What's Happening in Wool News

Shearing School for Beginners in Ontario

September 24 – 26, 2013
What is there to be learned:
 
• Sheep Handling
• Shearing Pattern
• Equipment Setup
• Personal Health Issues in regard to shearing
• Wool Preparation

Contact: Peter Kudelka 519-348-4266 peter_kudelka@sympatico.ca
Shearing School info sheet

CCWG Wool Handling Seminars 2013

CCWG is intending to conduct wool handling seminars in Eastern and Western Canada at a convenient time and location during the current year. Travel expenses would be covered by CCWG and we are extending an invitation to all wool depot operators and shearers to determine if there is interest. Please contact the undersigned at your earliest convenience.

Thank you,
Eric Bjergso, General Manager
Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers Limited
Box 130 142 Franktown Rd
Carleton Place, ON K7C 3P3
613-257-2714 ericb@wool.ca

Bucket list ticked at Golden Shears 2013

Canadian Doug Kennedy, 74, is one very happy man. Attending the Golden Shears in Masterton over the past three days has been a dream come true for him.

“It’s been on my bucket list for years and I can’t believe I’m here,” he enthuses. “I’ve just left temperatures of 20 below and a metre of snow, so I’m happy to be in New Zealand on many levels,”

Doug knows what he’s watching too. He’s been shearing and teaching the craft for decades in his home state of Ontario. A teacher of elementary school children(9-13 years olds) by profession, he was literally forced into learning how to shear when his father died and he was left as a 20 year old with a 125 strong flock of large Suffolk ewes to shear. It was a small farm of 50 acres that he had been raised on and he wanted to make it work, in honour of his father.
Read more...

Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers Program

http://www.oyfcanada.com/home.aspx
Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers for 2012 will be chosen at the National Event in Charlottetown PEI from November 28 to December 2, 2012. This year there are two Canadian Shepherds vying for the title of Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers.
Atlantic Regional Winner - Mark & Sally Bernard  
Quebec Regional Winner - Martin Brodeur-Choquette & Johanne Cameron

CCWG Magazine & Catalogue for 2013 - Ad deadline is Friday, November 16th, 2012
Magazine ad rates

Twist - Textile Magazine

World Textile Information Network
Article about CCWG By Charlotte Rogers

Great potential

The vast land mass of Canada stretches from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean, all the way to the Arctic at its northern most point. The second largest country in the world, there is plenty of scope for wool growing, although meat production has tended to take preference in the past.
Read more... (pages 18 -19)

October 4, 2012

First-generation farmers named Quebec’s 2012 Outstanding Young Farmers

Quebec City, QC [September 25, 2012] –Martin Brodeur Choquette and Johanne Cameron channeled their passion and determination for agriculture into realizing their dream of farming full time. From non-farming roots, the lamb and cash crop producers from St-Charles-sur-Richelieu have been recognized for their accomplishments as Quebec’s 2012 Outstanding Young Farmers (OYF). The couple will now represent Quebec in the national OYF event in Charlottetown, PEI this November. Read more...
Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers Program - http://www.oyfcanada.com/home.aspx

October 2012

Wool Market Report - Fall 2012

Unfortunately the much improved wool market conditions of 2011 have not carried through into 2012.  The global economic downturn has affected all major wool consuming countries and the situation is not expected to improve before the second half of 2013.  Weak demand and lack of orders has resulted in difficult marketing conditions with wool prices falling in excess of 30% on a global basis during the past six months.  China remains the major purchaser and processor of wool from all origins, but many mills are now operating at less than 50% capacity with minimal export business being concluded.  We will need to see China buying wool for export orders before there will be any significant improvement in wool prices.  World wool production is not expected to increase in the coming year and this will help support wool prices to a degree.
Read more...

Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers thriving

Posted Sep 13, 2012 By Jeff Maguire

EMC Business - Eric Bjergso is in China this week on a marketing trip to sell Canadian wool to the largest emerging market in the world.

Bjergso is the long-time general manager of the Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers Limited (CCWG). What many people don't know is that the company, the oldest industry in Carleton Place, is also the centre of the wool business in Canada. The national cooperative grades and markets nearly three million pounds of raw wool annually, with more than 90 per cent of the activity occurring at their Carleton Place headquarters.

On Aug. 10 and 11 nearly 60 staff and directors of CCWG from across Canada attended the organization's annual general meeting (AGM) in Carleton Place. Two days of meetings involving directors, management and staff were highlighted by the official opening of the cooperative's newest piece of infrastructure. The 45 foot by 150 foot building will be used partly to store graded product (wool) and partly as a centre for the firm's considerable livestock supply and handling equipment division.

Carleton Place Mayor Wendy LeBlanc was a special guest at the official opening, as well as at the evening banquet, attended by 100 people, held at the Carleton Place Curling Club which brought the AGM to a close.

Read full story as pdf ...   |     Read story online at EMC - 1st part  -  2nd part
 

September 2012

2012 Nanjing Wool Market Conference

CCWG General Manager - Eric Bjergso, participated in the 24th International Wool Trade Fair and Information Conference with a Canadian wool display. Held in Sanya, China September 12th - 14th 2012, the event was attend by over 500 delegates from the Chinese and International wool trade.
Read more...
 

August 11th, 2012 

Grand Opening Ceremony for new storage building in Carleton Place, Ontario

Read full story...

CCWG Wool Industry News

The CCWG recently held Management and Board of Director meetings at the 94th Annual General Meeting in Carleton Place, Ontario on August 10th & 11th 2012. The 2012 elected Board of Directors are as follows:

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 
President - Dwayne C. Acres, Osgoode, ON
1st Vice President - David Mastine, St. Felix de Kingsey, QC
2nd Vice President - John D. Woodburn, Grimshaw, AB
      - John L. Farrell, Wingham, ON

Additional Directors returning to the Board are as follows:
Margarete Zillig, Scotch Village, NS (Audit Committee)
Lee Sexton, Hanley, SK (Audit Committee)
Ken H. Mallinson, Langley, BC (Audit Committee)
Brian Greaves, Miniota, MB (CSF Representative)
John D. Balderson, Magrath, AB
Ward Harden, Fir Mountain, SK

For the fiscal year ending February 29, 2012 the co-operative recorded gross sales of $8,000,824 which represents a 10.6% increase from the previous year, with net income from overall operations of $481,860. The Board of Directors have authorized a dividend payment of 7% to the shareholders and 5 cents per pound to the Shareholder Wool Shipper Loyalty Reward Program (SWSLRP).  Full details on these programs can be found under Become a Shareholder or  Wool Preparation Guide pages. Wool volume increased by 8.6% in 2012 and 8.2% in 2011.

A new storage warehouse at Carleton Place has been completed and the official ribbon cutting ceremony took place on August 11th. It will be utilized as an efficient storage and shipping area for graded wool bales as well as storage for our rapidly expanding livestock supplies business.

The national wool Certificate of Merit recipients for 2011 were announced as follows:

Quebec Hugh Sutherland, Huntingdon, QC 

Ontario- Dave Willard, Stella, ON
Ontario - Jim & Nancy Kehoe, Lansdowne, ON - Shearers: Gerald Gemmill & Don Metheral
Ontario - Anita O’Brien, Lansdowne, ON - Shearers: Gerald Gemmill & Don Metheral

Manitoba - Alfred Epp, Boissevain, MB
Manitoba - Early Dawn Land & Livestock Ltd, Virden, MB

Saskatchewan Range - Dale & Dawn Montgomery, Maple Creek, SK - Shearer: Cliff Metheral
Saskatchewan Range - Rex Furgeson, Maple Creek, SK - Shearer: Dan Cahoon
Saskatchewan Range - Richard & Wanda Perrault, Val Marie, SK
Saskatchewan Domestic - Brimar Farms / Martin Catto, Lipton, SK - Shearers: Cliff & Kathy Metheral

Alberta Range - East Cardston Colony, Cardston, AB - Shearers: Colony Shearers
Alberta Domestic - Raymond Harrison, Spirit River, AB
Alberta Domestic - Brian Taylor, Darwell, AB T0E 0L0

British Columbia - Richard & Elizabeth Chambers, Dunster, BC
British Columbia - Horse Camp Ranch – Dennis Clausen, Clinton, BC - Shearer: David Cadsand

As well, three long serving Ontario sheep shearers were recognized by CCWG for their outstanding service and dedication to the sheep and wool industry.

Fearnley Davies – Tweed, ON
Neil Metheral – Glen Huron, ON
George Foster – Jasper, ON

Lee-Anne Durant-McIntyre, Manager of CCWG Livestock Supplies & Equestrian Centre at Carleton Place was also recognized by Management and the Board of Directors on achieving 25 years service with CCWG.

May 14, 2012

Update on sheep industry's progress towards mandatory RFID Tags

Update on sheep industry's progress towards mandatory RFID Tags 
In preparation for mandatory traceability in the livestock sector, the Canadian Sheep Federation (CSF), government and industry have been working together to add RFID tags to the list of approved CSIP identifiers. Click for more information

Mise a jour sur les progres realises par l'industrie due mouton en matriere d'etiquettes RFID obligatoires

Afin de permettre la traçabilité obligatoire dans le secteur de l'élevage, la Fédération canadienne du mouton (FCM), le gouvernement et l'industrie ont collaboré afin d’ajouter les étiquettes RFID (identification par radio fréquence) à la liste des identifiants approuvés par le Programme canadien d'identification des moutons (PCIM). Lire plus

For more information, please go to Canadian Sheep Breeders Association or Canadian Sheep Identification Program

May 1, 2012

New Wool Depot for Northern Ontario

Belle Vallée Wools has been destroyed by fire and will no longer receive wool from sheep producers.
The new CCWG wool depot will be located in the New Liskeard area.
Please call Ernie Tobler at 705-647-0411

March 1, 2012

New CCWG Satellite Store at OLEX Stockyard in Kitchener/Waterloo 

Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers Limited Google Maps
c/o OLEX Stockyard (Tuesday & Thursday only - 9 am to 3 pm)
Box 443, 856 Weber St N Waterloo, ON N2J 4A9
Phone/Fax: 1-519-888-8299 waterloo@wool.ca

Wool Market & Business Update Fall 2011

Submitted by Eric Bjergso, General Manager

Coming into 2011 there was widespread optimism for improving wool market conditions and this proved to be the case up until about August of this year. Finer wools made the greater gains but coarser micron wool prices also lifted which resulted in very good trading conditions at higher prices. China continues to be a major destination for wool processing, purchasing 42% of total global wool production. It is very positive news that the Chinese government has committed to invest in R & D technology innovation, management and marketing to ensure that the Chinese wool industry remains competitive and produces quality products. European processors have been much more active in purchasing raw wool in 2011 which has also contributed to better overall demand. However, since August the wool market has been quite unstable due to a number of factors. The outlook for economic growth in many of the major consuming countries has weakened in the past few months as a result of continued volatility in world financial markets because of government debt in the USA and the Euro zone. This has negatively impacted most commodities and wool is no exception. The current global financial market environment with fluctuating currency rates, combined with high unemployment in USA and Europe is having an effect on consumer confidence. Quite often textiles are immediately affected when this type of market place conditions prevail, as the consumer will choose to delay purchases.

New CCWG Satellite Store at Perlich Auction Mart, Lethbridge, AB
(on ground floor beside office)
  



KURL-LOCK #3 PINK KETCHUM TAGS & ALLFLEX VISUAL TAGS
Are no longer available for purchase
Key milestones for mandatory RFID tags - PDF download

2011 Nanjing Wool Market Conference
CCWG General Manager - Eric Bjergso, participated in the 23rd International Wool Trade Fair and Information Conference with a Canadian wool display.
Held in Nanjing, China September 6th - 8th, 2011, the event was attended by over 700 delegates from the Chinese and International wool trade.  Read more...