Bids push up Moldavia clip

The Szczecinski family of Corrigin are enjoying one of their best ever farm-gate returns after topping up on the harvest season with the sale of their Moldavia wool clip.

The 72-bale October shorn clip found good favour with six buyers as bidding competition pushed values above evaluations resulting in a top-price of 1605¢/kg greasy for an eight bale consignment of Moldavia wool this month.

Modiano Australia secured the best-priced Moldavia wool which recorded a 20.3 micron, yield of 71.8 per cent, staple length of 92mm and a strength of 33 newtons per kilotex.

Mark Szczecinski attended the Elders sale with his son Ryan and his wife Jennifer, and their son Jackson, all making up three generations of the family farming business.

“We run Szczecinski Poll Merino breeders with bloodlines back to, most recently Manunda and going further back to Kylie genetics,” he said.

Mr Szczecieaski said his flock was an important component to the 60/40 cropping/sheep enterprise.

“We are experiencing a combination of exceptional values for farm commodities this year because of the Eastern States drought,” he said.

“At this stage of the game, we are not changing our sheep numbers, but it certainly is good to see higher wool prices being maintained.”

The Elders International Wool Report stated that crossbred wools had continued to rise strongly on the back of some fake-fur orders from Chinese processors.

“Several processors are also using these lower risk, lower cost wools to fill uncertain order books,” the Elders report said.

“But even with the almost frenetic buying that went on, buyers were once again selective in their purchasing and only pushing for the better grown, well prepared lines in what is becoming a very clear message.”

The Elders report said most early stage processors were now buying greasy wool for late February or early March delivery, when factories are well and truly back in full production from the holiday season.

“Most seem to have full order books until April, so the need to keep purchasing greasy wool has not dissipated.”