Christmas came early for woolgrowers this month with the wool market closing out the 2023 calendar year strongly following two consecutive weeks of rises.
In the past two sales, the Western Market Indicator (WMI) rose 54 cents to finish at 1343 cents per kilogram clean in the final sale for 2023 held last week.
This is the highest the WMI has been in the past six months and now the season to date, with the previous best being 1341c/kg in sale two on July 11.
Since sale 15, when the WMI bottomed out to a 2023/24 selling season low of 1251c/kg on October 11, the indicator has seen a rising trajectory despite some up and down movement over the journey.
Since the start of the season in July, the micron price guides (MPG) have also been either above or within eight cents of those achieved in sale two.
The 18, 18.5 and 21 MPGs all finished last week above the July levels sitting at 1645c/kg, 1560c/kg and 1378c/kg clean to be up 24 cents, 19c and 16c respectively.
The 19, 19.5 and 20 MPGs last week were 1502c/kg, 1448c/kg and 1403c/kg, back 8c, 2c and 3c on sale two values.
Dyson Jones wool marketing specialist Tim Chapman said during the past six months, growers had seen a couple of spikes but mainly a downward trend in wool prices.
"However, since sale 18, at the beginning of November, we have started to see the market move in a more positive direction with some reasonable spikes being achieved," Mr Chapman said.
"In the past two weeks (sales 23 and 24) the 18 micron and finer types are back to the levels of sale one and two while the rest are within 5-10 cents."
Mr Chapman said the upward trend of the past month and a half was due to lower volumes on the market and added demand mainly from China.
"We are also starting to see the shipping side improve which is helpful," he said.
"In the previous couple of years on the back of the pandemic we have been seeing purchased wool not being shipped for long periods which was causing timing difficulties for buyers."
Two of those growers who were able to capitalise on the rising wool market over the past two sales were superfine woolgrowers Jim and Faye Pepper, Mumballup, who sold in sale 23 on December 6 through Dyson Jones Wool Marketing Services.
The Peppers sold 14 bales of non-mulesed superfine wool in the sale, averaging 14.7 micron from a September shearing from between 2000 and 3180c/kg greasy.
Two bales of hoggets wool from the clip topped not only the week's sale prices but the season's prices to date across all agents when they sold at 4380c/kg clean or 3180c/kg greasy.
The line measured 14.0 micron, 72.6 per cent yield, 0.7pc vegetable matter, 34N/kt, 75mm staple length (SL) and a co-efficient variation of length of 12.
The Peppers also sold one bale of 13.9 micron wool with a 64mm SL for 3000c/kg greasy.
Mr Chapman said both lines of Pepper's wool were purchased by Russell Fraser, Techwool Trading for a national specialised order for a client producing specialty fine fabric.
Mr Pepper, who classed the clip, said this year they shore 800 ewes, wethers and hoggets.
"We try to run 250 breeding ewes and we have three main families in the flock bloodlines based on Misty Hills, Serena Park and Rowensville," Mr Pepper said.
"Our mature ewes cut 3.5-4kg usually, while our micron was a bit lower this year compared to past years as we had to run the sheep a little bit harder as we had a few more on the property than in the past.
"We also haven't mulesed in eight years so sometimes it can become a bit challenging when we are looking for new genetics."
