Holy Sheep! Wool Prices Hit Decade High!

A combination of reduced sheep numbers worldwide and a weak U.S. Dollar have made prices for U.S. wool more attractive than they’ve been in years.  Northern Ag spoke with Larry Prager of Center of the Nation Wool on Monday about these high prices. 

Acknowledging that 1988 was the high-price year that most producers would remember, Larry told us that prices haven’t been this high for a number of years.

Improvements in wool preparation have also given U.S. growers broader exposure to the world market.

Larry explained what is different now from a year ago.

The American Sheep Industry Association gave the following price report in their weekly newsletter on Friday, May 14, 2010:

Price ($/pound) Clean, Delivered. 18 micron (Grade 80s) NA, 19 micron (Grade 80s) 4.15, 20 micron (Grade 70s) NA, 21 micron (Grade 64-70s) 3.48, 22 micron (Grade 64s) 3.14, 23 micron (Grade 62s) 3.06-3.31, 24 micron (Grade 60-62s) 2.80, 25 micron (Grade 58s) 2.10, 26 micron (Grade 56-58s) 2.04, 27 micron (Grade 56s) NA. 

© Northern Ag Network 2010

Russell Nemetz & Haylie Shipp