.
com.au (select Tests & Tools from the menu
and then click on Managing Drench
Resistance) to manage this.
with improved accuracy compared to
traditional larval cultures.”
Researchers at the University of Melbourne,
in collaboration with AusDiagnostics,
developed this novel approach for the
specific diagnosis of the most important
roundworm types infecting sheep, including
barber’s pole worm, brown stomach worm,
black scour worms, small intestinal worms,
large-mouthed bowel worm, nodule worms
and large bowel worms.
This new diagnostic approach uses minute
amounts of roundworm DNA present in the
faeces of infected sheep.
“Identifying the level and species of
roundworm infection in a mob is essential
for making optimal decisions about if, and
when, animals should be treated, and allows
producers to design control programs and
use products that will target the particular
roundworms that are present.”
CONTACT Lewis Kahn
E [email protected]
P 02 6773 2997 M 0427 711 273
The test can be conducted within 2-3 days,
rather than the 7 days required for the
conventional larval culture technique,
and has improved sensitivity and accuracy.
It is still used in conjunction with a normal
worm egg count, but allows the diagnosis of
a wide range of roundworm parasites with
high precision.
4
The new DNA test can differentiate the worms in a mob
and guide treatment choices well before sheep become
badly affected with bottle jaw (the swelling below the
normal line of the jaw shown below the dotted line).
Grazing management can drastically reduce
the need for drenching and the adverse
effects of worms on particularly susceptible
sheep. While the process is quite clear, the
guidelines must be strictly followed to
achieve success.
WEC (worm egg count test) the
sheep after 4–6 weeks to check
the result
WECs of sheep grazing the low worm-risk
pasture should be substantially lower than
in the past without grazing management or
Each WormBoss program explains the
compared to a similar current mob that have
grazing management procedures for each
not had a low worm-risk paddock. If results
region, go to www.wormboss.com.au
are not as good as expected, review your
and select Your Program.
procedures, eg was a mob of wormy sheep
moved through this paddock on the way to
MORE INFORMATION
the yards for drenching? Or it may be that
www.wormboss.com.au
the starting level of worm larvae was very
Deb Maxwell P 02 6779 4262
high and you will need another year of the
treatment to gain better control.
E [email protected]
Survival of barber’s pole worm infective larvae on pasture at various daily
maximum temperatures and 60% relative humidity
100
FIGURE 1.
90
80
Survival of larvae (%)
Survival of barber’s pole worm infective
larvae on pasture at various daily maximum
temperatures and 60% relative humidity.
Daily maximum
temperature
70
10°C
15°C
60
50
20°C
40
25°C
30°C
30
35°C
20
10
Source: Wormboss—Modeled from death rate of the L3 population
in ‘Simulation of pasture larval populations of Haemonchus
contortus’ by IA Barger, PR Benyon & WH Southcott. Proceedings
of the Australian Society of Animal Production (1972) 9: 38
33
0
0
30
60
90
120
Days of survival
150
180
210
34
ON
FARM
NATIONAL
WOOL
DECLARATION
DECLARING WHAT THE WORLD’S DEMANDING
Given the growing level of buyer interest in the National Wool Declaration, it is important that the Australian wool industry uses this as an opportunity to optimise
interest and support for Australian wool.
FAST FACTS
• There is a growing level of interest
from buyers of Australian wool,
and their retail clients, in the
National Wool Declaration (NWD).
• AWEX is rejuvenating its
‘Declaring what the world’s
demanding’ campaign to
encourage more woolgrowers to
complete the NWD.
• AWEX has updated the NWD to
improve its layout and reduce its
complexity.
W
ith the origin of wool under closer
scrutiny than ever by buyers and
retailers of Australian wool, woolgrowers are
being urged to complete the National Wool
Declaration (NWD).
“Every day wool buyers are approaching
wool brokers and AWEX to ask whether
there is a NWD for clips they would like to
purchase, because their clients are demanding
it,” said Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX)
CEO Mark Grave. “The NWD has become a
key communication and information tool
between woolgrowers and wool buyers.”
The NWD is a voluntary declaration
expanded in 2008 by the Australian wool
industry – through AWEX – as a way for
woolgrowers to help buyers and their clients
gain access to credible information on
mulesing status, and dark and medullated
fibre risk, through the wool selling system.
43.3 per cent of Australian wool sold through
auction was declared through the NWD in the
2013/14 financial year.
The NWD creates transparency and
choice in the marketplace for retailers and
suppliers wanting to source particular types
of wool. It was developed so woolgrowers
can communicate directly with prospective
buyers, processors, manufacturers and
retailers about issues that can influence
purchasing decisions but cannot be
objectively measured.
Mr Grave said AWEX is rejuvenating its
‘Declaring what the world’s demanding’
campaign to encourage more woolgrowers
to complete the NWD.
“The new campaign will focus on the level
of buyer support for the NWD and, as the
buyer is the customer, it is important to
listen to what they say. The wool industry
has been crying out for buyer feedback –
well, here is a clear and definitive message.
Wool buyers are asking woolgrowers to
support the NWD and get involved.”
AWEX has also reviewed the NWD to improve
the layout and reduce its complexity.
“We want the NWD to be relevant but also
self-explanatory. Ultimately, to encourage
woolgrowers to declare, the NWD must be
user friendly,” Mr Grave added.
The call for woolgrowers to complete the
NWD is backed by former owner of the Sunny
Valley Merino Stud in Western Australia, Neil
Jackson, who recently travelled to London,
Brussels and Washington as part of a regular
AWI delegation that liaises with retailers in
the region.
“While mulesing and the activities of animal
extremists have not been in the news as much
as they used to be here in Australia, they are
still an issue with retailers in the northern
hemisphere,” Mr Jackson said.
“The retailers that I spoke with would
definitely like to see an increased use of
the NWD by woolgrowers. They said they
want to know where the wool they buy
comes from and as much about the wool as
possible. It’s absolutely vital. They want to
tell a story about wool to their customers, and
woolgrowers filling out the NWD will very
much help them.”
Mr Jackson said the purpose of the delegation
was to provide the retailers with an update on
the AWI R&D program and explain what AWI
and the Australian wool industry is doing
regarding flystrike prevention.
“My role was to provide a woolgrowers’
perspective, and allay any concerns on the
part of retailers,” he said. “The meetings went
well and were well received.”
MORE INFORMATION
The new and improved NWD
is available from the AWEX website
www.awex.com.au or from wool brokers.
ON
FARM
35
WOOL SELLING SYSTEMS REVIEW
Independent panel seeks industry views on review of wool selling system.
T
he Wool Selling Systems Review (WSSR)
has been commissioned by AWI on behalf
of their shareholders, Australian woolgrowers.
It aims to improve the sustainability of
wool growing in Australia by increasing
transparency, reducing costs within the
exchange of ownership process and increasing
competitive tension at the point of sale.
The scope of this review is to study the
exchange of ownership process between the
seller (the woolgrower) and the first buyer
(usually an exporter or processor) and the
associated costs and processes that sit within
the current industry selling system.
The focus is to determine if the current
exchange of ownership between sellers and
buyers provides the optimal competition
and subsequent financial returns to
the primary wool producers. It will
provide recommendations and proposed
implementation should areas of improvement
or opportunity be identified during this review.
Unlike a number of previous reviews of the
Australian wool industry, the WSSR does
not attempt to address every aspect of the
wool supply chain. It does not look beyond
the export function and does not look to
investigate matters of processing, marketing or
generic demand creation for wool in offshore
consumer markets.
Like other projects commissioned by AWI,
the WSSR will be managed at arm’s length.
In order to achieve this AWI has appointed
a Review Panel to direct and progress the
review process.
The Review Panel comprises James Lillie,
Managing Director at Fox & Lille Pty Ltd;
Graeme Samuel AC, former Chair of the ACCC;
Bernard Wonder PSM, former Head of Office
at the Productivity Commission; and William
Wilson, former Director of Sydney Futures
Exchange and ASX and currently Director of
Australian Investor Relation Services.
Wool producer Colin Bell, who is also
Executive Director and Chairman of the Bell
Financial Group, is the panel’s grower expert
resource. The panel’s executive officer is John
Roberts, Director of Eubindal Pty Ltd and
former GM Elders Wool International and
Dalgety Wool Exports.
The experience that exists within this panel
combines significant wool industry history
with unrivalled knowledge in competition
creation, commodity markets and research.
The panel members believe that the most
effective way to drive change will be to
adopt a highly consultative approach. It is
their intention to develop a thorough and
consistent understanding of the current
industry landscape. In order to achieve
this they will be engaging with industry
participants from woolgrowers through to
exporters to listen, learn and understand the
relevant issues that exist.
The WSSR will run for a 12 month period
and the final report is expected to be made
available from October 2015. The panel intends
to release an ‘Issues Statement’ to be available
at www.wool.com/wssr before the end of
December 2014 and submissions from industry
will be invited at that time.
All submissions will be considered and
Australian woolgrowers are encouraged to
participate and use this opportunity to put
forward their concerns, suggestions and
initiatives on how to build a more sustainable
industry going forward.
MORE INFORMATION www.wool.com/wssr
36
ON
FARM
MERINO SUPERIOR SIRES
Cel
e
Merino Sire Evaluation
The latest edition of Merino Superior Sires, has been released.
Entries are now open for 2015 sire evaluation.
T
he latest edition of Merino Superior Sires,
the annual publication of the Australian
Merino Sire Evaluation Association (AMSEA)
has recently been published and is available
in hardcopy and on the Merino Superior Sires
website www.merinosuperiorsires.com.au.
AMSEA Executive Officer, Ben Swain says that
this year’s edition marks the 25th anniversary
of Merino Sire Evaluation in Australia.
“Over that period, more than 1500 sires
have been entered in sire evaluation trials
throughout 15 different regions around the
country. As a result 73,000 individual progeny
have been bred and evaluated for a huge range
of both measured and visual traits,” Ben says.
SINCE 1989
Central Test Sire Evaluation Results
NUMBER 20 – 2014 | 2009 – 2013 Drops
weight, fibre diameter, body weight, worm
egg count, carcase measurements and a
range of visual traits, including Classer’s
Grade, Ben says that Merino Sire Evaluation
continues to evolve and improve on the level
of information it provides.
“For the first time, SNP genotyping results
have been incorporated into the ASBVs of
all sires that have been DNA tested over
recent years.
“Also, Poll/Horn results are now displayed on
all genotyped sires in Merino Superior Sires.
Merino Superior Sires 20, which contains
those sires that have been entered since
2009 and have results available for the
latest MERINOSELECT analysis, includes
information on 198 individual sires from
almost 100 studs.
“AMSEA’s commitment to leading the industry
in the adoption of genomic technology is just
the start of what you can expect from Merino
Sire Evaluation in the years to come. Focusing
on reproduction, lifetime production and
carcase traits, along with the key production
traits already included, we continue to work
with the industry with the aim of delivering
high quality and reliable results to breeders.”
As well as focusing on the key traits that
woolgrowers are interested in, such as fleece
2015 Merino Sire Evaluation joinings are
currently being planned across Australia.
f
so
ting 25 yea
r
bra
DETAILED SITE REPORTS
FOR EVERY SIRE
AVAILABLE ONLINE
7
1
2
5
1. New England
2. Macquarie
3. Elders Victoria
4. North East Victoria
8
3
4
5. Yardstick
6. Tasmania
7. The Queensland CTSE
8. Bluechip Livestock Temora
6
Regular updates are available at:
www.merinosuperiorsires.com.au
Breeders are encouraged to get their entries
in now to be part of future editions of Merino
Superior Sires and benchmark their genetics to
some of the best in the country.
MORE INFORMATION
Merino Superior Sires 20 as well as Site
Reports can be downloaded from the
Merino Superior Sires website
www.merinosuperiorsires.com.au.
For hardcopies of Merino Superior Sires
or more information on entering a sire
in 2015, contact the AMSEA Executive
Officer Ben Swain on (02) 6743 2306,
[email protected]
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ON
FARM
37
WILD DOG MANAGEMENT
SURVEY RESULTS
Wild dog management groups
across Australia have been
interviewed to determine the
drivers and barriers impacting
wild dog management.
KEY SURVEY RESULTS
•
•
•
•
•
hen asked about the relative
W
impacts of wild dogs in their region
using a scale from 1 to 5, 60% of the
groups in the study ranked financial
impacts as high (a rating of 4 or 5),
56% of the groups ranked social
impacts (eg loss of people from the
area, personal and family stress) as
high and 37% ranked environmental
impacts (eg biodiversity loss and
environmental degradation) as high.
Between 2010 and 2014, nearly half
of the groups (43%) said financial
impacts in the area had increased
with the remaining groups saying
they had decreased (37%) or stayed
the same (20%). The degree of
financial impact differs for individuals
depending on the severity of attacks
and therefore is difficult to estimate
for an area in general.
ith social and financial impacts
W
linked, not surprisingly, 47% of the
groups said social impacts had
increased. More positively, 27% said
social impacts had decreased and the
remaining (27%) said they had stayed
the same.
In terms of resourcing base
operations, almost half of the groups
had no membership fees at all,
but relied on in-kind contributions
(eg time). A number of groups
were funded by either an annual
membership fee paid by members
or relied on funding from mandatory
rates or levies from local landholders.
Some members contributed on a
needs basis.
When asked to self-rate the
effectiveness of their groups, 67% said
they were highly effective, 27% said
medium and 6% said low. Participants
based their effectiveness ratings on a
range of factors including dog control
success, as well as participation
levels, commitment and collaboration
and degree of democratic decision
making processes.
E
arlier this year the Australian
Bureau of Agricultural and Resource
Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
interviewed representatives from 30 wild
dog management groups across Australia
to better understand what is needed to
support collective wild dog management
efforts. The work is being done as part of a
broader project on behalf of AWI to explore
how collaborative action may help wool
producers to remain in the wool industry.
Specifically, the aim is to examine the nature
of wild dog management groups and how they
operate, particularly in terms of landholder
participation and what helps or hinders the
groups in achieving coordinated and effective
wild dog management. The kind of support
groups may need in order to achieve wild dog
management in future is also being examined.
Group representatives were asked to describe
their groups including who is involved, what
are the most effective strategies, where they
obtain support and what further support is
still needed.
Whilst all the groups participating in the
research were affected by wild dog predation
on sheep flocks, the degree of severity varied.
Some groups were at the frontline
experiencing severe predation with
producers struggling to maintain a viable
livelihood in sheep farming. In these cases,
the effort revolves around stopping the
problem from expanding to other areas.
Other groups were working to maintain a
status quo, having seen reduction in attacks
and have goals to maintain or increase
sheep numbers. Another category of groups
were those in areas with relatively minor
incursions of wild dogs, who are focusing
on preventing the dog problem moving into
their areas.
Groups were reported to be generally working
well with good leadership, communication
and conflict management. Communication is
often based on personal contact where group
leaders recruit participants by building long
term relationships with people living in the
region. This is no small deal with the range of
area covered by these groups ranging from
10,000 ha to 5.8 million ha.
A frustration for some group members is
that even when they considered their group
as working together effectively in the effort
to reduce dog numbers, stock losses to wild
dogs had not reduced. A view held by many
however was that significantly more stock
losses would have occurred without the
groups’ management activities, because
losses had already been on an upward trend.
Decision making in these groups is strongly
informed by local knowledge, with this being
the greatest influence for the majority of
groups, in addition to scientific and strategic
knowledge (eg government planning and
policy). Participants generally reported they
had effective collaboration with government
agencies. However some respondents
reported that reduced numbers of staff and
resourcing within state departments had
made it difficult to develop and deliver wild
management programs in some instances.
The transition to greater community and
industry based management has in some
cases created gaps in wild dog management.
Local government in some states is often
playing a major support role.
The efforts of coordinators are a critical
factor in supporting the establishment of
new groups and in the ongoing operation
of the groups. Participants in the study
emphasised the importance of AWI and
state coordinators, as well as the national
facilitator, in the effectiveness of groups.
AWI is also playing an important role in
supporting groups with funds for doggers,
training and other support. The flexible
nature of AWI funding was commended;
that is, providing funds for the most
important activity as determined by the
group (within AWI criteria) rather than the
prescriptive use of funds.
Providing access to research findings and
communicating success stories was also noted
by participants as an important role for AWI
and other organisations supporting wild dog
management efforts.
Time is the greatest cost to land managers
in managing wild dogs. This time factor is
compounded because there are fewer people
to participate in wild dog management groups
due to declining populations in some areas.
Wild dog management groups are also
important social networks that help farming
communities cope with the detrimental
effects of wild dogs.
Whilst most groups were uncertain about
the details of future resourcing of wild dog
management activities in their area, most
participants were confident that there
was good support from group members
in continuing to work towards the shared
objective of helping wool producers to stay in
the industry.
NB: The figures in this article were updated
on 27 May 2015.
ON
FARM
38
JACKIE HOWE
WOOL
HANDLING
WORKSHOP
Students from Pittsworth and Oakey State High Schools at the wool handling workshop.
AWI encourages young people to join the ranks of the wool handling industry and promotes
excellence within the industry.
• A wool handling workshop held at
the Jondaryan Woolshed in August
attracted 27 agriculture students from
local high schools.
• An important aspect of the course was
to stress the vital importance that wool
handlers have on clip preparation and
thereby returns to woolgrowers.
I
t is vital to the sustainability and
profitability of the Australian wool industry
that there are adequate numbers of skilled
professional shed staff to handle a high
quality Australian wool clip.
As a consequence, AWI is keen to encourage
participation by young people in well
conducted wool handling workshops.
The workshop held during the Jackie
Howe Festival of the Golden Shears at
the Jondaryan Woolshed in August is an
example of this.
The workshop attracted 27 students from
Pittsworth and Oakey State High Schools
to the 155 year-old historic woolshed 50kms
north west of Toowoomba in Queensland.
Built in 1859, the Jondaryan Woolshed was
the grandest and largest woolshed in the
world. It is still the largest most original of
any woolshed in Australia. The eastern wing
is unrestored and is just as it was in 1859 when
it was built. In fact, the students could stand
at the door of the woolroom and look out to
the west and see the same view as they would
have done in 1859!
The course covered all aspects of the wool
handling industry from picking up the
fleece to throwing a fleece correctly. It
demonstrated the technique of skirting, the
different types of wool on the sheep and the
areas of the body it came from. Wool industry
trainers Cozette Branfield and Sophie
Cameron ably provided expert instruction to
the students.
The Elders district wool manager for the
Toowoomba region, Peter Sealy, stressed
to the students the importance of correct
clip preparation. The students learnt that
the wool handler has a large impact on the
quality of the wool fleece’s presentation and
thereby the price the grower receives for
their clip.
Catherine Roberts of Victoria Downs
Merino Stud near Morven, and shearing
contractor Charlie McKenzie from western
Queensland were also in attendance to offer
their expert advice.
“The students were all very keen and worked
hard to help prepare the wool and learn
more about the way a real shed would work,”
organiser and MC for the event Peter Steele
said. “They thoroughly enjoyed the day and
the mentoring they received from the various
members of the sheep and wool industry who
were on hand during the day.”
Agricultural Studies teacher from
Pittsworth State High School, Stephen
Allen, said the students truly appreciated
taking part in the workshop and being part
of the Jackie Howe event.
“The workshop gives the students an
opportunity to participate in the wool
industry, which they have very limited
access too,” he said. “The Jondaryan
Woolshed is ideally positioned to service
south east Queensland as a training facility
as well as a display of Australian heritage.
As a former woolgrower and shearer I look
forward to AWI’s continued support of the
Jackie Howe Festival.”
Five students returned to the Jondaryan
Woolshed the day after the workshop for the
wool handling competition, which was held
alongside the shearing competition, to put the
skills they had learnt to test.
The shearing and wool handling competitions,
also supported by AWI, are the major part of
the Jackie Howe Festival of the Golden Shears.
It is a very prestigious event that has been well
received and is a highly sought after invitation.
The competition in the shearing event was
fierce with Australia representative Daniel
McIntyre from NSW, the winner from 2012,
regaining his title. The wool handling was
a close competition with the previous day’s
trainer Sophie Cameron from Victoria taking
out the prize which she also won last year.
ON
FARM
39
NEW
SHEARING APP
A new shearing tally and wool book app – the Shearing App – that provides a singular
destination to record and display shearing information has been commercially launched
on the market.
The developers of the Shearing App –
which has been privately funded and
developed – say it is suitable for a
shearing team or for personal use,
and is quick, simple and easy to use.
The app contains two versions which
allows the user to choose between
shearing team and personal use.
A
new app for the iPad is publicly
available which contains a shearing
tally and wool book that enables the user
to enter, store, automatically calculate
and display data associated with sheep
shearing. This includes property details,
mob details, shearer, wool handler and
staff employment details.
The user is able to enter sheep tallies
being shorn, calculated on an ongoing
daily basis, and details of the bales of wool
being produced, including all branding
requirements.
The app, known simply as the Shearing App,
has been privately funded and developed, and
is something which the developers anticipate
will prove to be popular with a range of
people, from contractors, woolgrowers that
don’t use contractors, and individual shearers.
The app is made up of two versions which
allows the user to choose between Team and
Personal use.
The Team version is used for the setting
up of a shearing team required for a
particular property, including the property
owner’s details.
The user can enter as much or as little detail
required to record and calculate all relevant
shearing operations data, on an ongoing
daily basis, until the job is complete.
The user can also generate a payslip report
for each employee, for a specific date
range, which includes all gross, tax, super,
allowance and deduction information. The
app even includes an incident report section
for the entry and storage of any workplace
event as required.
Tim Barry of 'Lord Clyde' at Clunes, Victoria, using the Shearing App while shearing some crossbred lambs.
The Personal version does all that the Team
version does (except include the incident
report) but in a single person format.
What the Personal version has extra is
the ability to generate personal shearing
statistics that are updated on a daily basis.
This provides the user with up to date
information on their personal shearing
performance, detailing averages, best and
worst performances and the day and date
these milestones were achieved.
There is also a diary and daily planner
section, as well as the ability to capture
and store photos and footage for social or
employment purposes.
Both the Team and Personal versions also
include an updated information section
providing the user with a Bale Description
guide for branding, and the latest summary
of the Pastoral Award relevant to shearing.
The app, suitable for an iPad, can be
downloaded from the Apple App Store. You
can download the app for a month’s worth of
tally and wool book use for $3.79 per month.
When the month expires, you can renew
again for another month at the same price.
MORE INFORMATION
The developers welcome
feedback and can be contacted on
[email protected]
40 ON
FARM
The new woolshed at
Wyvern Station combines
state of the art technology
with practical knowledge of
what works in woolsheds.
Michael and Angela Field
during the first shearing
in the new state of the art
woolshed at Wyvern Station.
NEW SHED AT WYVERN
A new state of the art shearing shed at Wyvern Station, Carrathool, NSW, has a large number of innov
The Wyvern clip is entirely unskirted with 80-85 per cent of 1200 bales sold forward, giving an eight
D
reaming of, designing, building and
finally using a brand new woolshed
is a once-in-a-lifetime experience but for
Michael and Angela Field at Wyvern Station,
Carrathool, NSW they hope their new shed
outlasts many generations.
They have good reason to.
The new state of the art shed and yards
stand tall from the wide brown plain as
a futuristic vision of the industry. For
Michael, principal of TA Field Estates and
one of Australia’s largest woolgrowers, the
shed is a statement of confidence in the
future of the fibre.
“It has taken a number of years to complete
and is a dream come true,” he said. “The whole
exercise was very expensive but I have to say
that with the returns we are getting from
wool we can justify the large cost of this
shed and new facilities.”
Capable of holding 1800 Riverina Merino
ewes in full wool (not including catching
pens), the shed is a sight to behold, not to
mention the sprawling steel yards (which
are watered) that accompany it and new
shearing quarters nearby.
Angela said the exhaustive process of planning
and construction took more than three years
but watching it in action and hearing the
positive feedback from all in the shed is a
wonderful result.
The state of the art construction involves
a large number of innovations that make
handling the sheep and their wool as easy
as possible. The shed includes:
• a raised sawtooth board to allow easy
access for woolhandlers, maximising room
for shearers
• sloping catching pens, maybe not a new
idea but still appreciated by shearers
• extra storage space including a toolbox area
for each shearer
• raised ridge-cap along the entire shed to
maximise ventilation
• a grinding stand for every shearer
• 2.1 metre clearance under the shed for ease
of cleaning and access
• on the south side, the doors slide open
along the length of the shed to allow acces
for a bobcat
• massive catchment and storage of
rainwater, collecting 1600 litres for every
mm that lands
• extra lighting at each shearing stand,
minimising shadow
• ShearSafe gear with automatic electric
cut out
• the shed deliberately faces north to allow
for the most beneficial opportunities for
solar energy technology.
UNSKIRTED
SIGNIFICANTLY
REDUCES COSTS
The Wyvern clip is entirely unskirted with
80-85 per cent of 1200 bales sold forward on a
net basis as a Fibre Direct clip, giving an eight
per cent cost saving on wool handling staff
and selling costs.
“If we had a traditional shed here, there would
be three wool tables and six to seven extra
staff at more than $200 a day each. Across five
weeks that cost really adds up so what we have
done here is save on costs while maintaining
a very high level of clip preparation. Both are
essential to staying profitable,” Michael said.
The Wyvern breeding ewes are crutched in
March and lamb in early May for five to six
weeks. As the ewes come forward for shearing
their lambs are weaned and the ewes run into
the shed to be shorn. Rarely do the ewes need
ON
FARM
Vogue China recreated a more
traditional shearing in the
century-old woolshed at Wyvern
for their photoshoot that resulted
in this stunning image published
in Vogue China (see inset).
TAKES A STAND, OR 12
ations that make handling stock and wool as easy as possible.
t per cent cost saving on wool handling staff and selling costs.
to be crutched prior to shearing, however
an extra two wool handlers are employed to
ensure any stain is taken out on the board
prior to reaching the classer’s table.
“This is vital and why the wool handlers must
be the best. The wool that then comes to the
classing table is inspected, tested for staple
strength and placed straight in the press,” he
said. Three presses are used for the shearing.
Wool classer Chris McDonnell adds, “the
concept of Fibre Direct is not new at all but
works for big lines of very even sheep where
there is more variation within a staple than
across the entire flock. These sheep have
been classed heavily so they are very even.
Traditional wool classing is about putting like
fleeces together whereas here we are taking
the odd fleece out that doesn’t fit due to colour
or staple strength but it is rare. My main job is
to oversee quality control on the board.”
Although Chris is a fully qualified wool
classer, he cannot put his stencil on wool
prepared in this manner as it does not
conform to AWEX standards. If it was
going through the traditional auction sale
process, it would be given a “D” certificate,
something which annoys Michael. This
is because the bulk of the clip is forward
sold and, although he knows his cost of
production, if there is a good rise in the
market, he cannot participate.
As an alternative, Michael would like to
see another category made available for
unskirted wool, overseen by a qualified
wool classer, prepared as done at Wyvern.
This would be declared on the specification
sheets sent to the brokers with the clip.
Michael adds, however, that Chris does
put his stencil on the locks and bellies and
these lines are sold through the traditional
auction system.
Michael and Chris agree that their
method of clip preparation is certainly
not for everyone but knowing your cost of
production is essential for anyone thinking
of forward selling.
“You must know the cost of production in
clean kilos per hectare to know whether an
offered forward price is going to work for
you. Without this you don’t know where
you stand. We offer lines of 200 bales at a
time up to three years out and offer it to
various brokers to see what they can do,”
Michael adds.
TA Field Estates shear in the traditional
manner at the company’s other two NSW
properties Congi Station at Woolbrook and
Benangaroo Station at Jugiong, but in future
years depending upon pricing and availability
of forward contracts, this could change.
A video explaining the non-skirted
preparation can be seen on the AWI website
at www.wool.com/videos
NEW MARKET,
OLD SHED
Ironically while the brand new shed was
being used at Wyvern this year, just nearby
the old woolshed was being used to sell
wool into a new market with a Vogue China
photo-shoot – see page 6.
Both Vogue China and GQ China were
at Wyvern taking images as part of the
Campaign for Wool in China promoting
the natural, renewable and versatile nature
of wool.
With China as the largest destination
for Australian wool, it was fitting for the
classic images to be taken at Wyvern, using
the latest designs from some of China’s
upcoming domestic brands.
41
42
ON
FARM
NEW
WOOL
PACKS
TO IMPROVE
ROAD SAFETY
New wool packs have been
introduced to ensure that
wool bales are no more
than 1.25 metres long and
therefore comply with road
transport safety regulations.
The new bales were trialled with a wide
range of wool types, sheep breeds and wool
presses,and on properties across different
farming zones, to ensure that all factors were
considered during the bales’ development.
• New wool packs are being introduced
to help eliminate over-width loads of
wool on trucks.
• The changes include a four seamed
base to reduce the ‘bulge’, and the
introduction of a ‘Bale Fastening Guide’
on each flap of the wool pack to assist
wool pressers.
• All other wool pack dimensions and
specifications, including capacity,
are unchanged.
F
ollowing changes to the Australian Wool
Pack Standard to improve road transport
safety, it is expected that new wool packs
could be seen in shearing sheds towards the
end of this year.
AWEX commenced an extensive review
of the wool pack in 2011 to address safety
concerns raised by the NSW Roads and
Maritime Services related to over-width
transport loads of wool bales on NSW roads.
The road rules state that a legal load is one
that does not exceed 2.5 metres in width.
The main cause of over-width loads of wool
on trucks is when wool bales that are more
than 1.25 metres are placed end-to-end
on a truck, therefore exceeding the 2.5
metres maximum.
The new wool packs have been approved by
the Department of Agriculture, and since 31
October 2014 only wool packs meeting the
new wool pack standard have been able to be
imported into Australia.
It is important to note that all wool packs
imported into Australia on or before the 31
October 2014 cut off are still able to be used
and sold in Australia.
Changes in the new wool pack standard are
minimal but will provide maximum impact,
ie to reduce the length of a wool bale to 1.25
metres or less.
The changes include a four seamed square
base; to give greater structural integrity to
the bale and reduce the ‘bulge’ of the base,
and the introduction of a ‘Bale Fastening
Guide’ (BFG) on each flap of the wool pack
to assist wool pressers by indicating best
practice placement for bale fasteners when
closing a bale.
The BFG is a stitched line on each flap of the
wool pack which, when used, will enable a
wool bale to achieve a length of 1.25m or less.
All other wool pack dimensions and
specifications are unchanged, so they will
fit all the wool presses that are currently
in use, many of which have been in sheds
for decades. The capacity of the wool pack
remains unchanged. The packs comply with
each state’s road regulations.
“Complying with road regulations is a
matter of safety, a priority of the wool
industry and in the interests of all,” said
AWEX CEO Mark Grave. “Whilst the issue of
over-length bales appears to be a relatively
simple matter to resolve, we were conscious
that the solution needed to be pragmatic
and recognise the investment woolgrowers
have in infrastructure and minimise any
implications for the cost of wool logistics
through the pipeline.”
AWEX trialled 1800 wool packs on properties
throughout NSW and Victoria to ensure
that all factors were considered including
wool and breed types, wool press brands
and farming zones, including pastoral
and intensive farming. All wool pack
manufacturers and importers were kept up
to date on the progress of the trials and the
changes to be implemented.
“The trial was extensive and we are grateful
for the support and cooperation which
we received from the NSW Government,
NSW Roads and Maritime Services, AWEX
Members, woolgrowers and wool industry
stakeholders. The participation of the many
woolgrowers, wool brokers and private treaty
merchants in the trials was essential to the
successful completion of the review.”
MORE INFORMATION
www.awex.com.au
ON
FARM
The Australian team taking part in
the Tri-Nations Challenge against
New Zealand and South Africa.
PHOTO: Flick Wingfield
43
A
WI provides support for shearing and
woolhandling competitions across the
country, with the main aims of promoting
excellence within the shearing industry,
and to encourage young people to join
the industry.
AWI Shearing Industry Training
Development Coordinator Jim Murray
says AWI is keen to raise the profile and
status of the shearing industry by enabling
participation in well conducted shearing and
woolhandling competitions.
COMPETITIONS PROMOTE
EXCELLENCE
AWI provides support to shearing competitions at local,
state and national levels. The aim is promote excellence and
encourage better techniques in shearing and woolhandling.
“Competitions help encourage better
techniques in shearing and woolhandling,
which is for the benefit of the woolgrowing
industry from which they derive,” he said.
“AWI’s support aims to encourage a quality
workforce, an interest in wool, and an
appreciation of the art and skill of shearers
and woolhandlers.
“AWI’s financial support for competitions
makes a significant impact on the viability
of many competitions. In addition to
supporting local and regional competitions,
AWI also provides support to competitions
at state and national levels.”
MORE INFORMATION
www.wool.com/shearingcompetitions
NATIONAL SHEARING AND WOOLHANDLING
CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The National Championships, Tri-Nations
and Trans-Tasman Tests, held at the
historic Old Errowanbang Woolshed at
Carcour in the Central West of NSW, at the
end of November, were supported by AWI.
NATIONAL TEAM FINALS
1. South Australia 113.85
2. New South Wales 120.44
3. Western Australia 131.34
NATIONAL SHEARING FINAL
1. Daniel McIntyre (NSW) 98.91
2. Shannon Warnest (SA) 99.00
3. Damien Boyle (WA) 104.19
4. Nathan Meaney (SA) 112.40
5. Tyson Scholtz (SA) 116.59
6. Wayne Hosie (NSW) 121.91
TRI-NATIONS CHALLENGE
NATIONAL BLADES FINAL
1. John Dalla (SA) 98.15
2. Ken French (Vic) 109.72
3. Shaun Wilson (NSW) 146.32
4. Nick Dennis (NSW) 146.92
5. Richie Foster (Vic) 155.18
6. Jim Murray (NSW) 174.97
NATIONAL WOOLHANDLING FINAL
1. Sarah Moran (Vic) 16.72
2. Tara Smith (SA) 17.73
3. Lisa Nosworthy (SA) 19.05
4. Alice Haynes (NSW) 19.59
5. Kayla Garner (NSW) 21.87
6. Dave Grant (Qld) 22.32
1. New Zealand 154.81
MACHINE SHEARERS
Nathan Stratford and Colin O’Neill
BLADE SHEARERS
Tony Dobbs and Brian Thomson
WOOLHANDLERS
Keryn Herbert and Ronnie Goss
2. Australia 166.81
MACHINE SHEARERS
Shannon Warnest and Jason Wingfield
BLADE SHEARERS
John Dalla and Ken French
WOOLHANDLERS
Mel Morris and Sarah Moran
3. South Africa 187.47
MACHINE SHEARERS
D.G.Snyman and Abel Notsi
BLADE SHEARERS
Mayenzeke Shweni and Zweliwile Han
WOOLHANDLERS
Elna Kitching and Thomas Calldo
TRANS-TASMAN SHEARING TEST
1. Australia 321.18
Daniel McIntyre 22min 42.8sec, 103.58
Shannon Warnest 23min 30.28sec,
107.51
Jason Wingfield 21min 49.34sec, 110.09
2. New Zealand 388.48
Colin O’Neill 26min 10.38sec, 124.58
Nathan Stratford 28min 52.56sec,
124.75
David Buick 29min 21.69sec, 139.15
TRANS-TASMAN BLADE
SHEARING TEST
1. New Zealand 328.45
Tony Dobbs 12min 32sec, 152.27
Brian Thomson 14min 17sec, 176.18
2. Australia 363.29
John Dalla 14min 58sec, 175.57
Ken French 13min 1sec, 187.72
TRANS-TASMAN WOOLHANDLING TEST
1. New Zealand 38.46
Keryn Herbert and Ronnie Goss
2. Australia 42.63
Mel Morris and Sarah Moran
44
ON
FARM
YOUNG JUDGES CHAMPIONSHIPS
AWI supports the National Merino Fleece and Merino Sheep Young Judges Championships to help bring
Merino breeders.
The winner of the Merino Fleece
Championship was Tara Clarke of
Melrose, South Australia.
The winner of the Merino Sheep
Championship was Felicity
Brumpton of Mitchell, Queensland.
A
WI was the national supporter of the
National Merino Fleece Young Judges
Championship and the National Merino
Sheep Young Judges Championship held at
the Royal Queensland Show in August.
AWI helped fund the events to support
young people within the industry to further
their skills through visual selection and
appraisal of wool and sheep. By providing
the opportunity to broaden their experiences
and knowledge base through competition,
the finalists will become ambassadors for
the wool industry.
The Young Judges Championships are for
people aged between 15 and 25 and are
helping to train the next generation of young
judges and livestock breeders.
To participate in these National
Championships, the competitors must first
have won their own state finals. The New
Zealand champion also competes in these
National Championships.
NATIONAL MERINO
FLEECE YOUNG
JUDGES CHAMPIONSHIP
The National Merino Fleece Young Judges
Championship was won by Tara Clarke of
Melrose, South Australia. She had a narrow
victory ahead of runner-up Liana Prentice of
Springvale, Victoria, with Brandon Prince of
St Gregory’s College in NSW in third.
Eighteen year old Tara is from a property in
the Mid North of South Australia that mainly
grows cereals. She became interested in sheep
and wool while studying at Booleroo Centre
District School.
“Booleroo has a good focus on agriculture in
years 10-12, and I began to pick up livestock
and fleece judging there”, she said. “Now that
I’ve left school, I want to stick with wool so
I’ve applied to take a wool classing course
through TAFE.”
Tara said the competition at the EKKA
involved judging two lines of four fleeces
(eight in total).
“I had to speak on my chosen group and
was judged on my handling of the fleece,
The competitors in the National Merino Fleece Young Judges Championship. Front: Tara Clarke (SA, 1st),
Liana Prentice (Vic, 2nd). Back: Charles Brumpton (Qld), Tyson Introvigne (WA), Brandon Prince (NSW,
3rd), Ross McCullough (NZ), Bonnie Kenner (Tas). PHOTO: Danni Church
the observations that I made in my oral
presentation, my speaking ability and
general presentation. I was really shocked to
win. I got the top marks for my presentation
and handling which managed to get me over
the line.”
The other state champions who competed
were Charlie Brumpton from Mitchell,
Queensland; Bonnie Kenner of Bagdad,
Tasmania; Tyson Introvigne of Bridgetown,
WA; with New Zealand competitor Ross
McCullough from Glenavy.
NATIONAL MERINO
SHEEP YOUNG JUDGES
CHAMPIONSHIP
Competitors in the National Merino Sheep
Young Judges Championship had 12 minutes
to judge four poll Merino sheep put up for
appraisal and were judged on their handling
as well as their reasoning.
The Championship was won by Felicity
Brumpton of Mitchell, Queensland, followed
by Alistair Keller of Booleroo Centre in
South Australia in second place, and Robert
Glen of Guildford in Victoria in third place.
Felicity, who is the daughter of Nigel
and Rosemary Brumpton of Mt Ascot
Merino Stud, operates the Jolly Jumbuck
Poll Merino stud in partnership with her
brothers Charlie and Lachlan. She said she
was thrilled by the win.
“There was some great competition from
the other state champions and the New
Zealand representative, but I was very
proud to win it for Queensland to show
that there is a strong passion for Merinos
and wool in the state,” she said. “It was
also really nice to have my family there
supporting me – on home turf at the EKKA
– and my brother Charlie who competed in
the fleece judging competition.
“Next year I’ll be starting an Animal Science
degree at UNE in Armidale where I plan
to major in Livestock Production. Given
my background with Jolly Jumbuck, I’m
particularly interested in genetics and
ON
FARM
FOSTER TALENT
g through the next generation of young judges and
45
LTEM APP
NOW AVAILABLE
AWI has developed and
launched a free Lifetime
Ewe Management (LTEM)
app for the iPhone
A
fter much discussion, testing, feedback
and refinement, the popular Lifetime
Ewe Management (LTEM) course now has
an iPhone app.
The development means users can now
carry with them millions of dollars of
research and extension in their pocket
and make day-to-day decisions to optimize
flock management.
LTEM assists sheep producers proactively
manage the nutrition of their ewe flock
through the reproduction cycle. Essential
skills to utilize this app include condition
scoring of animals and accurate Feed On
Offer (FOO) assessments.
The LTEM app was created in-house at AWI
with assistance from Rural Industries Skill
Training (RIST) and various testers across
Australia who gave valuable feedback.
Offered free through the Apple App store, the
LTEM app is a digital extension of the LTEM
course which educates producers on the best
management practices for ewe management.
The LTEM app is not a substitute but an
addition to the LTEM course offered by
RIST and funded through AWI.
The competitors in the National Merino Sheep Young Judges Championship. Front: Robert Glen (Vic, 3rd),
Felicity Brumpton (Qld, 1st), Alistair Keller (SA, 2nd). Back: Roxanne Mostert (WA), Alice Satterthwaite (NZ),
Anna Cotton (Tas), Lauralee Terlich (NSW). PHOTO: Danni Church
nutrition. I’m really looking forward to
learning more on the course to help my
own career in the wool industry.”
The other state champions who competed
were Anna Cotton of Swansea, Tasmania;
Lauralee Terlich of Pleasant Hills, NSW;
Roxanne Mostert of Redmond, WA;
with the New Zealand competitor Alice
Satterthwaite from Blenheim.
COUNTRY
SHOW SOCIETIES
The Young Judges Championships are
coordinated and overseen by the Federal
Council of Agricultural Societies (FCAS)
which comprises the state/territory
organisations that govern more than
600 country show societies across
Australia. In recent years the Royal
Agricultural Society of New Zealand has
joined FCAS as an Associate Member,
allowing New Zealand competitors to
participate in and increase the calibre of
the Young Judges Championships.
The National President of the
Federal Council of Agricultural
Societies, Bill Trend, said this year’s
events were very successful.
“It is very exciting to have these young
people coming through the industry
and we thank AWI for its contribution
to make these events possible and
fostering these judges of tomorrow,” he
said. “The young women and men in
these two finals have played important
roles in their own communities and
shown great passion for wool. Their
leadership qualities are helping to keep
the spirit of country shows alive.”
AWI will be supporting next year’s
finals of the National Merino Sheep
Young Judges Championship and the
National Merino Fleece Young Judges
Championship which will be held at the
2015 Sydney Royal Easter Show.
AWI has been the principal funder of LTEM
and the Lifetime Wool research project it
evolved from, contributing more than $10
million over the past 12 years.
The course is delivered through RIST via
facilitators across all major sheep producing
regions of Australia and has now involved
more than 2000 sheep producers managing
more than 20 per cent of the nation’s ewe
flock or eight million ewes.
The average LTEM participant manages more
than 3500 ewes and has increased whole farm
lamb marking by 10 per cent, reduced ewe
mortality by 33 per cent and increased stocking
rate by 12 per cent.
Having created the iPhone version of the app,
an android version of the app will now be
written and be offered for free.
MORE INFORMATION www.wool.com/LTEM
The Lifetime
Ewe
Management
app for
iPhone is now
available free
from the Apple
App store.
46
ON
FARM
INVENTIONS FROM SHEE
A
new book has been published by
Hamilton Pastoral & Agricultural
Society that takes a look at the vast array
of inventions in Sheepvention’s ‘farm
inventors competition’ since it began
in 1979.
Compiled by Patrick Francis and Robert
Stewart, ‘The Inventors’ is a 108-page
publication that includes more than 1200
inventions entered by approximately 650
inventors over the years. There are more
than 500 photographs of inventions.
inventions entered each year are ideas other
farmers can take away and make at home.
As well as being available as a printed book,
the publication is also available to view for
free online on the Hamilton P & A Society’s
website www.hamiltonshowgrounds.com.
au. The authors intend to update the e-book
after each year’s competition.
“Even the inventors of commercial ideas
have an ulterior motive for displaying
inventions at Sheepvention. They know
putting an operating invention in-front of a
knowledgeable farming public at this event
will give them valuable feedback to improve
their inventions.
Compiler Patrick Francis has been involved
on the Sheepvention inventions competition
judging panel every year since 1991. His
co-compiler is Hamilton district farmer Rob
Stewart who developed the competition’s
concept with some other locals in 1979 and
has been involved with the event ever since.
“I contend the book contains the best
collection of sheep handling equipment,
shearing shed equipment and sheep yard
ideas available anywhere,” Mr Francis says.
“An important feature is that most of the
inventions are the ideas of farmers and all
tested on their own farms.
Hamilton P&A Society has published
‘The Inventors’ – a 108-page publication
that includes more than 1200 inventions
entered in the Sheepvention ‘farm inventors
competition’ since 1979.
“This book is a celebration of the incredible
ingenuity and skill present amongst
farmers and their generosity of spirit to
share ideas to enable farm work to be done
more simply, safer and more cost effectively.
It should be remembered that many of the
“As a judge, the greatest difficulty I have had
over the years is making decisions between
the inventive merit of simple on-farm gadgets
which have widespread application and
possibly can be made by farmers in their
own workshops, versus the magnificently
designed and built machines which do a great
job but will only be used by a relatively small
number of farmers.”
This diversity is exemplified by the winners of
the major award for Best Innovation over the
past four years, which are summarised here.
MORE INFORMATION
‘The Inventors’ book is free to read
online at www.hamiltonshowgrounds.
com.au or order a hard copy for $25
plus $10 postage. Contact the Hamilton
P & A Society on 03 5572 2563 or
[email protected]
2014 WINNER: Compact crane:
Rod Davidson, Casterton, Vic
2013 WINNER: Fire fighting pump protector:
Rod Sheppard, Marysville, Vic
Casterton engineer Rod
Davidson has built a hand
pumped hydraulic crane
into the cab rack on the
front of the tray. It’s so
well incorporated that at
first glance you would not
know a crane existed. Rod
says he built the crane for
his own use as the double
cab vehicle has a relatively
small tray area and bolting
conventional tray cranes
takes up room and can
sometimes get in the way.
Rod has strengthened the
corner of the tray under
the lifting point. He says
the crane mechanism he
installed can lift a 200kg
weight and can be used to
pull out old fence posts or
pick up anything, sheep
included, with a sling added.
More information:
Rod Davidson
(03) 5582 0272
The 2013 winner was a
small invention which has
the opportunity to have a big
impact when fighting a fire.
The inventor Rod Sheppard
says that in emergency fire
situations such as those he
faced as a CFA volunteer at
Marysville on Black Saturday
2009, pumps on dams or
tanks can stop working (or
even fail to start when vitally
needed) due to the severe
heat vaporizing the fuel, or
– after the fire has passed
– due to key components
melting such as air filters,
The Pump Defenda™, which can help
or simply being destroyed
protect your pump from bushfire
damage, is now commercially available.
by flames. The pump
protector he says will stop
this happening. The simple tube which attaches to a fitting on
the spare hose outlet on the pump is fitted with a special droplet
spray head which spreads a water shield over and around the
pump. Following further development since Sheepvention, Rod
has now commercialised the product, costing $49.95, under the
name Pump Defenda™.
More information: www.pumpdefenda.com.au 0400 540 589
Rod Davidson with his simplified version
of hoists that are commonly fitted to the
trays of utes.
ON
FARM
EPVENTION
2012 WINNER: Sheep Bulk Hander: ProWay
Livestock Equipment, Wagga Wagga, NSW
The ProWay Sheep Bulk Handler lifts the sheep off the ground where they
naturally become passive, enabling operators to perform husbandry practices
with minimal strain.
The Sheep Bulk Handler produced by ProWay Livestock
Equipment (which was featured in the March 2014 edition of
Beyond the Bale) is designed to take the hard work out of sheep
handling and husbandry practices. The key feature of the
system is a “grated floor” of the race section that can be raised
hydraulically by the operator after groups of 20-30 sheep have
been ushered into the race. As the dividing bars of the floor are
lifted, all the sheep are suspended on their underside and raised
to the waist height of the operator. The sheep become passive as
they are caught as a group, in a natural position, enabling workers
to drench, vaccinate, capsule, back-line, jet and tag without having
to struggle with the sheep. The product is commercially available.
More information: www.proway.com.au, 1300 655 383
A new book examines the huge
range of inventions entered into
the Sheepvention ‘farm inventors
competition’ during its 36 year history.
2011 WINNER: Shepherds Lamb$aver:
Huck Shepherd, Kybybolite, SA
Huck Shepherd with the
Shepherds Lamb$aver
to help protect orphaned
lambs.
Huck Shepherd from Kybybolite in South Australia breeds
sheep and each lambing season is confronted with the
issue of orphaned lambs. His solution that won the 2011
competition is the Shepherds Lamb$aver, an ingeniously
designed fold up mesh pen. With the ewe caught, the pen is
put around her and the lamb(s) and the two are left for 12 to
24 hours to bond. The pen weighed just 17 kg and had two
pegs for securing it to the ground. The pegs also work as clips
to keep the folded sides together. Panels are joined together
by springs to make folding and unfolding easy, but flexible.
Lightweight sheet metal is welded on two sides to give wind
protection to the lamb. The product is commercially available.
More information: www.fertitech.com 1300 885 474
47
48
ON
FARM
BENEFITING FROM
OPTIMUM
GRAZING
MANAGEMENT
A large-scale AWI-funded grazing management trial has
delivered the facts farmers need to boost productivity
and secure healthy landscapes.
$280
• NSW Department of Primary
Industries researchers explored the
optimum stocking rates, paddock
numbers and rotation cues to increase
sheep and wool production.
• Matching stocking rate to grazing
management offered the greatest
potential to boost production. There
was a higher optimal stocking rate
for intensive rotational grazing than
continuous grazing.
• The stand-out result from this study
was that a fast rotation (with an
average grazing cycle of 60 days) was
the most profitable and sustainable
at a high stocking rate (averaging 13
DSE/ha), while continuous grazing at
a lower stocking rate (7 DSE/ha) was
nearly as profitable and sustainable
(Figure 1).
A
n AWI-funded research trial carried out
by the NSW Department of Primary
Industries (DPI) has provided knowledge of
optimum grazing management options to
boost production with the potential to lift
long-term environmental gains. The project
was developed from questions that came
up in the EverGraze project, particularly
from the farmer involvement in EverGraze
Regional Group steering committee.
The large-scale trial ran for three years,
comparing rotational options with
continuous grazing while exploring how to
best manage stocking rates and paddock
HSR Fast 15Pdk
Gross margin ($/ha)
• The trials were run on both native and
introduced pastures, and were subject
to the same challenging seasonal
conditions farmers have faced over
the previous two years.
HSR Fast 30 Pdk
LSR Cont
$200
LSR Fast 30Pdk
LSR Fast 15Pdk
LSR Slow 30 Pdk
HSR Slow 15 Pdk
HSR Cont
HSR Slow 30 Pdk
LSR Slow 15 Pdk
$120
0
25
Maximum bare ground (%)
50
Figure 1. Comparing the profitability (gross margin) and sustainability (maximum bare ground) of grazing
management options for a simulated Merino x terminal sire system on a cocksfoot pasture at Orange.
High and low stocking rates (HSR and LSR) were run with 15 and 30 paddock rotational grazing systems
and continuous grazing (15 Pdk, 30 Pdk and Cont). The rotational grazing systems were run with slow (120
day grazing cycle) and fast (60 day grazing cycle) rotations. High stocking rate, fast rotations had the highest
gross margins and maintained low levels of bare ground. The continuous grazing at low stocking rates
performed nearly as well. These comparisons were made in 2012 and 2013, when there were failed springs.
numbers for introduced and native pasture
systems. The research was carried out at
Orange Agricultural Institute with introduced
pasture (cocksfoot, average rainfall 920
mm) and native-based pasture at Panuara
(Microlaena and wallaby grass, average
rainfall 810 mm). The Panuara site previously
ran an EverGraze project.
Rotational grazing options were assessed at an
average cycle of 60 or 120 days between grazing
in each paddock and a flexible period based on
the growth stage of the plant (gross margins
could not be developed for this treatment)
and compared with continuous grazing. The
introduced pasture site had a high stocking
rate (averaging 13 DSE/ha) and a lower stocking
rate (7 DSE/ha) comparing 15 and 30-paddock
rotational grazing systems.
The trial used Merino wethers. Intensive
and wide-ranging measurements – including
animal growth rates, condition scores, wool
weight and micron, along with pasture quality
and quantity – were taken.
NSW DPI research agronomist Warwick
Badgery said the trial has delivered solid facts
that sheep and wool producers can use to
improve their on-farm profitability.
ON
FARM
Animal production, diet quality of native and exotic
pastures and the profitability of different forms
of grazing management, continuous grazing and
more than ten rotational options, were discussed
at the project’s final field day which was held at the
Orange Agricultural Institute in March attended by
65 producers.
INTRODUCED PASTURE
TRIAL RESULTS
NATIVE PASTURE
TRIAL RESULTS
• Stocking rate had more influence
on diet quality. High stocking rates
in rotational grazing generally
delivered poorer diet quality because
pastures were grazed down to a
lower herbage mass. In continuous
grazing scenarios, high stocking rates
restricted feed intake.
• A slow rotation consistently had the
lowest pasture quality measured
by the organic matter digestibility
(OMD) grazed by animals.
• High stocking rate with fast
rotations performed well, while slow
rotations often struggled to meet the
maintenance requirements of animals.
• How far the pasture is grazed down in
a rotation affects quality and animal
performance. Budgeting feed using a
green herbage allowance of >1.5 kg/
DSE/day in spring and >3.5 kg/DSE/day
at other times of the year may be used
as a management strategy to maintain
higher levels of animal performance.
• Rotational grazing maintained higher
herbage mass (average 2.3 t DM/
ha versus 3.8 t DM/ha) and ground
cover (maximum 22.5% versus 45.8%)
under a high stocking rate than
continuous grazing.
• Increasing paddock numbers from
15 to 30 had little added benefit for
pastures.
• Cumulative effects of treatments on
pastures are still being developed
and will continue to change as
grazing systems continue to influence
the proportion of legumes and
nutrient cycling.
Dr Warwick Badgery: “With science backing the study,
our focus has been on helping increase sheep and wool
producers’ profit and long-term environmental gain.”
“While farmers are limited to what they can try
on their own properties and observe over the
fence of their neighbours, this trial has fully
explored as many options as are practical in
terms of stocking rates and grazing rotations,”
Dr Badgery said.
“We replicated a spring lambing system
to explore how management decisions
can influence animal production for both
meat and wool, and the effect on natural
resources in the system. A great deal of
detail has been extracted, right down to
analysis of faecal samples to work out
exactly what sheep are eating and how feed
quality impacts on production.”
Matching stocking rate to grazing
management offered the greatest potential to
boost production.
“The fast rotation (with an average grazing
cycle of 60 days) was the most profitable
and sustainable at a high stocking rate
• Changes in soil carbon are yet to be
determined because the treatments
have not been running for long enough.
(averaging 13 DSE/ha), while continuous
grazing at a lower stocking rate (7 DSE/ha)
was nearly as profitable and sustainable
(Figure 1). The results of this project and
previous EverGraze research show that
there are higher optimal stocking rates
with intensive rotational systems than
continuous grazing. While neither the
high or low stocking rate were likely
to be optimal for the different grazing
management options, it highlights how
important it is to get the stocking rate right.
“The trial was subjected to the same dry
conditions farmers have experienced for
the past couple of years and we’ve seen
the higher stocking rates have done it
pretty tough during the summer. This has
resulted in conservative management being
profitable for continuous grazing. We see a
need to assess the systems across a greater
range of seasons to deliver more robust data
to producers.”
49
• Fast rotation and flexible management
had the highest quality pasture and
were often higher than continuous
grazing.
• There was also a strong positive
relationship between green
herbage mass prior to grazing and
metabolisable energy (ME) intake at
the native site. There was an extra
1 MJ/head/day for every 100 kg/ha
increase in green dry matter (DM)
between 0.5 and 2 tonnes of green
DM/ha.
• Landscape position had a greater
influence on pasture composition and
growth than the grazing system.
• Bare ground increased under
continuous grazing (maximum 22.5%)
compared to the rotations (average
maximum 17.8%) but levels were still
relatively low.
• There was no change in soil carbon
due to grazing management over a
four-year period. However, landscape
influenced the amount of soil carbon.
There were higher soil carbon
stocks (0-30 cm) in more productive
areas of the landscape. Landscape
also influenced the processes that
store soil carbon, such as biomass
production, respiration from the
soil and the composition of soil
microbes. A better understanding
of paddock scale variability and soil
processes is needed.
Some practical management rules were
developed from this trial. Feed quality
consumed by animals was lower when there
was a less green feed available per head
over the grazing period. At higher stocking
rates and for slower rotations, animals
graze more of the available forage at each
grazing, which restricts them from selecting
a higher quality diet. Budgeting feed using
a green herbage allowance of >1.5 kg/DSE/
day in spring and >3.5 kg/DSE/day at other
times of the year should maintain higher
levels of animal performance. This can be
achieved by changing the length of grazing
in a paddock or altering animal numbers for
rotational grazing systems.
MORE INFORMATION
Dr Warwick Badgery, (02) 6391 3814,
[email protected]
50
ON
FARM
RESEARCH SHOWS EARLY PROMISE FOR
REDUCING FERTILISER
With the cost of phosphorus (P) increasing at approximately twice the rate of inflation in
Australia, there is growing interest in developing grazing systems that require less P fertiliser.
At the family property of Ed Storey at
‘Werong’ near Yass, CSIRO and NSW DPI
research scientists discuss with producers
the most promising pasture type tested in
the Yass area, French serradella (inset),
which yielded as well as subterranean
clover and required significantly less
phosphorus to achieve these yields.
Research co-funded by AWI has tested
a number of alternative legumes, with
a small number identified as having the
ability to grow well when in low P soil.
French (pink) serradella is highly
productive at much lower available soil
phosphorus levels than are required for
species like subterranean clover.
D
uring October, farmers and scientists
inspected a field experiment at Werong
near Yass in NSW as part of an AWI and
MLA co-funded research effort that is
showing it may be possible to substantially
reduce the phosphorus (P) fertiliser costs
for pasture production.
Soil P fertility drives pasture legume growth
and nitrogen fixation in most pastures,
and it remains a critical input for grazing
enterprises. However, producers are acutely
aware that P fertiliser costs have doubled
over the last decade.
A research team from CSIRO, NSW
Department of Primary Industries and The
University of Western Australia has been
testing a range of alternative pasture legumes
in glasshouse experiments and field trials
searching for legumes that can grow as well as
subterranean clover but with less P fertiliser.
Although the work is still in an early research
phase, there are some promising results.
Graeme Sandral, Research Officer with NSW
DPI at Wagga Wagga oversees the field trial
component of the project.
“We have tested a number of alternative
legumes and only a small number have the
ability to grow well when in low P soil. The
most promising for permanent pastures have
been serradella species,” he says.
Yellow serradella and French serradella have
been tested so far.
“It is very clear that many of the alternative
legumes do not have the wide adaptation
range we are used to with subterranean
clover. French serradella is already noted
for its growth in crop-pasture rotations
in WA and the Riverina. It has also grown
well in pure stands in the Yass area at
substantially lower soil test P concentrations
than required for equivalent production
by subterranean clover. However, yellow
serradella which we know does the same in
some districts in WA and NSW, for example,
did not yield as well in the Yass area and had
relatively slow winter growth.”
Ed Storey, who is the operator of the family
property that is hosting one of the research
trial sites, said, “We have been quite surprised
to see French serradella yielding so well in low
P soil compared to sub-clover. If the serradella
can do as well in a grazing situation with
grasses, we could really be on to something.”
Senior Principal Research Scientist at the
CSIRO in Canberra Richard Simpson who leads
the national research project, says: “We have
good evidence that pastures growing with low
soil test P concentrations accumulate (“fix”)
less P in the soil and this reduces the amount
of P fertiliser that is needed every year. Our
research indicates that the way to gain high
production with lower P fertiliser costs
could be to use alternative pasture legumes
that yield well, but at lower soil test P
concentrations than are presently needed.”
The next step in the development of low-P
pasture options is to test whether the most
Further studies under controlled laboratory
conditions have confirmed the ability of the
serradella species to grow well compared
with sub-clover, especially in soil with low
rates of phosphorus application.
promising legumes continue to produce well
and require less fertiliser when grown in mixed
pastures under grazing.
The research team has also researched how
the low-P legumes can grow so well with lower
soil test P concentrations.
“They have long fine roots with long root hairs,
compared to sub-clover, which allow them to
efficiently explore the soil for P. This shows us
a clear path for selecting and breeding other
low-P legumes,” Dr Simpson says.
MORE INFORMATION
Dr Richard Simpson,
[email protected];
Graeme Sandral,
[email protected].
ON
FARM
Hard-seeded serradellas are
providing mixed farmers with
nitrogen rich soil for their crops
as well as filling the autumn
feed gap for their sheep.
SUMMER SOWING
SERRADELLAS
Esperance farmer John Wallace in his summer sown Margurita serradella.
W
oolgrowers are increasingly turning
to new pasture legume varieties to
provide valuable feed for their sheep flock,
particularly during the dry autumn months.
Two hard seeded serradella varieties,
Margurita and Santorini, are not only
proving to be robust performers in tough
Western Australian conditions, but are also
putting essential nitrogen back into nutrient
deficient soils.
While the soft seeded variety, Cadiz, is more
commonly found throughout WA, both
Margurita and Santorini are beginning to
make inroads because of their impressive
ability to be planted during the hot summer
months while remaining dormant until the
break in the season.
It is important to note that, as opposed to the
soft seeded varieties, Margurita and Santorini
only need to be sown once for year on year
grazing potential.
In the Esperance region, red clover syndrome
is a commonly recognised virus that occurs in
sub clovers faced with a dry period after the
break. As a result, farmers are now looking for
alternatives to sub clovers to ensure reliable
legume feed sources for their sheep flocks.
Esperance woolgrowers John and Narelle
Wallace, who farm with John’s brother Stewart
and his wife Jessica, run a 10,000 Merino flock,
and are sold on the value of the hard seeded
serradella varieties for their business.
The Wallace family also crops 5000 ha of
owned and leased land, and according to John,
both the Margurita and Santorini serradella
varieties inject valuable nitrogen into their soil
to set up their rotations for the coming year.
John has been planting serradella for five
years, and despite requiring what he describes
as a “strategic” grazing strategy in the first
three years, he intends to plant his entire farm
to the legume pasture in coming years.
The Wallaces plant the serradella in summer,
and the hard pod will ensure the seed remains
dormant until the break in the season. They
also employ a tactic known as twin planting
whereby they plant the pod at the same time
as their traditional crops, knowing that it won’t
germinate until the following season.
Twin sowing refers to sowing pasture seed
with a cereal or canola crop, where little of
the legume will emerge in the crop because
of the pasture’s hard-seed dormancy, but
will gradually become non-dormant over
the following summer and autumn. Summer
sowing applies the same principle only that
the seed is sown after the cereal or oilseed crop
is harvested.
John has used the biomass from both the
Margurita and Santorini serradellas as silage
and hay, and believes the nutrient benefits of
the plant for meat and wool production are
second to none.
“The nutrient value for summer sown
serradella is fantastic. We make silage and
hay out of the Margurita after I have grazed
it twice and we still achieve 18 per cent crude
protein and 12 megajules of energy,” he said.
John says this nutrient value is even better
than the finishing rations supplied to lambs in
a feedlot.
He also believes the use of serradella as a feed
source ensures an even tensile strength in his
wool clip.
According to Margurita and Santorini breeder
Dr Bradley Nutt, the two different varieties
work well together in a sheep and wool
production system.
While the Santorini serradella is a yellow
flowered wild variety with exceptionally hard
seeded characteristics, the Margurita has been
bred from Cadiz, which is a French domestic
strain with pink or white flowers.
Dr Nutt took six years to breed Margurita but
said the results from the program, and the
impact on mixed farming systems has been
worth the wait.
He says the Margurita French variety is much
better suited to summer and twin sowing, but
a combination of the two could work very well
in any rotation.
“For the past 50 years, WA breeders
concentrated on the development of the
yellow serradellas, such as Santorini, but the
French varieties have much greater use in
agricultural industries around the world,” Dr
Nutt said.
“Hard seeded French varieties, while being a
domestic plant and much more fragile than
the yellow varieties, have a much higher
harvesting efficiency and the pods are easier
to de-hull.”
The development of the Margurita and
Santorini serradella varieties are the result of
co-investment by AWI and its predecessor in
the NAPLIP and CLIMA programs. AWI and
MLA are currently funding a 4½ year research
project with Murdoch University which aims
to increase the productivity of annual pastures
in mixed farming systems through improving
the use of these newer legumes.
MORE INFORMATION
For Information on the use
and application of serradellas
in a mixed farming enterprise
visit www.agric.wa.gov.au
51
52
ON
FARM
RECENT AWI NUFFIELD
WOOLGROWER SCHOLARS
By sponsoring a Nuffield Scholarship, AWI
is increasing parctical farming knowledge
and management skills in the Australian
wool industry.
AWI Nuffield woolgrower scholars and
their study areas or report titles are:
2015 Robert Webb, Tarana, NSW.
Robert will study the use of fire as
a native pasture management tool.
NUFFIELD
SCHOLAR
2014 Tim Gubbins, Moyston, VIC.
Tim is studying the Merino breed
with a specific focus on the period
from conception through to weaning.
2013 Matthew Ipsen, Wareek, VIC.
Matthew is using his scholarship
to investigate world's best
practice in sheep reproduction
and lamb survival.
2012 James Walker, Longreach, QLD.
James is currently studying if the
multiple reproductive cycle trait of
ewes can be capitalised to speed
up the lamb-to-lamb interval using
real-time, remote weight and
health management.
2011 James Robertson, Renmark, SA
Report: ‘Improving sheep efficiency
through weaning nutrition’.
2009 David Cussons, Kojunup, WA
Report: ‘Talking agriculture
- a study of communication
techniques and approaches to
crisis communication’.
2008 Ben Ranford, Cleve, SA.
Report: ‘The role of farmer
collaboration in creating supply
solutions’.
2007 James Walker, Carrick, Tasmania.
Report: ‘Wool and sheep production
in the global market’.
2007 Andrew Bouffler, Lockhart, NSW.
Report: ‘How to fully utilise and
rapidly improve the Australian
maternal ewe flock (including
Merinos) to ensure continuity of
supply into our valuable meat and
wool markets’.
2006 Robert Kelly, Guyra, NSW.
Report: ‘Production versus
marketing: where should Australian
wool producers focus?’
MORE INFORMATION
www.wool.com/nuffield
ALL FIRED UP
Merino wool producer Robert Webb from Tarana in NSW will use his AWI-supported Nuffield scholarship to
investigate the effect of wildfire on both pasture production and soil health.
R
obert Webb from Tarana, situated
between Lithgow and Oberon in the
Central West of NSW, has been awarded
the prestigious 2015 Nuffield Scholarship
supported by AWI. He will use his scholarship
to study the use of fire as a native pasture
management tool.
Robert’s family owns and operates a seventhgeneration fine wool Merino production
and beef property. Spread across two
properties totalling 1190 hectares, they
run approximately 2000 fine wool Merino
breeding ewes, 1500 fine wool Merino wethers,
700 prime lamb-producing ewes and 150 beef
breeding cows. He assists his partners with
financial planning and benchmarking of
the business. Along with his brother Hugh,
he also runs Denhine Pty Ltd, a business
managing investment and small acreage
farms across Central Tablelands.
Fire rejuvenates native pasture and makes it
more productive, which in turn can benefit
woolgrowers by improving profitability
through increased fleece weight and staple
strength. Robert will visit wool producing
countries, as well as other grazing enterprises,
to gain further knowledge of the use of fire
as a grazing management tool for improving
native pasture productivity.
“In particular, I’ll investigate the effect of
wildfire on both pasture production and
soil health, plus the impact of wildfire and
associated temperature on different soil
types,” Robert said.
“In addition, I’d like to study the nutrient
contribution of ash, the effect on microbial
activity on burned soils and the recovery
potential of native versus introduced species
in an agricultural environment.”
As the Captain of the Tarana Rural Fire
Brigade and 25 years’ service as a volunteer fire
fighter under his belt, Robert already knows
more than most about the effects of fire on the
farming environment.
Robert will visit Indonesia, USA, Russia and
Greece to complete his studies.
“AWI is proud to continue its involvement with
Nuffield by offering a specific wool-focused
scholarship,” said Dr Paul Swan, AWI General
Manager of Research.
“It is a unique opportunity for a woolgrower
to study a particular subject of interest,
and increase practical farming knowledge,
management skills and techniques in the
Australian wool industry. Previous Nuffield
Scholars have contributed significantly to our
knowledge of our industry.”
Nuffield Australia is an organisation which
provides an opportunity to Australian farmers
to travel overseas on an agricultural research
scholarship. It is a 16-week program consisting
of both group and individual travel.
ON
FARM
READERS’ PHOTOS!
Have you got any interesting photos that you’d like to share with other
readers of Beyond the Bale?
We are always keen to see and hear what people working with Australian
wool are up to. If you want to share any photos with us, please email the
image and a brief description to the editor of Beyond the Bale Richard Smith
at [email protected]. The photos could portray any feature, be it
humourous or poignant, informative or provoking, gritty or beautiful.
Here are a few photos that we have recently received from readers.
WIN!!!
53
If you submit a photo
that gets published in
Reader's Photos, you’ll
receive a copy of Tracey
Kruger’s ‘Shearing
in Victoria’s Western
District’ book.
THREE YEARS,
160 SHEDS,
ONE BOOK
I
t threatened to become more of an
obsession than a project but after three
years and 25,000 kilometres of local travel,
Tracey Kruger has created a unique book,
‘Shearing in Victoria’s Western District’.
GUARDING
THE DAY’S
HARVEST
Sonja Marchant
of ‘Zoar Farm’ at
Karoonda in the
middle of the Murray
Mallee region of
South Australia sent
in this photo of her
kelpie, Tess. She
is having a quiet
moment reflecting
on her busy day and
guarding the wool
bales after shearing.
While woolsheds have been photographed
many times before, Tracey has diligently
captured the action and emotion associated
with shearing in no less than 160 woolsheds
across western Victoria.
Alongside the full colour images are
the stories of the people and properties,
documenting the present and the past with
the empathy and understanding only a local
could provide.
ON THE
HORIZON
Dianne Duffy from
near Pekina, near
Orroroo in South
Australia’s MidNorth, sent in this
photo of her sheep
at dusk on a hill
near her farm.
“People kept pointing me to sheds that I
should photograph; big and small, brand new
and very old and my natural curiosity kept
me going. I had to draw a line somewhere
and so 160 it is. I’m not sure that the
marriage would have lasted too many more,”
she laughs.
A shearer’s daughter, Tracey runs a mixed
farming operation with husband Peter near
Penshurst where Merino sheep and cereal
crops are run.
There are a number of large iconic western
Victorian properties included in the book
as well as soldier settlement woolsheds and
tiny one stand sheds.
Tracey wanted a real representation of the
everyday work within a great Australian
industry and this is what she has achieved.
BUSY DAY AT
GREEN HILLS
This is the lively view
from the wool table
at ‘Green Hills’ in
Minhamite, Victoria,
run by Sarah and
Chris Hines. Pictured
is wool classer
Simone Mugavin
skirting the fleece.
This photo was sent
in by Tracey Kruger
of ‘Lightwood’ near
Penshurst, Victoria,
whose new book is
‘Shearing in Victoria’s
Western District’ see right.
The book is available for $60 (postage
included) from Tracey’s website
www.shearinginvictoriaswesterndistrict.com
or by phone on 0427 735 208. A 2015 calendar
is also available.
Front cover of
Tracey Kruger’s
224-page
‘Shearing in Victoria’s
Western District’.
54
MARKET
INTELLIGENCE
MARKET INTELL
AVERAGE MONTHLY EMI COMPARISON
T
he chart opposite shows percentile in
Australian dollar terms using four-year
AWEX monthly Eastern Market Indicator
(EMI) and a comparison against the
previous decade (November 2000-October
2010). From August-October 2014, the
monthly EMI averaged at $10.26, tracking
at the 21st percentile. The low percentile
value (21st) indicates that over the past four
years, the monthly EMI recorded a price
lower than $10.26 for only 21 per cent of the
time. It also means within that period, the
monthly EMI recorded a price higher than
$10.26 for 79 per cent of the time. On the
other hand, Merino Cardings (MC) averaged
at $7.79, operating at the 70th percentile.
For the same period, 18 micron averaged at
a monthly value of $12.19 (21st percentile), 21
micron averaged at $11.28 (23rd percentile), and
28 micron averaged at $6.63 (72nd percentile).
Although the EMI is tracking at the 21st
percentile over the past four years, it is at
the 93rd percentile when compared to the
first decade this century.
AVERAGE MONTHLY EMI FOR AUGUST-OCTOBER 2014 COMPARED WITH
1. FOUR YEAR HISTORICAL DATA AND 2. THE DECADE 2000-2010
EMI
$10.26
93
21
17um $12.49
32
19
18um $12.19
77
19
20um $11.35
Decade
Nov 2000 - Oct 2010
71
21
19um $11.69
95
22
21um $11.28
96
23
22um $11.16
96
26
23um $11.04
97
31
24um $10.13
43
94
25um $9.03
93
53
26um $8.02
45
89
28um $6.63
93
72
30um $6.43
99
85
32um $5.92
MC
91
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
99
100
70
$7.79
0%
Past 4 years
Nov 2010 - Oct 2014
80
90
100
HEALTHY RISE IN AVERAGE EMI IN THE PAST FOUR YEAR PERIOD
T
his graph shows the rise in the Eastern
Market Indicator (EMI) over the past 24
years since the collapse of the Reserve Price
Scheme. The graph also shows the average
EMI for successive four-year periods. In the
20 year period between October 1990 and
October 2010, the average EMI rose 214 cents.
In the following four year period (up to the
present), the average EMI rose 239 cents (ie
more than the preceding 20 year period).
Even if the 2011 year – a particularly good
year for prices due to extraordinary market
circumstances – is excluded, the average EMI
rose by a very healthy 186 cents.
16
14
12
10
8
6
EMI (AUD)
4
MORE INFORMATION
Weekly price reports and other market
intelligence reports from AWI
are available from the AWI website at
www.wool.com/marketintelligence
MAXIMUM
AVERAGE
2
0
MINIMUM
OCT 90 to OCT 94
OCT 94 to OCT 98
OCT 98 to OCT 02
OCT 02 to OCT 06
OCT 06 to OCT 10
OCT 10 to OCT 14
MARKET
INTELLIGENCE
IGENCE REPORT
CHINA–AUSTRALIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (FTA)
T
he well-publicized Free Trade Agreement
(FTA) recently agreed upon between
Australia and China is expected to have little,
and any immediate, impact on the current
trading conditions in the Australian wool
market. Despite the public announcement
of the FTA, Australian and Chinese
governments will have to finish writing the
text of the FTA in both English and Chinese
and then signed off upon, following legal
reviews of the completed versions in 2015.
Once that happens, the agreement will then
be implemented.
Prior to the FTA being officially signed, it is
understood that the current arrangements
that all Australian wool imported into China
will attract the one per cent tariff and any
wool imported into China above the allocated
global quota of 287 million clean kg will still
be subjected to the 38 per cent Tariff Rate
Quota (TRQ). Significantly, only in 2006 and
2007 has the full allocation of the quota been
exhausted, whereby the 38 per cent tariff
kicks in.
Whilst Australia had originally sought
negotiation of a 100 million clean kg CSQ
(Country Specific Quota), the agreed upon
FTA includes a final figure of 30 million clean
kg CSQ from Australia, which will be tariff
free and be increasing incrementally by five
per cent per annum for eight years, at an
assumed compounded rate. This will see the
CSQ rise to 46 million clean kg (estimated) by
the year 2023. All wool exports to China from
Australia in excess of the 30 million clean kg
CSQ will then be subject to a one per cent
tariff, up to the 287 million clean kg global
Quota. (Yet to be clarified is if the 30 million
clean kg is an addition to the global quota
allocation of 287 million clean kgs, or whether
it has to fit within that total.)
How the Australian CSQ tariff free
allocation of 30 million clean kg is allocated
or managed each year remains unknown,
but if the New Zealand model is used as a
template, it can be assumed that the first 30
million clean kg imported that year will be
the tariff free component.
The 30 million clean kg CSQ means relatively
very little in reduction of overall percentage
cost to the industry. Whilst any lowering of
costs to Australian wool growers is always a
welcome relief, the savings to all of industry
will be an estimated AU$3.32 million per
annum, based on the current EMI of 1047ac
clean/kg and CIF (cost of insurance and
freight) delivered Chinese mill costs of around
60ac clean/kg and a US dollar versus AU
dollar exchange rate of 0.87.
A review of market access issues is also
flagged within the FTA announcement and
will be conducted in three years, whereby
the wool industry representatives are able
to again push for the abolition of the quota
system entirely.
In other agriculture and food areas that may
be of consequence to woolgrowers:
• The removal of all tariffs on our dairy
products (which can be as high as 20 per
cent) within four to 11 years.
• The removal of tariffs of 12 to 25 percent on
beef over nine years.
• The removal of tariffs on live animal
exports of 10 per cent within four years.
• The removal of tariffs on sheepmeat of 12
to 23 per cent over eight years.
• The removal of tariffs on all horticulture
products, ranging up to 30 per cent, most
within four years.
• The immediate elimination of the three per
cent tariff on barley.
• The removal of tariffs on seafood, including
of 15 and 14 per cent respectively on rock
lobster and abalone, over four years.
• The removal of tariffs across a range of
processed foods including fruit juice
and honey.
• The removal of tariffs of 5 to 14 per cent
on hides, skins and leather over two to
seven years.
CHINA’S TEXTILE EXPORTS
GAINED DOUBLE-DIGIT
GROWTH IN OCTOBER
C
hina’s textile and garment exports
achieved a double-digit growth in
October, according to the trade data released
by China’s General Administration of
Customs (GAC).
In the first ten months, textile and garment
exports came to USD248.42 billion, up 6.3 per
cent year on year, with textile exports up 5.8
per cent to USD92.85 billion and garment
exports up 6.7 per cent to USD155.57 billion.
Textile and garment exports rose 10.2 per cent
year on year in October to USD26.54 billion,
with textile exports up 13.8 per cent to USD9.75
billion, and garment exports up 8.2 per cent
to USD16.79 billion. On month-on-month
basis, total exports fell seven per cent from
September, with textile exports remaining the
same amount and garment exports down 11
per cent.
China's total exports came to USD206.87
billion in October, up 11.6 per cent from a year
earlier, and total imports rose 4.6 per cent
year on year to USD161.46 billion, resulting in
a monthly trade surplus of USD45.41 billion.
For the January-October period, China's total
exports and imports hit USD3.53 trillion, up
3.8 per cent. Trade surplus during the period
stood at USD277.11 billion, up 38.5 per cent
year on year.
During the January-October period, trade
with the European Union, China's largest
trading partner, saw the fastest growth of
9.8 per cent year on year, and trade with the
United States, China's second-largest trading
partner, was up 5.5 per cent. China-ASEAN
trade went up 7.4 per cent year on year.
China’s external trade environment might
slightly improve next year but it still faces
uncertainties, the Ministry of Commerce said
in a report published in early November, and
the combined exports and imports growth
of 3.8 per cent in the first 10 months suggests
China will miss its trade growth target of 7.5
per cent for a third consecutive year.
55
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