News

IWTO Meeting – December 2002

 

The International Wool Textiles Organisation met in Nice, France, at the Hotel Plaza Concorde, from Friday 29th November 2002 until Wednesday 4th December 2002. This northern winter meeting is usually smaller in its attendance than the summer meeting, which last year was held in Barcelona. On this occasion there were approximately 70 delegates, 16 of whom were from Australia.

Now that China is a major user of raw wool and producer of wool products IWTO has accepted a proposal from Australia that at least every second ‘winter meeting’ be held in China or elsewhere in Asia. The next winter meeting will be in Shanghai.

Detailed information about the commercial, technical and administrative activities discussed during the meeting can be obtained from the IWTO Website (http://www.iwto.org). A summary of the issues relating to services delivered by AWTA Ltd is provided here.

IWTO-DTM-60-1 (Draft Test Method for Fineness of Fibre Ends)

This Test Method, still in the process of development, is intended to assist in identifying raw material that is likely to produce more comfortable fabrics (less prickle). All IWTO Test Methods require precision data. This information for the draft test method was presented and accepted.

IWTO-30 (Staple Length & Strength)

It was agreed that reporting of Tip, Mid and Base will be changed from the nearest 5% to the nearest 1%. IWTO-30 will be amended accordingly.

Note: Commercial laboratories, including AWTA Ltd, already do this. This amendment simply ensures that the standard conforms to current practice.

Curvature

A proposal to use Interwoollabs Tops to calibrate for curvature was accepted in principle. A recommendation to re-form the TX/12 Curvature Working Group to re-examine the Draft Test Method and to organise a round trial to test the proposed calibration concept was accepted.

IWTO-47 (OFDA)

The results of a comprehensive international round trial were presented to the Christchurch meeting of IWTO in April 2000. Among other things this demonstrated that the OFDA100 could not simultaneously measure Mean Fibre Diameter and Standard Deviation with an acceptable accuracy. A separate calibration was required for each parameter. The relevant Test Method, IWTO-47, was amended to require separate calibrations for certification of these parameters.

Hotel Plaza Concorde – Nice.

Atlas Instrument.

AWTA Ltd has been using curvature measurements on Interwoollabs Tops as a quality control tool since the introduction of Laserscan.

OFDA100.

Traditional method for Ash measurement.

Almeter.

Laboratory Colorimeter.

A proposal to the Nice meeting to remove this requirement was rejected. The proposer indicated in his presentation that other laboratories were still observing the differences that led to the initial amendment and therefore could not corroborate the data on which his proposal was based. It was agreed that further work is required to explain these differences.

IWTO-19 (Yield & VMB)

A proposal to permit the use of Near Infrared Reflection for ash prediction during Yield testing did not get support. It was agreed that more data is required determine the impact on the precision of Yield testing and that a method is required for deciding when the traditional ashing technique should be used. The latter is necessary to detect very high ash values, since the data is suggesting that NIR itself can be unreliable where high ash levels, particularly due to the presence of dag, are present. It is hoped that all laboratories will work together to bring a recommendation forward to the next meeting in Buenos Aires.

IWTO-17 (Almeter AL100)

The Almeter is an important instrument for the wool industry because it is the basis for specifying the Hauteur and CVH of wool top. However it is technology that dates back to 1978, and is in urgent need of modernisation. The Woolmark Company is funding a project to develop a new instrument, the AL2000, and a working prototype has already been built and is undergoing trials. BSC Electronics, the manufacturer of the OFDA100 and OFDA2000 is also developing an instrument, the OFDA4000, based on imaging techniques, which is designed to simultaneously measure Mean Fibre Diameter, CVD, Hauteur and CVH.

The Woolmark Company reported on its modernisation project, and reported that the prototype AL2000 emulated the AL100 except for small but statistically significant differences in the distribution statistics. The report recommended that the software for the new instrument should emulate the distribution values presented by the AL100. This recommendation was accepted and is to apply to the OFDA4000 also.

The separate Working Groups for Almeter AL2000 and OFDA4000 were amalgamated and are now called ‘Top Length Working Group’.

The International Wool Textiles Organisation met in Nice, France, at the Hotel Plaza Concorde, from Friday 29th November 2002 until Wednesday 4th December 2002. This northern winter meeting is usually smaller in its attendance than the summer meeting, which last year was held in Barcelona. On this occasion there were approximately 70 delegates, 16 of whom were from Australia.

Now that China is a major user of raw wool and producer of wool products IWTO has accepted a proposal from Australia that at least every second ‘winter meeting’ be held in China or elsewhere in Asia. The next winter meeting will be in Shanghai.

Detailed information about the commercial, technical and administrative activities discussed during the meeting can be obtained from the IWTO Website (http://www.iwto.org). A summary of the issues relating to services delivered by AWTA Ltd is provided here.

IWTO-DTM-60-1 (Draft Test Method for Fineness of Fibre Ends)

This Test Method, still in the process of development, is intended to assist in identifying raw material that is likely to produce more comfortable fabrics (less prickle). All IWTO Test Methods require precision data. This information for the draft test method was presented and accepted.

IWTO-30 (Staple Length & Strength)

It was agreed that reporting of Tip, Mid and Base will be changed from the nearest 5% to the nearest 1%. IWTO-30 will be amended accordingly.

Note: Commercial laboratories, including AWTA Ltd, already do this. This amendment simply ensures that the standard conforms to current practice.

Curvature

A proposal to use Interwoollabs Tops to calibrate for curvature was accepted in principle. A recommendation to re-form the TX/12 Curvature Working Group to re-examine the Draft Test Method and to organise a round trial to test the proposed calibration concept was accepted.

IWTO-47 (OFDA)

The results of a comprehensive international round trial were presented to the Christchurch meeting of IWTO in April 2000. Among other things this demonstrated that the OFDA100 could not simultaneously measure Mean Fibre Diameter and Standard Deviation with an acceptable accuracy. A separate calibration was required for each parameter. The relevant Test Method, IWTO-47, was amended to require separate calibrations for certification of these parameters.

A proposal to the Nice meeting to remove this requirement was rejected. The proposer indicated in his presentation that other laboratories were still observing the differences that led to the initial amendment and therefore could not corroborate the data on which his proposal was based. It was agreed that further work is required to explain these differences.

IWTO-19 (Yield & VMB)

A proposal to permit the use of Near Infrared Reflection for ash prediction during Yield testing did not get support. It was agreed that more data is required determine the impact on the precision of Yield testing and that a method is required for deciding when the traditional ashing technique should be used. The latter is necessary to detect very high ash values, since the data is suggesting that NIR itself can be unreliable where high ash levels, particularly due to the presence of dag, are present. It is hoped that all laboratories will work together to bring a recommendation forward to the next meeting in Buenos Aires.

IWTO-17 (Almeter AL100)

The Almeter is an important instrument for the wool industry because it is the basis for specifying the Hauteur and CVH of wool top. However it is technology that dates back to 1978, and is in urgent need of modernisation. The Woolmark Company is funding a project to develop a new instrument, the AL2000, and a working prototype has already been built and is undergoing trials. BSC Electronics, the manufacturer of the OFDA100 and OFDA2000 is also developing an instrument, the OFDA4000, based on imaging techniques, which is designed to simultaneously measure Mean Fibre Diameter, CVD, Hauteur and CVH.

The Woolmark Company reported on its modernisation project, and reported that the prototype AL2000 emulated the AL100 except for small but statistically significant differences in the distribution statistics. The report recommended that the software for the new instrument should emulate the distribution values presented by the AL100. This recommendation was accepted and is to apply to the OFDA4000 also.

The separate Working Groups for Almeter AL2000 and OFDA4000 were amalgamated and are now called ‘Top Length Working Group’.

IWTO-10 & DTM-43 (DCM extractable matter by Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) technology)

A paper was presented showing that NIR could be successfully calibrated to determine DCM extractable matter. The adjusted calibration had been validated on independent samples and the confidence limits for measurements by NIR were slightly lower than DCM extraction confidence limits. The paper proposed that IWTO-10 be amended to allow NIR to be used as an alternative to soxhlet to determine DCM extractable matter for scoured or carbonised wool.

It was agreed that:

  • amendments to include NIR would be made to IWTO-10;
  • DTM-43, a Draft Test Method specifically concerned with NIR measurement, will be reviewed as it refers to DCM testing of tops;
  • all IWTO Retests are to be conducted using the soxhlet method; and
  • appropriate changes will be made to the Core Test Regulations.

IWTO-56 (Colour)

In Barcelona, the National Council of NZ Wool Interests raised concerns about the operation of IWTO-56 in New Zealand. An IWTO Colour working Group was formed to identify and resolve an observed ‘lack of harmony’ of measurements in D65/10 colour space between the NZ test laboratories. It was found that instruments used by one laboratory, whilst producing satisfactory results with CERAM reference tiles, produced results on wool samples that were different from the majority of instruments used in the commercial core test laboratories. This laboratory is purchasing new instruments and will use an alternative measurement cell design. Actions have also been agreed to reduce residual effects caused by differences in sample preparation between the laboratories.

As a result of trials undertaken in NZ and internationally, the Working Group proposed a number of changes to IWTO-56 to simplify its use in testing and to remove a confusing array of options within the Test Method. Specifically these were:

  • removal of the option to make direct measurements in C/2 colour space; ‰
  • removal of the option to calibrate with Reference Wool;
  • removal of the option to prepare samples using the Waring Blendor;
  • inclusion of new performance criteria for calibration;
  • inclusion of additional wording to require equivalence of new instruments and scouring techniques;
  • specification of baremes to be used to calculate C/2 data from measurements in D65/10 colour space (this is only to be used where users require data in C/2 colour space); and
  • removing the sunset clause in Section 7 of the Test Method allowing the option of reporting C/2 values after 1 July 2004.

The Working Group proposed that work be continued to assess whether new appendices to IWTO-56, that give additional guidelines to new and existing laboratories to ensure the appropriateness of their scouring and drying techniques used in preparation of samples for testing, are required.

These changes will not have any impact on IWTO Certificates issued by AWTA Ltd.

Next meeting

The next meeting will be in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 9th to 14th May 2003.

 

Action on Dark Fibre Testing

On the 13th November 2002, AWTA Ltd announced to a seminar organised by the Federation of Australian Wool Organisations (FAWO) that it was planning to introduce a screening test for contamination of merino wool with fibres derived from contact with exotic sheep breeds. This service will be introduced in March 2003 and will be based on the CSIRO Dark Fibre Detector.

Research initiated by the South Australian Agricultural Research & Development Institute (SARDI) under the leadership of Malcolm Fleet, and collaborative research involving AWTA Ltd and SARDI, demonstrated that the presale coretest sample could be used to detect contamination of merino wool arising from contact of merino ewes with exotic rams, or contact between merino ewes and their lambs produced by matings with exotic rams(http://www.awta.com.au/Publications/Fact_Sheets/
Fact_sheet_018.htm).

The CSIRO Dark Fibre Detector was used for this research. This was possible because, unlike traditional black spot or urine stain contamination, the contaminating fibres tend to be spread over the fleece, and therefore relatively uniformly through lines of wool produced from contaminated sheep.

AWTA Ltd is planning to introduce a test for contamination of merino wool with fibres derived from contact with exotic sheep breeds. This service will be introduced in the first half of 2003 and will be based on the CSIRO Dark Fibre Detector. Vicki Senituli, Testing Officer, is pictured operating the equipment in AWTA Ltd’s Sydney Laboratory.

Towards the end of 2001, in response to industry concerns, CSIRO, AWTA Ltd and SARDI jointly submitted a proposal to Australian Wool Innovation Ltd (AWI) for funding for a project to develop a lower cost test method for dark fibre contamination from exotic sheep breeds.

In May 2002, AWI then decided to invite proposals from other researchers and on the 13th September 2002, announced that it would be providing funding for three proposals totaling AUD1.2M. A modified submission from CSIRO was among the three that AWI accepted. Inevitably this process has delayed the commencement of any research and development.

It will take time before these proposals achieve a successful outcome, but the potential contamination problem is with us now. The industry has been calling for a test for this type of contamination to be made available quickly. Recognising this, AWTA Ltd has decided to implement a service based on the existing technology, used in the research with SARDI, rather than waiting until newer, and hopefully less expensive technology becomes available.

In the early 1980’s a team from CSIRO led by Dr Roger Foulds developed an instrument for detecting pigmented fibres, dark fibres and medullated fibres in wool tops (Preparation and Dark Fibre Contamination, Clip Preparation Research, CSIRO Division of Textile Physics, September 1983 - a copy of this paper is available on AWTA Ltd’s website (http://www.awta.com.au/Publications/Research_Papers/
Wool_Contamination/Prep_DF_Contamination.pdf).

This instrument is very simple (see illustration above). Approximately 0.25–0.50 grams of fibre is spread thinly between glass plates and illuminated by dual sources of light – from above and below. The intensity of the illumination is balanced such that white fibres tend to merge into the background, while the objectionable fibres tend to stand out. The entire illuminated specimen is examined using 2x magnification. When a dark fibre is detected its colour can be categorised by reference to a scale, also developed by CSIRO.

Its limitation is that it relies on a painstaking examination of the illuminated sample by an observer. Due to the small amount of specimen (0.25-0.50 grams) that can be examined at one time, several (20-40) such specimens must be examined to achieve the level of sensitivity required. This means that the test is extremely labour intensive, each test requiring approximately 5 man-hours.

For the new service two technicians will visually examine two specimens, each of 10 grams, of washed core sample using the Dark Fibre Detector to identify the dark and medullated fibres present. These results will be reported to 4 levels: whether specimens contained >10 dark fibres (df) per test specimen (ts), 6-10 df/ts, 1-5 df/ts, or No Fibres Detected. A similar convention will be used for reporting medullated fibres.

As there is no IWTO Test Method for dark fibres in greasy wool, the test result will be issued as a Test Report, not as an IWTO Certificate.

AWTA Ltd has already taken delivery of 2 instruments and a further five are being obtained. For staff training and quality control reasons the Sydney Laboratory will initially provide the service, but it will be decentralised to Melbourne and Fremantle also. The cost per test will be AUD150 (plus GST). However, AWTA Ltd and CSIRO are collaborating on a modification of the technique that has potential to substantially reduce this cost.

At the FAWO seminar AWTA Ltd also suggested that the industry should re-examine the dark fibre risk analysis scheme developed by the CSIRO during the 1980’s. This scheme (see Features and Opinion sections for more details) used information provided by the wool grower to assign a level of risk of dark fibre contamination to each farm lot. This scheme used information such as breed, age, whether or not the sheep had been mulesed or crutched, and the time interval between crutching and shearing to provide an estimate of probability of contamination of a sale lot. It was developed for contamination by urine stain or by pigmented fibres growing on the sheep, but it should be relatively simple to extend it to incorporate contamination from contact with exotic sheep.

FAWO has taken this suggestion on board and has already sought funding by AWI towards implementing such a scheme. The involvement of an industry organisation such as FAWO is essential. Successful implementation will require co-operation by all segments of the industry, from wool growers to wool processors.

New Premium Micron Test Service

Testing Mean Fibre Diameter, or ‘Micron’, using the IWTO Standard Test Method, provides a precise and cost-efficient test result for normal commercial trading.

However, some wool growers, particularly those that produce premium, high value or speciality wools, want even greater precision for this most important characteristic. In the Opinion section of the October 2002 Newsletter we outlined the history of the Australian Superfine Certificate, which provided superfine wool growers with an option to request a specific test design to reduce pack damage by minimising the number of core samples taken from bales of speciality lines, but providing additional testing for Mean Fibre Diameter to provide improved precision. A publication available on AWTA Ltd’s website describes the effect of additional sampling and testing in improving precision. This document can be viewed in HTML or downloaded in PDF format http://www.awta.com.au/Publications/Technical/
technical_limitations/Tech_Limitations.htm).

Testing Mean Fibre Diameter, or ‘Micron’, using the IWTO Standard Method, provides a precise and cost-efficient test result for normal commercial trading. However, some wool growers, particularly those that produce premium, high value or speciality wools, want even greater precision for this most important characteristic.

Testing precision still remains an issue with some wool growers. It is not unusual for growers offering wool in key superfine selling centres such as Newcastle to request a new core sample be taken and tested from selected speciality lines. Invariably, this additional testing confirms the original result, but due to the fact that in such cases the IWTO Regulations require all test data to be used in issuing an IWTO Certificate, so the grower actually obtains a higher precision than that provided by the normal test. However, this is a relatively expensive way of achieving this.

The use of the Sirolan® Laserscan by AWTA Ltd has reduced the cost of testing additional specimens, when the original test is initially conducted. Quite simply, the Laserscan requires milligram quantities for each specimen tested, whilst the now redundant Airflow technology required a minimum of 2.5 grams per test specimen. Often, the quantity of sample available, particularly from speciality lines sampled with a reduced coring schedule, was insufficient for any additional specimens, requiring additional sample to be obtained.

In response to the continuing requirement for a test that offers greater precision than the IWTO Standard Method, AWTA Ltd has introduced a Premium Micron Test. This new Premium Micron Testing Service involves the testing of 12 specimens - three times the standard number of specimens.

The Premium Micron Test is available on both the LASERSCAN and OFDA100 instrumentation and is reserved for classed grower lots only. It may be requested through your selling agent. Be sure to mention it when nominating your testing requirements.

Benefits

  • Improved precision for Mean Fibre Diameter - the major determinant of the value of wool.
  • Precision improvements also in: CVD;
    -  Fibre Curvature; and
    -  Comfort Factor.
  • Increased confidence for wool growers when selling their wool.
  • Further product differentiation for marketing groups, Quality Assurance groups, grower alliances, etc.
  • A potential marketing edge for these wools.

Fees

Technical Information

The Process

A 20-gram sample is prepared for fibre diameter measurement and mini-cored 12 times to provide 12 individual test specimens. In the case of LASERSCAN, 1000 fibres from each of the 12 test specimens are measured (i.e. 12,000 fibres measured in total). The results of the 12 test specimens are combined and an IWTO Test Certificate is issued.

The IWTO Test Certificate is also identified as a Premium Test. In addition, a flag denoting a Premium Test result is transmitted to the selling agent along with the test data. This allows sale lots tested with the Premium Micron Test to be identified in the sale catalogue.

Precision Improvement

Using IWTO published estimates of between and within-laboratory variances for wools with a Mean Fibre Diameter (MFD) of <26 micron for LASERSCAN and recognising that the between-laboratory variance is unchanged, then the improvement in precision can be calculated as follows:

Converting this Total Confidence Interval into Confidence Intervals for 15 and 20 micron wools, the figures are as follows:

Similarly, indicative improvements for other diameter related measurements are shown below:

The Premium Micron Service is not restricted to superfine or fine wools. If required it can be requested for wools across the entire micron range. n

Quantities of Wool less than 16.5 microns

Users of AWTA Ltd’s WOOLINK® system will now be able to obtain more detailed information about the quantity of wool less than 16.5 microns.

The Key Test Data report included in the system previously provided a breakdown of wool testing less than 19.5 microns, but in this report the wool less than 16.5 microns was lumped together. An additional report, which breaks down the quantities into 0-12.5, 12.6-13.5, 13.6-14.5, 14.6-15.5 and 15.6-16.5 micron class intervals, is now available.

The Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association originally requested this additional information some time ago. The amount of programming work to provide it was then considerable, and its inclusion was delayed because of other priorities. However, in December 2002 staff in AWTA Ltd’s Information Services Division found a relatively simple way to modify the WOOLINK® system to provide it by using existing code.

A new screen is now available within the Key Test Data section of AWTA Ltd’s WOOLINK® system, which provides a break down of wool testing less than 16.5 microns.

This additional information is not available in the Key Test Data Report that is provided each month via AWTA Ltd’s website. We will be adding it to the site annually.

Australian Sheep Industry CRC up and running

The Cooperative Research Centres Program (CRC Program) is an initiative of the Australian Commonwealth Government (http://www.crc.gov.au), and was established in 1990. The CRCs bring together researchers from universities, CSIRO and other government laboratories, and private industry or public sector agencies, in long-term collaborative arrangements, which support research and development and education activities that achieve real outcomes of national economic and social significance.

The program emphasises the importance of developing collaborative arrangements between researchers and between researchers and research users in the private and public sector in order to maximise the capture of the benefits of publicly funded research through an enhanced process of commercialisation or utilisation by the users of that research.

The Government contributes approximately AUD145M per annum, through the CRC Program, to the Centres. Industry has already made commitments of more than AUD1.4B for the term of the Centres established to date.

The established CRCs cover many areas of natural science and engineering: manufacturing technology, information and communications technology, mining and energy, agriculture and rural based manufacturing, environment and medical science and technology.

A new wool and sheep industry CRC was established on 1st July 2001. This is based around 4 project streams.

The CRC for Premium Quality Wool, established on the 1st July 1993, has been wound up. It focused on wool production and on improving the quality of wool by innovative on-farm management techniques. A new wool and sheep industry CRC was established on 1st July 2001. This has a much broader mandate, and is based around 4 project streams:

  • Strategic research into genetics, wool science, meat science and parasite management;
  • Precision production: an integrated meat and wool production system based on electronic measurement, management, and marketing of animals according to their individual merit;
  • Implementing innovation: delivering information to industry via communication, information and extension mechanisms; and
  • Education and training: delivering a dynamic program of education including postgraduate research, undergraduate education, vocational, school and industry training.

Further information about the CRC can be obtained from its website (http://www.sheep.crc.org.au).

Quantifying Variation in Staple Strength

Staple Length & Strength measurements are now widely accepted as valuable information for wool buyers and wool processors, and limits based on these parameters are in many delivery specifications. However, for a number of years there have been concerns expressed, mainly by wool buyers, about the staple strength measurements on a particular group of sale lots, specifically lots where the average strength is almost equivalent but there is a significant difference in the variation in strength within each lot.

As shown in the graphs below, two lots may have exactly the same average strength but whilst one has obviously tender staples the other does not.

The TEAM trials indicated that for mill consignments, variation in staple length and strength within sale lots has little if any effect on processing performance. The average length and the average strength is more important. However, a high proportion of tender staples in a sale lot can be a 'problem' for the wool buyer, because his client may have specified ‘no tender wool’, which makes the lot with the high variability unsuitable, even though the average strength is okay. Buyers would like a measurement that could reliably indicate such differences where they occur.

Measurements of staple variability are already available. These are Coefficient of Variation of Staple Length (CVSL) and Coefficient of Variation of Staple Strength (CVSS). Currently AWTA Ltd reports only CVSL on IWTO Certificates, because the precision of CVSS is considered to be too variable. In part, this arises from the fact that the number of staples measured for strength can vary between 40-60 for each sale lot (some staples can be too short to measure for strength), and while this variation has only a marginal effect on the average strength it can have a significant effect on the CVSS.

Clearly a more reliable statistic is desirable.

One alternative is being investigated. This is based on the average strength of the bottom 25% of staples (i.e. the 'tender' end of the distribution). In the illustration the value of this for the first sample is 30 N/kt while for the second it is 17 N/kt – an obvious difference in this particular case. But this is not the only possibility – there are other statistics that may prove useful.

Consequently, considerably more work is required to determine the usefulness any statistic derived from existing information to quantifiably describe the variation in staple strength that is of concern.

Individual staple measurements are not retained within AWTA Ltd’s central Certificate Database at this stage. However, these measurements are retained for approximately one year in databases residing on computer systems within the Melbourne, Sydney and Fremantle laboratories. We plan to use these databases to further investigate whether or not an appropriate statistic can be provided.

The database being developed as a result of the ‘Non-fleece Wool Processing Trial’, referred to in earlier newsletters, and which is particularly focused on the processing performance of variable wools, will also be used.

We will be requesting assistance from the buying trade and any other interested parties to identify suitable catalogues/lots that can be used to validate the outcomes of this work.

The project is being co-ordinated by Andrew Lindsay (Sampling Operations Manager – NSW/QLD), with assistance as required from AWTA Ltd’s Information Services Division and Research & Development Division staff.

Australian Fleece Competition

Almost three years ago AWTA Ltd held discussions with wool brokers Wesfarmers Landmark Pty Ltd and the Australian Sheep Breeders Association about developing a more modern and commercially relevant fleece competition. Traditionally, the judging of fleece competitions was based almost entirely on the subjective assessment of attributes that had become increasingly less relevant to the modern commercial requirements of wool processors. Some fleece competitions had made use of objective test results as an aid to judging, but none had really incorporated the use of objective test results into competition scoring.

The concept for the new model of fleece competition called for objective measurement results to be used as parameters in formulas that calculate the processing potential of each fleece. A key measure of processing performance is Hauteur, which is the average length of fibres in a combed wool top. Hauteur can be predicted using the TEAM formula (see insert). Another performance measure used by processors is the amount of variation of fibre length in a combed top, expressed as the Coefficient of Variation of Hauteur (CVH). This too can be predicted using objective measurement results in a formula (see insert).

Purchase contracts for greasy wool consignments characteristically include processing performance requirements for both Hauteur and CV Hauteur. Wool exporting and processing firms were surveyed and kindly provided typical ranges for both these performance measures across all micron bands. A judging schedule for Hauteur and CV Hauteur was developed around the detail provided; this schedule is used to deduct points for results that are outside the specified ranges.

The competition consists of many sections, ranging from Extra Ultrafine Merino through to British Long Wools. Different classes exist within each section for Stud Rams, Stud Ewe or Wether and Commercial Ewe or Wether. Production potential is rewarded through the allocation of points for Clean Fleece Weight using a complex schedule that compensates for gender, breed and micron. Gender associated advantages, in particular frame size, give rise to the expectation that rams will produce more wool than ewes or wethers. Similarly, sheep that produce broader micron wool or are of a larger framed breed are expected to produce greater fleece weights. The fleece weight schedule was drawn up following consultation with stock and wool specialists. Points are deducted for fleeces that fail to meet the scheduled ideal weight; no additional points are awarded to those that exceed the ideal fleece weight.

Two experienced judges comprising a wool broker and a wool exporter/processor visually assess each fleece and allocate points for subjective characteristics. They use objective measurements for Coefficient of Variation of Length (CVL), Comfort Factor (CF), and Coefficient of Variation of Diameter (CVD) as a guide for judging the subjective criteria of Uniformity, Handle, Colour and Style.

Fleece on display at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show 2002.

All competition results are printed on an individual results card that is displayed with the fleece. Additional reference information about the stud or property that contributed the fleece is included on the results card.

Australian Fleece Competition Report.

This information may be useful to prospective buyers of stud stock. Similarly, each fleece is appraised and allocated an AWEX-ID type and a 12-month average price is applied to give an indication of the fleece value.

A record 312 entries, consisting of fleeces from all major Australian wool growing areas were received for the 2002 Australian Fleece Competition. The Grand Champion Fleece for the second consecutive year was awarded to an entry from Merryville Stud, Boorowa, NSW. Major Reserve Champion was won by Emoh Ruo Stud, Bundarra, NSW. Entries for the 2003 Australian Fleece Competition close on 9th June 2003. Entry forms can be obtained from any Wesfarmers-Landmark Wool Representative or alternatively may be downloaded from AWTA Ltd’s website (www.awta.com.au).

 

 

PROCESSING POTENTIAL

Hauteur: The average length of fibres in a combed top. It can be estimated using greasy wool test results in the TEAM-2 formula:

H = 0.52L + 0.47S + 0.95D – 0.19M* – 0.45V – 3.5

Where:

H = Hauteur;
L = Staple Length;
S = Staple Strength;
D = Fibre Diameter;
M* = Adjusted % of Mid-Breaks; and
V = Vegetable Matter Base.

To calculate score, deduct points for each millimetre outside benchmark range: e.g. Class 12 (Hauteur Benchmark range 64mm to 75mm), if actual Hauteur
79.5 mm is 4.5mm greater than benchmark, deduct 2.25 points (0.5 points for each 1mm) from maximum of 25 points = 22.8 points (rounded).

CV Hauteur: An indication of the amount of variation of fibre length in a top. It is calculated using the TEAM-2 formula:

CVH = 0.12L - 0.41S - 0.35D + 0.20M* + 49.3

Where:

CVH = CV Hauteur
CVH = CV Hauteur
D = Fibre Diameter; and
M* = Adjusted % of Mid-Breaks.

To calculate score, deduct one point for each 2% outside benchmark range: e.g. Class 12 (CVH benchmark range 43% to 48%), if actual CVH is 47.1% (within benchmark range), score maximum points = 10.

PRODUCTION POTENTIAL

Clean Fleece Weight: The weight of the clean wool that would be produced from a greasy fleece after processing. Clean Fleece Weight is calculated by multiplying the Greasy Fleece Weight by the Yield. The Clean Fleece Weight score is determined as a percentage of the benchmark weight for the class: e.g. Benchmark Weight (Class 12) = 5.76Kg, Clean Fleece Weight = 5.1Kg (5.1/5.76 = 89.5%), Score 89.5% of maximum points 35 = 31.3.

ALLOCATION OF POINTS

Category

Clean Fleece Weight

Hauteur

CV Hauteur

Uniformity

Handle

Colour

Style/Character

TOTAL

Max

35

25

10

8

8

6

8

100

 

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