New Zealand Merino Company Central Otago area manager Andrew McNeill, speaking to Southern Rural Life in the shearing shed at Goulburn Station near Moa Creek last week, said the wool was supplied to two merino clothing manufacturers — New Zealand company Icebreaker and United States company Smartwool.
Mr McNeill was visiting the shearing sheds to ensure wool was being classed for colour and strength to meet New Zealand Merino standards.
At Goulburn Station, contract wool classer Sharlene Adamson, of Milton, inspected the wool and sorted it by micron count.
For a four-month period, including winter, Mr McNeill travels between Cromwell, Danseys Pass, Palmerston and Middlemarch visiting farmers who produce about 15,000 bales of wool for New Zealand Merino.
The wool this season had "great colour" but weights were lighter than usual due to dry conditions.
"It has been a tough old season."
The wool from the "massive" sheep at Goulburn Station had bucked the trend, Mr McNeill said.
"These are unreal."
Finer wool sheep performed better in dry conditions than their mid-micron counterparts.
"Your halfbreds do struggle a bit and your big crossbreds like to eat and there hasn’t been much grass around."
Farmers had been feeding baleage and hay but sheep would only continue eating it for so long.
"It is like eating rice every night, they get sick of it."
Shearing gave in-lamb ewes a "bit of life" this time of year.
