What sheep are earning on a weekly basis in wool value

Ever wondered how much wool value your sheep are growing each day? A fleece competition has put a number on it and the results are surprising.

Producers who entered a fleece competition learned exactly how much their sheep were earning with the best returning 341c/week in wool value.

It was just one of the outcomes from the Australian Fleece Competition performance class which allow comparison of wool from stud sheep shorn in six or eight month cycles.

The top performing fleece was 17.9 micron and weighed 5.3 kilograms greasy, with the ewe growing 167 grams and increasing staple length by 3.29mm each week, producing a total value of 341c weekly.

It was one of three fleeces exhibited by Kedleston Park, operated by John and Rosemary Humbert from Calivil all of which were in the top five for the class.

John and Rosemary Humbert, Kedleston Park at Calivil, with their fleece that earned them broad ribbons and earning more than 340c/week. Picture: Michelle Cail/Gingerhouse Photography

Their first place fleece was from a sheep shorn with 24 weeks wool growth. In that time, the staple length was 79mm for a total fleece value of $81.76.

Their other fleeces worked out at 146 and 150g a week, and earned 187-207c wool value weekly and were also shorn with 24 weeks growth.

Mr Humbert said knowing this information could help some producers to do their budgets on things like supplementary feeding, as they could compare the weekly cost to the weekly return.

He acknowledged that these were top performing fleeces selected from the best of his stud ewes, but that it was still interesting to see how much wool value was earned week by week.

In his own operation, sheep are shorn twice a year and are meeting the staple length requirements of at least 70mm.

Nutrien Ag Solutions Kyneton manager and fleece show co-ordinator Candice Cordy said it was an interesting concept to think of the value of wool produced by a sheep each week.

“But it is a figure which is useful for wool growers to consider when weighing up their shearing intervals,” Ms Cordy said.

“It could also highlight the benefits of shearing more regularly in some circumstances, on reducing the seasonal variation throughout the wool growth period, which often improves staple strength.”

Ms Cordy said the performance class sections of the Australian Fleece Competition were a useful resource for wool growers who were considering altering their shearing intervals.

“It allows some comparisons to be made between fleeces from a range of bloodlines and geographic locations,” she said.

“Commercial wool producers could use the results from these classes, particularly the fleece value to look at the economic viability of shearing more regularly, once the additional costs have been taken into account.

“Entering fleeces in these classes provides an opportunity for stud breeders to showcase the potential of their bloodlines and flag suitable for more frequent shearing as on of their breeding objectives to ram purchasers.”