The European financial crisis and the high cost of wool are being blamed for carpet maker Cavalier Corporation's significant drop in sales for the first quarter of its financial year.
An offering of 11,272 bales of North Island wool last week saw an 87% clearance and a strong market for the coarser wools.
From Pleasant Point in South Canterbury, Mr Hessell has been shearing for "30 odd years" and, in January, was appointed regional training manager for Tectra.
Prices for most types of wool at the combined auction of North and South Island wool in Christchurch on Thursday finished cheaper than the previous week's sale.
Australian wool buyer and exporter Viterra is expanding its wool business into the New Zealand market.
Prices for most wool types continued their upward trajectory at last week's combined sale of North Island and South Island wool in Christchurch, despite an unfavourable currency factor.
David Studholme believes New Zealand's wool industry has turned the corner.
A rare double was scored by Allan and Simon Paterson this week - the top fleeces from their Gimmerburn stock won both the fine wool and the strong wool championship at the National Golden Fleece awards.
Cavalier Wool Holdings has made a $40 million conditional offer for the assets and liabilities of wool scour operator and marketer New Zealand Wool Services International (WSI).
State science company AgResearch says it will commercialise a wool dyeing process which allows vibrant colouring of wool fabrics and could potentially earn millions of dollars.
Prices held up well at the Central Otago Stud Merino Breeders sale at the Upper Clutha A and P Show in Wanaka this month, with the average price $1925, just above the average set at the Tekapo sale two weeks ago of $1900 and well above last year's average of about $1800.
Wool prices last week reached levels not seen since the late 1980s.
The wool debate of 2010-11 must not be allowed to end with the failure of farmers to fully subscribe for shares in the proposed Wool Partners Co-operative.
The 2000 farmers who supported the failed bid to form the Wool Partners Co-operative could end up owning all or part of a wool company.
RJ (John) Wilson admits the timing of the release of a wool press developed and built in Mosgiel could not have been better.
Farmers of fine wool appear to be flocking to support a new meat marketing structure which its promoters say could be a blueprint for the wider meat industry.
A new farmer-owned wool exporter and marketer needs farmers to commit a further 15 million to 20 million kilograms of strong wool for Wool Partners Co-operative to proceed.
Wool marketer New Zealand Merino and meat company Silver Fern Farms are forming a joint venture to market and promote merino branded sheep meat and by-products.
Once again, debate over the structure of a key farm export is ripping the sheep industry apart, yet the perilous start of the wool industry appears insufficient to unite farmers and drive change to a sector that is in decline. Agribusiness editor Neal Wallace asks why.
David Douglas hopes a group of United States innovators can do for wool what they did for LCD flat-screen television producer Samsung.
