ISSUE 71 JUNE 2017 PROFIT FROM WOOL INNOVATION www.wool.com TENNIS ACE RAFAEL NADAL SPORTS MERINO WOOL 06 36 44 WOOL WEEK MERINO LIFETIME NEW SHED MARKETING PRODUCTIVITY SHOWS OPTIMISM www.wool.com/btb 18 COUNTRY ROAD 36 MERINO LIFETIME EDITOR WINTER CAMPAIGN PRODUCTIVITY PROJECT Richard Smith E [email protected] CONTRIBUTING WRITER OFF ON Lisa Griplas -FARM -FARM E [email protected] 4 Rafael Nadal and Tommy Hilfiger 32 The Truth About Wool national tour Australian Wool Innovation Limited A L6, 68 Harrington St, The Rocks, 5 Farage suits the Sydney Swans 34 Profitable wool in WA’s Wheatbelt Sydney NSW 2000 GPO Box 4177, Sydney NSW 2001 6 Wool Week Australia 35 MyMobTracker app P 02 8295 3100 E [email protected] W wool.com 10 Burton and Merino snowboarding 36 Merino Lifetime Productivity update AWI Helpline 1800 070 099 SUBSCRIPTION 11 XTM’s Merino snow gear 38 Wild dog and fox workshops Beyond the Bale is available free. To subscribe contact AWI 12 ORTOVOX traceability campaign 39 New Farmer Footrot Tool P 02 8295 3100 E [email protected] 14 New knitting technologies 40 Breeding for breach strike resistance Beyond the Bale is published by Australian Wool Innovation Ltd (AWI), a company 15 Australian’s Merino tennis apparel 42 Treating lice on pregnant ewes funded by Australian woolgrowers and the Australian Government. AWI’s goal is to help 16 GQ China shoots in Melbourne 44 New shed an investment in the future increase the demand for wool by actively selling Australian wool and its attributes Wool given the royal treatment through investments in marketing, innovation 16 46 Training website to improve shearing and R&D – from farm to fashion and interiors. 17 Merino wool’s passage to India 47 Code of conduct woolshed poster COPYRIGHT Material in Beyond the Bale is copyright. 18 Country Road’s winter woollies 48 Shear-jitsu helps prevent injury Reproduction of the material is encouraged. However prior permission must be obtained 20 International Woolmark Prize 49 Shearing showcased to the public from the Editor. 21 An enduring relationship with wool 50 Sophie Huf: Aussie wool handler DISCLAIMER To the extent permitted by law, Australian 22 Smitten with Merino 51 Making More From Sheep Wool Innovation Ltd excludes all liability for loss or damage arising from the use of, 23 Huntsman on Savile Row 52 Trends in wool quality discounts or reliance on, the information contained in this publication. The Woolmark symbol is a certification mark 24 Double Rainbouu debuts wool 53 Nuffield Scholarships close soon registered in many countries. © 2017 Australian Wool Innovation Ltd. All 25 Ten Pieces: ten out of ten 54 Jackaroo training course to expand rights reserved. 25 Bradford Textile Society awards 55 Monaro Farming Systems trainee ADVERTISING SALES Max Hyde, Hyde Media Pty Ltd 26 Japanese set on Aussie wool 56 EMI’s stellar run continues P 03 5659 5292 E [email protected] 27 AEG’s care label project 57 Merino segment continues its rise Advertising is subject to terms and conditions published on the ratecard, which is available Educating textile students 58 An insider’s view on China from Hyde Media. 28 ISSN 30 Hong Kong Wool Resource Centre 59 Market insights from Stuart Ford 1447-9680 31 Wool springs into Korean bedding 60 Woolgrower trip to China FRONT COVER Tennis ace Rafael Nadal fronts the latest AWI- 62 Readers’ photos supported marketing campaign by premium apparel brand Tommy Hilfiger, stepping out AWI INVESTMENT STRATEGIES in three Woolmark-certified suits crafted from Sheep Processing Innovation Australian Merino wool. See page 4. Marketing Woolgrower Business Production Services & Education Extension Services WOOL.COM WOOLMARK.COM To subscribe to the free monthly AWI e-newsletter MERINO.COM for woolgrowers, and the weekly wool market review e-newsletter, visit www.wool.com/subscribe facebook.com/TheWoolmarkCompany twitter.com/woolinnovation twitter.com/woolmark youtube.com/AWIWoolProduction instagram.com/TheWoolmarkCompany wool.com/podcast youtube.com/TheWoolmarkCompany View Beyond the Bale online with image galleries BtB and video at http://beyondthebale.wool.com GD2457 UPFRONT 3 GETTING ON WITH BUSINESS We are continuing with initiatives to help increase the demand for wool through investments in marketing Stuart McCullough and R&D – from farm to fashion. Chief Executive Officer Australian Wool Innovation POSITIVE WOOL for many producers, but those producers who AUSTRALIAN fit wool within their business are finding it PRICES CONTINUE works well and is an important additional WOOL WEEK Wool prices have continued their strong enterprise. Given the recent past experience Australian retailers came together for Wool start to 2017. While the EMI surpassed 1,400c of variable seasonal conditions, plus the high Week which was held in May to coincide for the first two months of the year, it has input costs of cropping, producers in the with the start of the Australian winter retail gone on to reach above 1,500c for almost wheat-sheep zone and low rainfall areas are season. An initiative that arose from the global all of the subsequent three months. We all seeing the benefit of having a wool enterprise Campaign for Wool, Wool Week champions hope these prices can be sustained over to manage their risk. the eco-credentials of the fibre, making the long-term to reward the hard work and it the perfect choice for today’s conscious loyalty that woolgrowers have demonstrated NEW STRAIN OF consumer – for products from luxurious fine towards the fibre. With supply having not RABBIT CALICIVIRUS Merino wool apparel through to beautiful diminished, I believe the strong prices are hardwearing interior products for the home. due to a consistent and steady long-term A strain of rabbit calicivirus (RHDV1 K5) This year, AWI also collaborated with leading shift in consumer sentiment towards the new to Australia was released in March at shopping centre Westfield for its winter fibre and appreciation for its premium 550 sites across the country. Laboratory tests fashion campaign, celebrating Australian natural qualities. With international retail on samples recently collected from dead wild wool, the growers who produce the fibre and spending down, other competitive fibre rabbits in NSW, Victoria, ACT, Queensland, the designers who use it. It was pleasing to see prices depressed, four per cent more wool South Australia and Western Australia, so many store fronts promoting wool – we are on the market this year and wool prices indicate that they had the K5 strain. While fortunate to have great brands to help do this continuing to go up, we are clearly seeing it is still too early to see how widespread during Wool Week. genuine and significant demand which the impact of the K5 release will be, it is demonstrates our market strategies have encouraging to hear that release sites have AWI PODCAST FOR had an effect. reportedly seen an impressive 42 per cent WOOLGROWERS average reduction in wild rabbit numbers UPHOLDING STANDARDS and there has been confirmation that K5 AWI’s free podcast, The Yarn, which was has already spread from some release sites. launched last year, has been well received by IN THE SHED Australian woolgrowers. It is an audio report This initiative will boost other biocontrol designed to be listened to on a smartphone or Adequate numbers of highly skilled activity and help woolgrowers increase on a computer, and complements our other professional staff to harvest and handle the their productivity. Australian wool clip is vital to the Australian regular communications to woolgrowers such wool industry. For its part, AWI provides WOOLGROWERS as Beyond the Bale, monthly e-newsletter funds for shearer and wool handler training, and market intelligence updates. The Yarn and shearing competitions, to help encourage HIGHLIGHTED IN includes reports from our staff across the better techniques and professionalism MARKETING world on marketing initiatives to increase the demand for Australian wool, plus our on-farm in shearing and woolhandling. Just as The source of Australian wool and the and off-farm R&D results. I recommend that vital – not only in every shearing shed in stories of the woolgrowers that grow the you take a listen. Further details are available Australia but for the entire wool industry fibre are increasingly being used by industry at www.wool.com/podcast – is woolgrowers having their sheep and partners in their marketing to consumers. shed well prepared for shearing, upholding Australian lifestyle brand Country Road and the best in animal welfare, and setting German mountainwear company ORTOVOX NEW AWI GENERAL standards for their entire shearing team. are two examples of companies that are MANAGER, RESEARCH Good communication between woolgrowers, using Australian wool’s provenance story After a thorough search for suitable contractors and shearing teams is essential, as a core ingredient in their high-value end candidates for the significant role of General and displaying the industry’s ‘code of conduct’ product. You can read about their latest Manager, Research, I am delighted to welcome poster in the shed can help woolgrowers marketing campaigns on pages 18 and 12 Dr Jane Littlejohn back to AWI. Having ensure standards are met. Copies of the respectively. Australian wool has a wonderful previously held the role of General Manager, poster are available from AWI (see page 47). story and I am confident that we will On farm Research at AWI, Dr Littlejohn has a continue to see an increasing enthusiasm strong and proven track record in managing MIXED ENTERPRISES of leading brands to use the farm to fashion this portfolio and delivering on-farm results How and where wool fits into a mixed narrative to help market their wool products for woolgrowers. She has spent the past year enterprise has often been a difficult question to consumers.