Who do sheep farmers sell their wool to?

Question

Where & to whom do sheep farmers sell their wool? When a sheep farmer has a barn full of wool - where does it go directly from there? I mean what type of purchaser or company is interested in large amounts of dirty wool? Whats the going value of wool & how often does it fluctuate? Is there $$$ to be made selling this fiber?

Answer 1

I believe it is initially sold to the British Wool Marketing Board. Mind you, I am talking about a long time ago, early1950s

Answer 2

I am an artist who creates sculptures in cloth..I purchase mohair to be used for the hair as do many other artists.  We look for sources that sell top quality wool, fleece and fibers and if they are prompt with service and keep their shipping costs low we buy from them often and will continue to do so for many years.  If the wool has been "cleaned" it can bring in much higher $$$ per your question.....also if dyed that is also a huge draw for artists..it saves us time and if the variety is pleasing we do buy large quantities.  Check ebay and other auction sites to see what others price theirs at..be competetive and offer a better price or lower shipping..it will guarantee sales of the wool to artists in mixed medium also.

Answer 3

Some to the master, some to the dame, and some to the little boy who lives down the lane.

Answer 4

to companies

Answer 5

http://www.mwt.net/~naturewool/raw_wool,...

Answer 6

In Australia, there is a complex system of centralised marketing and wool broking, that is the subject of much controversy.  The wool marketing body has been accused of incompetency and mis-management at times, to the detriment of the farmers.  At one time, the marketing authority built up huge stockpiles of wool, in one of the largest warehousing facilities in the world, in an effort to increase the price of wool.  The marketing authority maintained a monopoly on overseas marketing, in much the same way as the even more controversial Australian Wheat Board.

Small farmers and specialised woolgrowers may sell through their own industry bodies (such as Angora goat wool), or sell direct to weavers and spinners (such as Alpacca wool).

Answer 7

Sheep used to be a large industry in the U.S. but it isn't so much any more.  I believe there is still a wool market for the few large sheep ranches left but I truthfully can't tell you anything about it.  However, there are many people who have flocks of sheep that specialize in providing wool to handspinners.  These are people who have revived the art of spinning yarn on a spinning wheel or with a drop spindle.  I have one such flock.  I raise Navajo-Churro sheep whose wool is particularly good for making yarn that is good to weave into rugs or sturdy outer wear.  Other breeds of sheep may have very soft wool that is comfortable to wear next to the skin, so is nice for making socks or turtleneck sweaters, or baby cloths.  When the sheep is sheared, the fleece is first "skirted"--that means all the dirty leg, belly and tail wool is cut away. Only the very best wool for spinning is kept.  Many shepards of spinning flocks keep coats on their sheep year round to help keep the fleeces as clean as possible.  A prime fleece can bring as much as 22.00 a pound and a good sheep may carry any where from 8 to 12 lbs of to fleece if they have been well-cared for.  That's the price for the raw fleece, which mean just a skirted fleece cut right off the sheep.  After shearing the farmer, or shephard, may do the next steps himself/herself next or may send the fleeces to a wool mill to have the work done.  The fleece is put thru a picker, which is a device that picks the fleece apart with what look like nails, to let vegetable matter fall out of the fleece and open up the fiber, then it is scoured clean, and finally it is combed into rovings, which aligns the fibers in one direction so they are ready for spinning.  The picking, scouring, and combing add tremendously to the work that goes into the fleece so that by the time it is ready to sell as roving it is usually priced between $3 to $12 per ounce, depending on its quality.  As you can see, there is money to be made, selling this fiber.  Of course, you have to consider the cost of the upkeep of the sheep.  Right now, handspinning is very popular.  Many people are enjoying both it and weaving and using fibers they have prepared themselves.  Do a yahoo search for "sheep to shawl"  and you'll learn about festivals celebrating the unique relationship of sheep and handspinners.  Also check out "handspinners" , "fiber festival", and "handspinner's flock".

Answer 8

Sheep farmers are to shave off the wool and send it too a company that makes blankets and coats and so on so fourth.

They use it because it is very very warm!

There is an average ammount of monet to be made in this business... I though about this same question once...

They also use sheep meat to eat....yuck!