Through a combination of integrity, resolve, foresight, innovative strategy and great staff, Fox & Lillie has grown and diversified to become a substantial agribusiness and a benchmark in the Australian wool industry.
Educational seminars, demonstrations, or speakers first appeared in Festival catalogs in 1986 although demonstrations have been a part of the Festival since the very beginning. The very first demonstrations, as mentioned in the July 1974 MSBA Sheep News, was the wool flammability demo with the Westminster Fire Department and the sheep shearing demonstration. Beginning in 1986, formal talks became a major part of the Festival to the point where the 24th Festival (1997) had over 16 different seminars and lectures.
The items provided to visitors in the information and educational tent have been important for many new and practicing shepherds. Literally tons of books, posters, pamphlets, fact sheets, mimeos on sheep and wool products have been distributed through the Festival education exhibit.
The Australian-owned business is no stranger to growth, starting as a small business of four in 1999 and rapidly growing to be the largest independent wool broker in Australia. In recent years, AWN has diversified into livestock and rural property services, strategically establishing numerous greenfield sites and acquiring a number of successful independent agencies in key locations across rural Australia.
We used a 9-volt battery to light the steel wool because the terminals are close together. Touching the battery to steel wool sends a current through the thin wire, and it heats up a lot (to about 700 degrees C). These temperatures cause the iron to react with the oxygen (O2) in the air and creates iron oxide (FeO2).
This reaction releases heat, heating up the next bit of iron and so on, causing a cascading reaction through the steel wool. Fluffing up the steel wool and spinning it increases the amount of oxygen available, speeding up the reaction and giving us the amazing display that we used for these photographs. Cool, huh?
We operate four processing centres throughout New Zealand located at Napier, Christchurch, Mosgiel and Invercargill. Our nationwide team of wool specialists provides a comprehensive range of high-quality services to our grower clients and to international and local wool processors.
Through our International sales and marketing company, Bloch & Behrens Wool (NZ) Ltd, we can offer wool growers price certainty. Securing wool long term adds certainty to the supply chain and manages price fluctuations.
We auction significant quantities of wool throughout the wool selling season at New Zealand's two key auction houses, based in Napier and Christchurch. We drive efficiency by maintaining good working relationships with testing houses, exporters, transporters, scours, dumpers, and shipping agencies.
Kev Wilson started working in the wool industry in Napier in 1962. At 16 his first job was as a junior wool classer for broker De Pelichet Mcleod. A few years after the Korean War had driven huge impetus into the wool sector, demand for the fibre remained strong. There were plenty of wool stores...
I have worked with Philippa Wright for over 30 years from when she was our local wool agent and she has always encouraged my family and I with improving our wool production and has set high standards in our woolshed.
Alpaca is one of the warmest and most durable fibers that you can find on the market today. Thanks to its softness, it is also one of the most comfortable wools to wear; and with proper care, your favorite alpaca items can be passed down from one generation to the next.
Believe it or not, clothes and other textiles make great composting material! Look for natural fiber items made of pure wool, cotton, silk, or linen that are too old or damaged to donate, and cut them into small pieces to speed up the composting process.
The footwear company claims it is dedicated to producing ethically sourced, environmentally-friendly shoes that also happen to be supremely stylish and outrageously comfortable. Co-founder Tim Brown sought to create a shoe that was both wearable and eco friendly. They do this by using merino wool from New Zealand's plentiful sheep population.
The shoes are made of wool and tree fibers that can be damaged in high heat. That means you should never tumble dry your sneakers. Just let them air dry, and by the next day, they should be as good as new.
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