Keeping it local puts wool on shop shelves Reviving the wool industry and staying true to community roots has placed Agwool jerseys and socks on the shelves of Farmlands stores in North Otago. When Farmlands shareholders Greg and Nic Ruddenklau met Agwool founder Ken Algie 5 years ago, they were looking for an answer. Farming Headwaters sheep across two properties in Five Forks, near Oamaru, Greg and Nic knew their premium wool was seriously undervalued. How could they change that? The answer they took home was “regional wool” – the notion that wool from a region be made into products in that region and then sold in that region.
Now, wool from their flock is turned into jerseys, socks and beanies that are then sold in their local Farmlands store. Farmlands is working to make them available online soon. Greg and Nic’s farm is one of nine from Southland to North Canterbury investing in the programme and supplying lamb and hogget wool of 30-32.5 microns to Agwool. Other investors are as far north as Masterton. Within the Agwool system, farmers fund the manufacture of their own wool by the kilo. Agwool New Zealand
was formed under parent company Agmatch. It aims to improve outcomes for wool with an emphasis on quality, farmer returns, good retail value and excellence in the end product. For Greg and Nic, seeing the whole process from shearing shed to store shelf has been a real source of pride. “The lambs’ wool is sorted on the shearing table and only the very best of it goes into the jerseys,” Greg says. “We got to see the end product before it went out and we are really impressed.” Even better that the team at Farmlands
| Nic and Greg Ruddenklau with Gracelyn, 9, and Sam, 8.
26 | THE FARMLANDER
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