Strong demand for fine Wool at Chch

Press, 3 November 1984, Page 14

Strong demand for fine Wool at Chch

Farm editor Strong demand from -Western European countries pushed up extra fine Merino wool at yesterday’s Christchurch sale.

More than $l7 million worth of wool was sold at an average greasy price for the sale of more than 440 c a kilogram for about 4 million kilograms. All Merino wool sold well but the extra fine lots, finer than 18 microns, regularly sold in the range $lB to $23 a kilogram.

More than 30 Marlborough and Mid-Canter-•bury extra fine growers really benefited from the strong demand and sold for more than $lO a kilogram. Good growing conditions have coarsened the Australian Merino clip and New Zealand has become the prime source of extra fine and super fine fibre.

The Australian-based buyer, Lempriere and Company, provided competition for G. Modiano (N.Z.), Ltd, which continued to bid for Italian processors, but Modiano set the top price of the day, and a Christchurch record price, of $23.50 a kilogram for two bales of 16.8 micron super fine from M. Giles, a Merino breeder of Blenheim.

More length on this lot might have threatened the New Zealand record price of $29.75 a kilogram, set in Dunedin in 1983.

A longer lot of 16 microns will be offered in Dunedin in three weeks, and this may break the record. Over all the market firmed on recent sales and the indicator finished on 383 c, the season’s high point and 2c better than at Thursday’s Napier sale. The quotations were: Extra fine Merino compared with Timaru and Dunedin on October 26, up 2.5 to 5 per cent; fine and medium Merino, generally unchanged; extra fine and fine Halfbred, up to 2.5 per cent dearer; medium, strong and extra strong in sellers’ favour, skirtings up 2.5 to 5 per cent and second pieces and lox, up 5 per cent. Compared with the Napier sale all crossbred fleece, from 33 to 37 microns, was inclined in sellers’ favour, second-shear was generally unchanged, as were second pieces and lox. Although the sale was undeniably an excellent one for extra fine and super fine Merino growers, individual lot prices did demonstrate the unpredictable nature of the. fine wool business. One broker re-offered a lot of extra fine Merino fleece passed in at $7 a kilogram at the last Christchurch sale and sold it yesterday for his delighted client at more than $l2 a kilogram, a gain of more than $5OOO for one month’s storage.

Other growers might be puzzled to find that their 19 micron lots were worth, say, $9 a kilogram and their 18 micron lots were worth perhaps $l9 a kilogram. Such was the strength of the demand for 18 micron and finer wools, unprocurable in Australia at present. But the 1.8 million bale Australian stockpile continues to hold down New Zealand prices for wools with diameters in the low 20 microns, the New Zealand dollar devaluation notwithstanding. The market over all, however, is now returning nearly 30 per cent more than the pre-devaluation levels. This is a very good result from the devaluation, particularly as China and Iran, both large volume buyers in recent years, have not been very active this season yet. The following is the list of leading prices, expressed in greasy cents a kilogram, with dry yield in brackets:— During the first twothirds of the sale, two lots exceeded $2O a kilogram. The top price of 2350 c (71.9 per cent) for two bales of super fine (16.8 microns), Merino woolly hogget from M. Giles (Blenheim) was a little less than expected. The other lot to exceed $2O was three bales of super fine woolly Merino hogget from N. E. Giles (Blenheim) which made 2110 c (70.1).

Another Blenheim vendor, M. A. and M. P. Jackson, had a consistent sale, prices for fine Merino woolly hogget fetching 1950 c (72.6), for three bales, 1930 c (73.7) for two bales and 1910 c (71.4), for three bales. Other leading sales by the Jacksons included 1800 c (74) for five bales of medium woolly hogget, 1720 c (71.7) for two bales of medium, and 1540 c (72.6) for two bales of woolly hogget D. S. Cambridge (Blenheim) received 1870 c (69.8) for three bales of extra fine Merino woolly hogget, and G. T. Evans (Blenheim) had sales at 1850 c (71.2), for five bales of super fine woolly hogget, 1750 c (71.8) for five bales of fine and 1355 c (70.9) for four bales. '

H. J. Fowler (Blenheim) sold four bales of extra fine Merino woolly hogget for 2160 c (70) and three bales of fine woolly hogget for 1895 c (70.7). One bale of super fine woolly hogget from Wrightson NMA sold for 2150 c a and two bales of fine y hogget sold for 2095 c (74) for W. R, Lacey (Blenheim). Another four bales of medium woolly hogget from this vendor sold for 2050 c (74.7).

Three growers received 2000 c for their wool; R. E. Mackenzie (Blenheim) for one bale of extra fine woolly hogget (73.5); A. R. Mackenzie (Blenheim) for one bale of super fine (74.8)

and D. M. Caygill (Cheviot) for five bales (65.7). R. E. Mackenzie also sold five bales for 1830 c (72.8) and two bales for 1640 c (67.9) A. R. Mackenzie had a good sale, receiving 1900 c (76.7), for three bales of fine fleece, 1810 c (72.1) for five bales of extra fine woolly hogget and 1540 c (73.2), for two bales of fine woolly hogget. D. M. Caygill also sold a bale of fine woolly hogget for 1790 c (66.1). Two bales of extra fine wool-brought 1850 c (74.4) for R. E. Mackenzie, four bales of fine woolly hogget brought 1810 c (73) for B. P. Mackenzie (Blenheim), four bales of fine woolly hogget made 1800 c (70.2) for Haycocks Run Ltd (Blenheim) and the same vendor sold four bales of medium woolly hogget for 1340 c (69.9) E. W. Rentoul (Blenheim) sold five bales for 1800 c (68.4)'0f woolly hogget and three bales of the same description bought 1710 c (68.2).

Three bales of super fine woolly hogget made 1740 c (67.8) for J. C. Brooker (Kirwee), while A. J. Brooker (Kirwee) sold five bales of extra fine woolly hogget for 1700 c (66.7) and 1650 c (68.2). Three bales of extra fine woolly hogget brought 1700 c (69.5) for Richmond Brook (Seddon) and another four bales brought 1660 c (68.7).

Six bales of fine Merino

shorn hogget from G. M. and B. J. Black (Blenheim) made 1670 c (68) and three bales of shorn hogget sold at 1620 c (65.5). A. 57 H. and N. B. Tripp (Hororata) received 1300 c (71.8) for two bales of woolly hogget, J. R. Todhunter and Sons (Rakaia Gorge) 1380 c (67.9) for 11 bales of fine woolly wether hogget, and J. T. D. and M. A. Sandall (Blenheim) were paid 1340 c (65.5) for six bales of woolly hogget, 1220 c (65.7) for six bales of fine, and 1060 c (68.4) for five bales of medium.

A price of 1500 c (69.6) was received by B. F. Calder (Blenheim) for four bales of extra fine Merino woolly hogget; H. J. and P. R. Neill (Blenheim) sold one bale of extra fine at 1200 c (75.5) A. F. Shanks (Blenheim) sold eight bales of fine at 1240 c (68.7), and J. W. and T. J. Wadworth (Blenheim) were paid 1205 c (67.1) for nine bales of woolly hogget and 1100 c (69.7) for eight bales of fine Merino.

Massey University sold three bales of extra fine Merino at 1180 c (70.3), Mt Gladstone Run (Blenheim) sold six bales of extra fine woolly hogget at 1140 c (65.7), four Dales at 1120 c (61.6) and six bales at 1085 c (64). M. and R. Prouting (Peel Forest) received 1140 c (65.3) for 12 bales of extra fine Merino woolly hogget, and 1020 c (66.3) for 10 bales. D. A. Prouting (Peel Forest) 1120 c (62.5) for three bales of extra fine, and Hebbard and Milne (Porters Pass) 1121 c (71.2) for eight bales of fine Merino. Halfbred wool from Lees Valley estate (Oxford) made to 627 c (36.3) for five bales of extra fine woolly hogget, and G. Nell (Rakaia Gorge) received 620 c (69.8) for 15 bales of super fine woolly hogget.

The Lakes Partnership (Hawarden) sold nine bales of extra fine Halfbred woolly hogget at 616 c (71.8), 576 c (73.9) for 10 bales, and 570 c (74.4) for five bales. A price of 590 c (75) was

received by J. K. B. Menzies (Hawarden) for four bales of extra fine, M. G. Urquhart (Kaikoura) received 589 c (77.3) for 11 bales of fine and 577 c (78.2) for five bales of woolly hogget, and S.W. Crutchley (Peel Forest) 581 c (75.6) for 10 bales of extra

Other Halfbred prices included 579 c (78.7) for 25 bales of woolly hogget from Northcote Trust (Waiau); 576 c (73.4) for five bales and 573 c (70.1) for four bales of fine from Calder Farming Company (Hawarden), and 575 c (70.8) for four bales of extra fine from G. Heard (Kaikoura). Fourteen bales of extra fine Corriedale woolly hogget from Mt Torless station (Springfield) made 541 c • (72.2) and seven bales of woolly hogget made 533 c (72.7). L. J. O’Carroll (Hawarden) received 531 c (71.5) for seven bales of extra fine, P. R. Rutherford (Hawarden), 536 c (72.1) for 11 bales of fine, and Lands and Survey Department, 7 Ruru block (Hokitika) sold 11 bales of shorn hogget at 530 c (69.9). A. R. Macintosh (Rangiora) received 527 c (70.6) for nine bales of fine Corriedale woolly hogget, J. R. Rutherford (Hawarden), sold five bales of woolly hogget at 515 c (72.8), and Estate A. Gillanders (Cheviot), was paid 502 c (68.9) for nine bales of fine.

Extra fine crossbred woolly hogget from estate R. A. Burnett (Mt Somers) made 490 c (78.2) for 18 bales, and G. A.. McLean (Sheffied) sold 6 bales of ; Romney shorn hogget at 475 c (86.1). Summerfield Farm (Darfield) received 465 c (78.1) for 14 bales of fine crossbred woolly hogget, Rengate Partnership (Little River) sold nine bales of fine shorn hogget at 464 c, and A. C. and V. M. Carlton (Nelson) sold four bales of shorn hogget at 450 c (82.7). \ Sales of Romney shorn hogget included 451 c (83.7) for eight bales from R. R. L.

and S. C. Turpin (Little River); 450 c (84.2) for eight bales from G. J. Foley 'Little River); 446 c (81) for 12 bales from Estate T. W. Hutchinson (Little River); 145 c (85) for 10 bales from 3. W. Webb (Picton); and 144 c (82.2) for 11 bales from U. R. Johns (Akaroa). A. M. Henderson and Company (Oxford) received 148 c (89.2) for nine bales of Romney cross second-shear. Four bales of extra fine Perendale woolly hogget from High Peak station; (Rakaia gorge) made 487 c! (80.4) and six bales of woolly hogget made 469 c: (80.8). M. R. Staples (Motueka) sold five bales of Perendale cross shorn hogget at 4740, (79.6) and B. and K. Johhston (Reefton) received 464 c (87.6) for five bales of Perendale second-shear.

Coopworth sales included 15 bales of woolly hogget’ at 4520 (83.9) from J. A. -N. Grigg (Ashburton), and: 11 bales of shorn hogget from C. E. Griff (Akaroa) at 450 c. P. H. Latham and Son (Akaroa) sold five bales of Border Leicester cross at 571 c (82.2), W. R. and G. M., Lemon! (Ashburton) and J. D. B. (Darfield) gold a bombined lot of six bales of Border Leicester and English Leicester woolly Jidgget at 551 c (799), P. S. Northcote (Waiau) received 545 c (76) for one bale of" English Leicester shorn hogget, and T. ; W. -and J. WU Milton (Hokitika) were paid 451 c (89.8) for (five bales of Boroer-Romiiey secondshear. ' 1 *-7. .

Six bales, of f medium Polwarth shorn hogget from J. W. Oswald? :(Blenheim) made 661 c (73/7) and four bales made 656 c (72.6). Jedburgh Farm (Cheviot) sold four bales of fine quarterbred woolly hogget at 499 c (65.6). .

The order of sale was:, Dalgety Crown, Ltd, 8648 bales, 848 lots; Pyne, Gould, Guiness, Ltd, 9328 bales, 826 lots; Wrightspn N.M.Z., Ltd, 9041 bales, 862 lots. Total; 27,017 bales, 2536 Itos.