The dress on the front cover is made from Wilfield 28 micron wool and has won fashion awards. It is MAGNIFICANT! Your wool can be used for these garments also and bring you a premium. Welcome to the 2007 edition of our newsletter. The last two farming years for all sheep farmers have been challenging. Margins have become smaller, with a need for improved efficiencies and better returns. We, at Wilfield are striving to achieve a contribution to both. With regard to meat our influence is to provide you with more highly fertile, faster growing and higher yielding rams. The meat companies inform us of approx 10% better lamb prices throughout the season which will be greatly appreciated. On the wool front, the launch of the Cariboo blanket has been very positive with a promised significantly improved return to growers. To date few growers have received the benefits from these blankets or more importantly from the technology that has developed the spun yarn. The ability to reduce the fibre diameter by approximately 5 micron, shifts our wool into a completely different end use. We have a yarn that dries 5 times faster than other woollen products, remains warm and softer to handle, has antibacterial qualities, with significantly reduced pilling and is machine washable. In the Cariboo project, wool is currently $8 per kilogram clean, This is approximately 40% above the auction price, providing it has a minimum bulk score of 26 grams per cubic centre metre. Smart Wool contracts are approximately $10 per kilogram for 23 micron wool. The price to Cariboo is not huge compared to where we may be able to position ourselves in the near future. As stated at the World Corriedale Conference in Christchurch, the Corriedale sheep is the Sheep of the Future, when producing 1.5 lambs per ewe mated and 6 kilograms of 28 micron wool. PURETEC BLANKETS Wrap Your Baby in Natural Perfection! From the family of Cariboo Earth comes the naturally beautiful Earth range of Cariboo Puretec blankets. As with all Cariboo Earth products, our exquisite 100% wool Earth blankets feature more natural earth tones and are available in a variety of knits and weaves that result in a naturally soothing look and feel. Cariboo together with Puretec New Zealand have created the first 100% wool nursery blanket to be: 100% Natural High warmth-to-weight Completely hypo-allergenic Anti-prickle & Anti-itch Eco-dye colored Quick drying Formaldehyde free Naturally fire-retardant, Environmentally sustainable Available in five colors: Natural Chocolate Pink Blue Sage
Corriedale 2.0 Sheep for the future Approximately 150 visitors from 10 different countries gathered in Christchurch during late March 2007 to participate in the 13th World Corriedale Congress. Following a five day tour of leading South Island studs from North Canterbury to Central Otago, including a visit to our Wilfield stud. Participants visited the South Island Agricultural field days at Lincoln, two days of conference at Lincoln University, a special corriedale sheep show at Canterbury Park and a fantastic fashion show at the Christchurch Town Hall where most garments were made from corriedale wool including the stunning dress on the front cover of this newsletter. Our highlights were: Hosting of the tour group for two hours The realisation and confirmation that we are World Leaders in breeding Corriedale Sheep Producing the Wool for the dress on the front cover of this newsletter that was exhibited at the Corriedale Fashion Parade An evening in Paris Being placed 1st or 2nd in all 5 classes we entered in the World Corriedale Congress Show. Photos above are of the recent World Corriedale Congress visit to Wilfield Stud.
Corriedale 2.0 Staying Power Longevity, bred to perform year after year The replacement cost of production units (breeding ewe) is a cost on a sheep farm. Because the corriedale has a longer productive life there is a need for less replacement ewes each year. Experts suggest the corriedale on average breeds for 2 more years than a crossbreed/composite ewe. Those extra 2 years on our place currently return approximately $240 gross whereas the replacement ewe hogget carries a cost of approximately $40 i.e. Corriedales will produce for 30% longer than crossbred/composite ewes therefore there is a need for 30% less hogget's to be grown Family Values Recorded pedigree and performance The increased use of production records and pedigree performance (SIL) has allowed progressive sheep farmers to be more profitable by making predictions based on historical data. The progressive corriedale farmers realise that increased lambing percentage is the quickest way to increasing their profitability. A Good Yarn High quality, high value wool The value of our wool will be enhanced enormously by new technology that allows the fibre to have a reduced micron shift as well as being machine washable and a drying time 5 times greater than other woollen fibres. The added value to growers should be significant within a short period. Well Hung Consistent quality meat The Alliance Central Progeny Test identifies the Corriedale as being in the top 10 for Growth, Eye Muscle Area, Meat Colour, Fat Colour and PH. X Factor The ability to stabilise cross-breeding. The Corriedale as a maternal breed when crossbred with terminal sires consistently wins lamb competitions at many Agricultural and Pastoral Shows. Recent breeding policies of farms is to harvest hybrid vigour.
Woolgrowers Marketing update There have been considerable developments in the marketing of mid micron wool during Woolgrowers Marketing s short history. Background Mid Micron Wools NZ Inc set up Woolgrowers Marketing as its commercial arm in an effort to increase the demand and price to growers. Many efforts have been explored in marketing our wool. Direct selling to Chinese mills Qifa, Wuxi and Sanli Processing wool including fleece and selected pieces. Selling by auction in China Nanjing Wool Auction Producing and selling yarn South Canterbury Textiles Selling wool into Eastern Europe Development of new technology and development of yarn and/or product Nuyarn All options are still possibilities; however the Chinese market is extremely dependant on the exchange rate and the importance of price over quality. Alan Gallagher and Carol McGeady (Preston International) developed a baby blanket using the Nuyarn (micron reduction) process which was launched in Christchurch in early August. An international audience greeted the launch of the Purtec blanket with much excitement and enthusiasm. One distributor from USA who has 1700 outlets spoke very encouragingly about the blankets future and requested an initial order, whilst David Jones in Australia has recently decided to stock their 52 Australian stores with the blankets. Alan and Carol attended the Las Vegas Trade Show for children s products, after which Carol travelled on to Cologne to a trade show with her European distributor. Whilst orders slowly come in and the market assesses the value of this outstanding product, Woolgrowers Marketing has some issues to address. The main issue is the resignation of Alan and the loose ends that remain following his departure. The board of Woolgrowers Marketing believe that the product is outstanding, but is only one of many products that can be produced from the Nuyarn technology. A technology that may revolutionise the wool industry! We, at Wilfield are actively involved in assisting and supporting Woolgrowers Marketing to achieve improved returns for all mid micron growers. www.woolgrowers.co.nz The Importance of Bulk This test determines the ability of wool to fill space and recover after repeated compression. It is significant in determining the thickness of the yarn and ease with which it can be processed, and the amount of yarn required to make a product look full. Core Bulk is measured in grams per cubic centre meter. New Zealand Wool Testing Authority website The reality is that baby blankets made from high bulk wool are light weight but bulky to handle. A requirement of a reading of 26 grams per cubic centre metre, or greater is preferred for Woolgrowers contracts. Wilfield Corriedale ram hogget's have had bulk measurements taken from their hogget side samples and are included in their data. The extra cost of testing is included in the base price of each corriedale ram.
Great Result Warwick Lissaman is one of our most important clients. Not just because Warwick and Lisa buy rams from us, but because they are passionate corriedale breeders, have shown significant production increases and have been finalists in the previous two corriedale farmer of the year competitions. In the last five years Warwick has made significant progress with regard to production from his Corriedale flock as the following graphs indicate. 2007 Corriedale Farmer of the Year We are very proud to supply Lew and Marg Wright, from Hawarden with rams. They are this years winner of the NZ Corriedale Society s $3000 first prize. Marg and Lew Wright look to do the basics well and keep things simple - Country-Wide The lambs scanned at 146% last season and first draft weighed 17.3kgs at 10 weeks. Overall, the average fleece weight including ewes and hogget's was 5.3 kg at 29 micron Christchurch Press Lew has kept his focus on constantly working to deliver top results from his farm. His stock and pasture management are textbook examples of how to get the best from quite tough country Edward Orr, competition judge Key points are: 50% more kilograms of lamb weaned per ewe mated 25 % improved weaning weight 12% increased in growth rate 21% increase in lambing percentage 34% more kilograms of lamb weaned per ewe mated compared to farm class average Into the top 25% for lamb weaning weight compared to farm class average 26% above average lambing percentage at 3 kilograms lighter mating weight OUTSTANDING! We at Wilfield are very proud to be associated with Warwick and Lisa s improvement Their key asset was a superior ewe-lambing percentage over the top 20(%), and that gave them more lambs to sell. Because they had more lambs and lower expenses, their bottom line was above the top 20% Gary Walton, judge from Meat and Wool He (Lew) has always taken the view that if he is going to shear a sheep, it may as well be a decent one. The tough, dual-purpose corriedale breed, with its fine mid-micron fleece, fits the bill Christchurch Press
Wilfield Achievements 2007 Footrot Resistant Statistics (2006 numbers) Cold Tolerance Statistics - 84 1-1 (70) - 17 AA (20) - 22 1-2 (11) - 73 1-3 (50) 209 with a 1 in their footscore Christchurch Show 2006 World Corriedale Congress Show - 1st, 3rd and 4th Corriedale Ewe Hogget Feature class - 1st Aged Woolly Ram - 1st & 2nd Corriedale Ewe Hogget Feature class Team (best 3 hogget s) - 2nd Woolly 2th Ram - 3rd Corriedale Commercial Ram Hogget Pair of the year - 2nd SIL Woolly 2th Ram - 2nd and 3rd Corriedale Aged woolly rams - 1st, 3rd and 4th 2th Ewe - 2nd SIL Ewe of any age Country-Wide National Ewe Hogget Competition PPCS Belfast Cup- Prime lamb Production - 2nd Fine wool section Ram Hogget's tested for bulk especially for Cariboo blanket project Ram Hogget's Faecal Egg Tested under severe challenge - 2nd
S3 - Sheep Sustainability Strategy Pin-up Rams best in the Country Christchurch Press August 31st 2007 Industry recommendations 2007 John Bates The S3 project was run over 3 years from 2004-2007 and worked with 37 ram breeders from the merino and mid micron industries. The principal focus was to look at methods and strategies that would quantify and then reduce the internal parasite problem for these sectors. There has been a lot of talk about drench resistance in sheep worms over the last few years as it has become apparent that the problem is escalating at an alarming rate. Drench resistance is a genetic trait of the parasites whereby they develop the ability to survive a dose of anthelmintic that would normally be expected to kill them. The genes for resistance and the mode of resistance are different for each drench family, and the genes are present in all worm populations and on all farms In brief the recommendations are: A) Manage Internal Parasites 1. Choose a drench that works. Undertake a Drench Resistance Test and find out which drenches work for you. Every farm is different The latest rankings of the top (terminal) rams in New Zealand are out Probably the most important (trait) is the growth index, a weighted assessment of two key traits the weaning weight of a lamb and how much its carcass weighs at slaughter. The surprise of the growth index is that it is topped by a Hampshire ram Lambs from this ram were worth $2.92 each more than the lambs produced by the average of 120 rams tested Another hampshire ram in the trial was 5 th. However, when growth and meat indexes are combined, the top ram is a texel whose lambs were worth $4.53 more than average The Alliance Central Progeny test has been running for 5 years and only uses rams from SIL recorded flocks. On our farm the Hampshire is an under rated terminal sire. We are also experimenting with crossing the Hampshire with the texel in an attempt to maximise the fast growth rate of the Hampshire with the toughness and improved muscling of the texel. We are delighted with the progress so far. 2. Purchase rams from breeders that have an effective quarantine drenching programme and selection program for highly productive sheep with low faecal egg outputs 3. Develop a multi-functional approach to assessing stock parasite burdens and requirements for anthelmintic treatment. B) Quarantine Programmes 1. Drench resistance can either develop on-farm or be imported onto a property as resistant parasites within stock 2. Quarantine drench all animals coming onto the property with a 3 in 1 anthelmintic e.g. Triton C) Breed for Resistance 1. Breeders should be encouraged and supported to breed stock (both ewes and rams) that are more resistant to internal parasites (i.e. animals which have low average faecal egg outputs) with the aim to reduce levels of parasite contamination of pasture while maintaining productivity and performance. 2. Choose rams with high productive traits and low Faecal Egg Count information
S3 - Sheep Sustainability Strategy Cont... All corriedale ram hogget's have been Faecal Egg tested in late autumn when under significant worm challenge. The mob average before testing was in excess of 800 eggs per gram. The range in eggs per gram were from 11,000 at the highest to 0 eggs at the lowest. Wilfield will cover the cost of testing this year at no cost to clients. Laboratory costs are in excess of $10 per sample. So its time for you to do your maths. Order your Wilfield Rams today and make a difference to your flock. WILFIELD CORRIEDALES G.R. and R.W. Wilson Phone / Fax 03 3478939 1213 Main West Road, Mobile/Text 021 1583866 West Melton, Email robin.wilfield@xtra.co.nz Christchurch 7671. 2007 Flock Ram Price List (GST exclusive) All Corriedale Base Rams include SIL data and Wool measurements including Bulk as required for the Cariboo Project. Faelcal Egg Counts are also included free of charge. Base Ram $450 Premiums for: Gold Mark $400 SIL Index > 800 (limited supply) Silver Mark $300 SIL Index > 1100 (limited supply) Footrot Resistance 1-1 $400 (limited supply) Footrot Resistance 1-2 $300 (limited supply) Footrot Resistance 1-3 $200 (limited supply) Footrot Resistance 2-2 $200 (limited supply) Cold Tolerant AA $100 (Limited Supply) Example purchase: Base ram + Silver Mark + Footrot Resistant 1-3 + Cold Tolerant AA = Ram Purchase $450 + $300 + $200 + $100 = $1050 Base Ram $500, Ram lamb $250 Wilfield Vasectomised Rams $150 WILFIELD MEAT (Hampshire, Hampshire-Texel or Suffolk-Texel)
Glossary Goldmark Identifies a ram hogget who s Sheep Improvement Limited (SIL) Index, places it in the top 10% across all SIL recorded corriedales flocks Silvermark Identifies a ram hogget who s SIL Index is within the top 25% across all SIL recorded corriedale flocks Footrot Resistant 1-1. A ram that has the most resistance to footrot. Each hogget gets one footrot gene from each parent. 1 being the most resistant, 5 being the most susceptible. Therefore a 1-1 is the best and a 5-5 is the worst Cold Tolerant AA A ram that has the most resistance to Cold mortality. Each hogget gets one cold tolerant gene from each parent. A being the most resistant to cold mortality, C being the most susceptible to cold mortality Please indicate with a tick in the box below stating your required ram needs and in the last box write down the numbers of each category ram you require. The FR stands for footrot and the type of ram resistance you need. Cold stands for the cold tolerant. See the example below and please include your name and phone number. Rams Base Ram Gold Silver Cold FR 1-1 FR 1-2 FR 1-3 FR 2-2 Corriedale 5 No Req.. Wilfield Ram Purchases 2007-2008 New & Existing Clients Please Register Your Interest Send to : Robin Wilson Your name :.. 1213 Main West Coast Road West Melton Phone Number :. RD 1 Christchurch Ph/Fax (03) 3478 939 Email robin.wilfield@xtra.co.nz Corriedale Corriedale Corriedale Hampshire Rams Base Ram Gold Silver Cold FR 1-1 FR 1-2 FR 1-3 FR 2-2 Hampshire/ Texel Suffolk/Texel Teaser Rams No Req..