EIGHTEEN students from the WA College of Agriculture Cunderdin toured the Australian Wool Testing Authority (AWTA) and Westcoast Wool & Livestock recently to watch the sale of the school’s 2018 wool clip.
The 49 bale clip exceeded valuation expectations, and topped the sale for that day.
Students who completed their Certificate III in Wool Clip Preparation were involved in the tour, and shown all aspects of wool testing prior to wool being lotted and sold at auction.
Mr Rob Hallion from AWTA took the students throughout the testing complex, showing them all testing areas.
WA College of Agriculture Cunderdin assistant farm manager Leanne Grant Williams said the tour was an informative excursion for the students, who gained a greater understanding of the processes involved in selling wool.
“Students came away with a good insight into the testing functions for all wool prior to being sold,” Ms Grant Williams said.
“One of our students was also able to see his family’s wool being sold.”
During the tour, Westcoast Wool & Livestock director wool export trading John Kirkpatrick took students to the wool selling centre, before students travelled to the Westcoast Wool & Livestock stores for lunch and to view the college wool on the show floor.
Students were able to compare their wool with a wide variety of clips from across the State.
Westcoast Wool & Livestock manager Brad Faithfull, who auctioned the wool clip, showed the students around the Westcoast wool complex, including the receiving area where wool was unloaded off road trains and trucks by two forklifts.
The tour included the value adding wool area where cotted wool was broken up by drum machines and the crutchings processing section.
“Students were fascinated by the process where dag wool was separated and the manure was pelletised and the wool recovered,” Ms Grant Williams said.
The tour concluded with information on the wool being containerised for shipping overseas and the market expectations for wool production in the future.
