THERE'S good money in wool from Merino wethers, according to Navarre producer Gary Hannett.
While many Merino breeders are quitting their Merino wethers for the sake of running more ewes, Gary thinks a productive woolly Merino wether can be as profitable as other types of sheep enterprises.
To prove the point, Gary was in Melbourne recently for the sale of his May-shorn clip in the Landmark catalogue.
The best of his adult Merino wool, 20.5-micron with a staple strength of 42N/kt, off three-year-old wethers sold for 673c/kg greasy or 946c/kg clean.
Gary estimated that the wethers based on a Wallaloo Park bloodline would have cut 8.5kg, which, after skirtings and oddments, would return almost $55 per head.
Gary said he sheared about 3500 head from a self-replacing flock, which includes 1500 ewes.
He joins about 20 per cent of these ewes to terminal sires for prime lambs.
Gary said he found it profitable to retain a wether until it was three years old.
He said the current prices for his Merino wether wool were considerably up on the 580c/kg of last year.
But while Gary was happy with the recent prices, overall the wool market eased in a larger-than-expected national offering of 51,094 bales.
The Eastern Market Indicator closed recently down 8 cents to 888c/kg clean, but rose 10 cents in US-dollar terms to US774c/kg clean.
The one consolation for superfine wool producers is that the finer than 18-micron types increased in prices at the expense of middle micron wool.
However, historically, the 18-micron indicator was still at a relatively low 25 per cent premium to 21-micron wool.
The recent week's national sales of 37,416 bales in three centres will be the last before a three-week auction recess.
Sales are rostered to recommence on August 11.
