Wimmera wool-industry milestone
Wool has played an integral role in the agricultural history of western Victoria and the people involved in the industry remain part of the fabric of regional society.
Wool classers are responsible for quality assurance of the Australian woolclip and are part of the story of Australian wool.
This year represents a 50-year milestone for a Wimmera group of wool classers who have spent lifetimes working with wool and agriculture in general.
Peter Sudholz of Horsham, Tim Sudholz, Natimuk, Peter Mcgennisken, Brimpaen, John Ferrier, Birchip and Chris Bibby, Navarre, have joined an elite group in reaching 50-year Australian Wool Exchange, AWEX, recognition.
The AWEX manages a national wool-classer registration scheme, underpinned by the Industry Code of Practice for the Preparation of Australian Woolclips.
People with Australian Wool-classer registrations, updated every three years, can class wool anywhere in Australia and AWEX formally recognises wool classers with 50 years of continuous registration.
Peter and Tim Sudholz, distant relatives, started their wool-classer training in a group of about a dozen in a process that involved four years of part-time night classes.
Peter Sudholz said during his five decades in wool and agriculture, which had also involved considerable wool-classer training, education and leadership roles, he had seen and experienced many changes in the industry.
“When we started in the early 1970s there were more than 180-million sheep in Australia and nearly every farm in the Wimmera had sheep as well as crops. Now there are about 68-million sheep,” he said.
“A key driver of the reduction was the suspension of the reserve price scheme in 1991 that resulted in a market crash and an exodus of people out of wool.
“Then of course there have also been droughts and other factors, but the Australian wool industry, along with sheep in general, is now very strong in the current climate.
“There is always a lot of price volatility
in wool because it is a global commodity.”
Mr Sudholz said the industry itself had evolved and this had included advances in sheep breeding and genetics, this being evident in merino sheep with their large frame, plainer body and heavier-cutting, finer-fleece wool.
“There’s been improvements and advancements in shearing-shed, sheep-handling facilities, sheep-yard design and workplace safety environments. With improved returns to growers from both sheep and wool there has been a noticeable investment back into infrastructure,” he said.
“There is plenty to consider as the industry keeps evolving. Speaking as a wool classer, one of the variables now has been the introduction of shedding breeds, which can potentially raise the risk of contamination by medullated fibres and cause problem in the dyeing process of wool.”
Mr Sudholz said he remained confident wool would continue to have a strong role in Australian agriculture and looked back fondly on his career.
“It’s been 50 years of industry involvement, not only dealing with sheep and wool, but also providing leadership for and educating and training others in the industry,” he said.
“It has also been a great experience working with and meeting so many different people across such a broad industry.”
Tim Sudholz, who farms near Mt Arapiles and runs 1400 merinos despite having a greater cropping regime than in the past, agreed the wool industry had experienced considerable buoyancy and had undergone many changes.
He said the rise in value of sheep meat had broadened the potential value of running flocks.
“The wool is reasonably good at the moment, but the meat side is now so good,” he said.