Handling Wool to Enhance Value. Ron Cole American Sheep Industry Wool Education Consultant

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1 Handling Wool to Enhance Value Ron Cole American Sheep Industry Wool Education Consultant

2 Meat type sheep - wool total by-product Wool Production main focus on wool production with lambs as by-product Combination of meat and wool production Your focus will help determine breed options that you have! What is your focus?

3 Of good sheep management! If overall production is going well, wool production is optimal If sheep too thin, wool can be thin, tender, brittle and less than staple length If sheep too fat, wool gets much coarser as fibers take on increased lanolin production Wool is a Natural By-Product

4 Color of wool can be off white, yellow or orange ( especially in high humidity areas ) Why spend more $$ for extra feed not needed for normal maintenance? Farm Flock Nutrition and affects

5 Some more than others, determined by the end use of the fibers : Fine Wool goes into high end garments such as Men s and Women s wear micron Medium Wool into mid layer products where skin sensations as not as critical layered garments - sock wear, knitted garments micron) Coarse Wool stiff fibers which can irritate skin causing prickly sensation of garment micron Used in outer wear for wind protection, layers, felting, insulation. All Wool has Value!

6 Micron fineness of wool fibers Length need 75 mm + ( 3 inch ) to spin in worsted system Strength Point of Break important to users of wool and processors of wool VM wools over 3 % suffer discounts hard to work with and remove VM in carding/combing processes Color- some colors such as off-white and yellowish-orange do not dye correctly Value of your wool depends on

7 Dry, overnight stand with no feed and water Ample handling facilities for less stress on man and beast! Clean shearing area, wooden floor or on plywood Adequate labor to process sheep, handle wool, keep area clean and free of contaminants Shearing Day What you should have done to prepare!

8 Whiteface first Fine 1 st, then Medium, then Coarse Crossbred sheep Smut or speckled faces Black face sheep Hair sheep or crosses always last! Always sweep between sheep to limit contaminating next fleece. Pre-Sort sheep before shearing!

9 When you contact shearer, let him know how many you have and what types of sheep Will you be there when he shears? What is he to do with the wool and off sorts Who provides the bags or bales? Does he have a wool bagger or baler? How much does he charge? Is there a set up fee? Pay for travel time? Does he buy the wool too? Shearing

10 Remove the belly first keep separate from fleece Largest area of contamination poly, seeds, burrs, needle grass, etc Different style of wool kinkier and shorter Less Valuable! Shearing Procedure

11 Remove Top Knot, Cheeks and Shanks ( May contain Kemp fibers which are short, stiff, white fibers which do not accept dye and remain white in the fabric Top Knots may contain long, hair like fibers which process like wool but do not accept dyes Can be black or white Fleece remains in 1 full piece Fleece Parts

13 5 Steps to Wool Preparation

14 Minimize Wool Contamination Anything not wool is a contaminant! VM Poly Dirt Paint Hair Step 1

18 Do not heat in fire ( use warm H20 bath ) Do not add anything to dilute paint as this changes the chemical balance Applicator 3 mm wide best Less is Better when applying paint! Paint on Top Knot, Neck, Shoulder, not the middle of the Back! Paint Recommendations

19 Sort Sheep Before Shearing and Package Different Wool types separately Finest whiteface first Then Medium Wools Then Coarse Wools Then Black Sheep Lastly, any Hair or Hair sheep crosses ( Label with a big R to indicate this is Risk Wool Step 2

20 Bellies Out is Standard for our industry Shearers to throw bellies to the side Remove any excess tags Top Knots, cheeks and legs, if contain kemp or hair must be put with sweepings and labled Locks Step 3

23 Full Table Skirt - Optional in most sheep operations Removes short wool, stained wool, skin pieces, second cuts, etc, from main lines Increases value?? Wool under table is short wool /sweepings and usually includes locks, top knots, cheeks, shanks Label as Locks Step 4

24 Classing Puts like wool with like wool establishes lines of wool to increase value of main line of wool Remove shorter wools Remove coarser wools By removing lower value wools, only take a reduced price on limited amounts, rather than lower price on total wool clip Step 5

25 Processing issues in China and India as well as the US, indicate that increased amounts of hair and medulated fibers are in US wools. By separating wools at the shearing site, we are trying to eliminate processing issues and Hopefully adding value to our wool clips Why should I do some or all of these?

26 Hair and Medulated Fibers in U.S. Exported Wools

27 Wool Samples and Fabrics

28 Wool Handling School 2 day school Wool Biology and growth Introduction to Wool Grading and Classing Wool Processing- both Woolen and Worsted Shearing and wool handling procedures Wool fabrics and fabric blends Breeds of sheep Excellent for Hand Spinners $ per person including all materials Wool Improvement Schools

29 Level I School is 3 days 1 day classroom of intensive wool information Wool grading systems blood grades and micron Wool Classing developing classing lines Work 2 days at shearing site handling wool Throwing fleeces, skirting, classing, packaging, labeling, setting up shearing site, etc 2 Tests ( open book ) done in class Wool Biology and Growth factors Wool processing systems, fabric designs and completed garments $ per student with all materials included Wool Classing School

30 Nov NDSU Feb SUU Feb Hettinger, ND Cedar City, UT Ellensburg, WA May UNCR Hopland, CA During CA Shearing School Wool Schools

31 Have a plan in mind, discuss with your shearer and have them work for you to maximize your value. Poor Shearing and wool handling can reduce the value of your wool clip that you spent 12 months producing! Be mind full of animal welfare issues, discuss with shearing boss and workers to eliminate any un-neccesary stress and harm to animals. Be responsible for all sheep and wool handlers on your operation! Recommendations

32 Hand Spinners take Note!

33 Bellies Out Always Skirt your fleeces Take out Sweat Locks, fribs, short wool by throwing on a skirting table and really looking at the fleece! Take out stained wool or off colored wool How coarse are the britches?

34 Happy to answer questions!

ASC-127 PRODUCING AND MARKETING HIGH QUALITY WOOL ISSUED: 5-90 REVISED: G.L.M. Chappell

ASC-127 PRODUCING AND MARKETING HIGH QUALITY WOOL ISSUED: 5-90 REVISED: G.L.M. Chappell Wool is an important commodity on sheep farms and ranches. Producing of high quality wool and achieving the associated