Eight-month shearing due

Press, 24 April 1987, Page 27

Eight-month shearing due

Sheep fanners who sheared early and changed to an eightmonth regime should now be planning the next round, according to the Wool Board. The eight-month routine has advantages for some farmers, but needs careful planning and good pasture management, said the board’s wool production manager, Mr Lance Wiggins. Sheep in poor condition are hard to shear, and once shorn they need more grass. Advantages in stock and financial management and gains from out-of-season wool sale premiums have attracted fanners away from annual shearing, Mr Wiggins said. “The basic philosophy is that the wool should be

shorn when it is at its best for the manufacturer.” Auction statistics and private sale trends indicate eight-month shearing is already widespread. Offerings during August, September and October were up 6.8, 7.4 and 16.5 per cent respectively on the previous year. January, February and March figures were down 9.9, 34.5 and more than 25 per cent respectively, Mr Wiggins said. Shearing dates have become more flexible as farmers have tried to produce the best mix of cash flow and wool quality. Mr Wiggins said at eight months, wool grown in most districts is at an optimum length of between 100 and 120 mm, and colour is generally better than full-fleece wool. Tenderness and break

it are reduced, and the fleece is free from cotting 1 at a time when shearing costs are at their lowest. ? If shearing after April in colder districts, cover ; .combs, adequate feed and r covered yards or 5 sheltered paddocks are i necessary, Mr Wiggins said. 1 “It is best to avoid the i coldest months because > the sheep will be eating r simply to maintain body warmth.” Winter .shearing with in- > adequate feed is likely to result in sleepy sickness, i and shearing in early spring may be preferable' t even with lambs at foot, i he said. i The risks of cold affecting a flock can be re- , duced by shearing only r half the sheep this : autumn, and shearing again in December and

: next season in early J spring. j The unshorn half of the flock would wait until I early spring this year when they would be I carrying a 12-month fleece. They would then i go on to an eight-month i regime for shearing in April/May next season and again in December. "In effect it means shearing half the flock every four months,” Mr Wiggins said. The technique spreads fanning and marketplace risks but is best suited to larger flocks. The change in auction offerings has been disconcerting for the wool trade, but Mr Wiggins believes that if it leads to a permanent improvement in clip quality and flow, the whole industry will benefit