Wool yields average despite the drought

As sheepshearing season winds down across West Texas, wool fleeces delivered to the warehouse in Mertzon are surprisingly clean and healthy despite hardships brought on by the drought during growing season, said Ronald Pope, general manager of Producers Marketing Cooperative. "For the most part, fleeces are testing shorter or more marginal in length than average because of drought stress," he said. "Yet there is a difference of day and night when compared to last year." Pope said the yields are average compared with other years. The winter and spring rains managed to bring forth plenty of weeds early, which helped supplemental feeding. "Now, following more recent rain, ranchers have the opportunity to grow some grass," he said. The 12-month wool clip from Far West Texas ranches around Rankin, McCamey and Fort Stockton is normally the first clip delivered to Mertzon in March. The bulk of shearing season in the Mertzon, Ozona and Sonora areas hits in April. "In better times, the company handled an average annual inventory of 1 million pounds of wool from grower members," Pope said. "Even with the severe drought last year which reduced sheep numbers, we expected our wool receipts would be down for the second year. However it looks like we will get about 60 percent or 600,000 pounds when shearing is completed."...more