Pair pleased with wool price resurgence

Wheatbelt wool growers were enjoying their visit to the Western Wool Centre last week as prices remained firm.

Koorda wheat and sheep farmer Reece Boyne and Kellerberrin farmer Gavin Morgan were both taking a break from their cropping programs to enjoy the higher wool prices.

Both farmers are running an 80/20 cropping and sheep operation using Dohne sheep (Mollerin Rock bloodlines) to use the benefits of a rotational program.

Mr Boyne, who farms with his wife Gina and parents Richard and Fran and uncle Peter, is cropping 8000ha, mostly wheat, and runs 1600 Dohne breeders.

“We had 25 per cent of our crop affected by frost so we now have even more respect for our dual-purpose sheep income,” he said.

Mr Morgan, who farms with his wife Alison, runs 1300 Dohne breeders and said they had an excellent break in the growing season that set up a good finish.

“We had less frost damage, but the sheep showed their worth and we cut an average of 5.5kg of wool per head and lambing per cent was an excellent 120 per cent,” he said.

While the Boyne family received a top-price of 997c/kg greasy for a nine-bale line of 20-micron wool, the Morgan family reached 966c/kg greasy for a 10-bale line of 21-micron fleece.