Abstract

At Mount Linton Station the emphasis in wool production is moving away from the concept of quantity alone, towards a philosophy of quantity and quality. The quality component is being driven by end-user requirements. With this in mind we are working closely with a specific company, Summit Wool Spinners in Oamaru. We are also investigating the possibilities for producing specialty crossbred wools, examples of which include the creation of "branded" lines produced under an appellation standard and "chemical-free" wool. The demands of the manufacturer are having an increasing impact on the genetics and ram breeding elements of Mount Linton's wool production system. The change of emphasis towards quality wool production and the genetic requirements for parasite resistance resulting from reduced pesticide use, will put increasing pressure on our ram-breeding enterprises. By capitalising on the large numbers of animals we have available we can meet the challenge of concentrating on producing high quality wool products for specialist markets. To achieve this, the linkage between the farm and the end-user is vital to the future of Mount Linton Wools.

A, McGregor

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 55, , 330-331, 1995