Fine Wool

Fine Wool

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Wool is defined as the textile fiber obtained from sheep. Wool's scaling and crimp make it easier to spin the fleece by helping the individual fibers attach to each other, so they stay. The crimp or the waviness of the fibre is different from breed to breed. .... The key property that determines the usage of wool is its diameter. The finer the wool, the softer it is, while coarser grades are more durable and less prone to pilling. Harry Soulen of Soulen Livestock which runs approximately 4500 head of sheep in Letha, Idaho was very busy with his crew out of Wyoming shearing when we ran into him, but he had the time to discuss wool prices. "I've talked to some of the wool buyers and people who deal in wool all the time and from what they are telling me is the finer wools, the price is definitely up and demand worldwide is much better for the finer wools. When you get people starting to call about wool and make comments, I think that bodes well for us. I'm hoping for a decent wool market. It's not going to be a runaway but it should be as good or better than last year I hope.”

 

We hope so too. Wool buyers and wool experts judge the fibre diameter of the wool very closely based on their visual assessment of the crimp spacing.

 

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