Large Crowd Gathers for 2007 AGM

On Sunday 21st October 2007 a large crowd of producers gathered for brunch at our Narrandera complex prior to the Annual General Meeting. It was pleasing to see so many producers attend. Craig gave a brief classing demonstration and producers took the opportunity to inspect the complex and the lines of fibre. At the AGM Chairman Keith COwen announced that all consignments will now be eligible for the advance payment. It is anticipated that this will help ease strain on producer cashflow with only three sales scheduled for 2008. Click here to find out more.

After the Meeting the Board of AMMO Ltd met to elect a new chairperson for the ensuing year. I can report that Mr Keith cowen was relected as chairman unanimously with me Norm McCrea being elected Vice-Chairperson. Both men are looking forward to their year in office.

Keith Cowen, Chairman Of AMMO and Mr Ian Cathles, new President of Mohair Australia exchange ideas over the AGM weekend.

Classer Training and
Other Options

We would like to remind all producers that we are available for on-farm classing appointments if required. Or why not have you or your wool-classer up-grade their skills to be able to prepare mohair for consignment. A.M.M.O. Ltd is prepared to offer training at its Narrandera depot or on-farm where practical, to all experienced wool classers and new producers to ensure that clips are prepared in the best possible manner in the shed. Good preparation is the key to maximising your returns. Many wool classers travel with shearing teams or individuals and these teams/individuals are often called upon to shear goats, so why not use the same classer who can be trained in mohair, to class your mohair.
Enquire today regarding training with our experienced staff.

No Commercial Value (NCV) Fibre

From time to time on your clip report, you may notice that a portion of your clip has been described as NCV (i.e. having no commercial value).

This means that this fibre cannot be economically processed or, in some cases, cannot be processed at all, and is therefore not on-sold.
In the past we have out-sorted this type of fibre free of charge, however as of December 2005 this will no longer be the case. The Board of Directors has decided that from this time on any fibre consigned, which is classified as NCV, will attract a once-only charge of 30 cents per kilogram for handling, charged when the remainder of the clip is sold and deducted from sale proceeds. This is to help us defray the costs associated with both the time it takes to handle this type of fibre, and its subsequent re-packaging and disposal.
In future, if you have fibre of this type, or are unsure, please contact us prior to packing to discuss the viability of including this fibre in your consignment.

Thank you. Craig Clancy, Manager.

Insect infestations are just one of the reasons why fibre might be classed as NCV.

Ph (02) 6959 2988

News ...

SALE DATE CHANGED TO 9th May. AMMO to offer approx 60,000kgs to buyers!

Because of the large quantity of receivals later during the receival period AMMO Ltd has had no choice but to put their sale back a week to Friday 9th May at 1.30pm at the Narandera Ex-Servicmens Club. All producers are invited and welcome to attend. Please contact the office for more details. AMMO ltd wishes to apologise to producers for the delay which will mean that payments will not be available until May 30th. Of course anyone experienceing difficulties can contact the office on Tuesdays or Wednesdays to make other arrangements.

We thank you for your understanding.

Advance payment increased to $4.00 per kg delivered to Narrandera for the A2008 season only.

To help producers with on-farm cash flow, AMMO Ltd has increased its advance payment to $4/kg for the first season of 2008. This is due to the later sale Date of 2nd May, and is AMMO's way of helping producers through these difficult times. Producers who wish to take advantage of this advance payment should advise the office when consigning so that immediately your consignment is received in the warehouse, your payment can be made.

Exciting new changes to AMMO sale offerings

The recent introduction of a core and grab sampling machine to our Narrandera store has effectively reduced the time we spend setting up for sales and significantly reduced the O H & S risk of injury through the excessive amount of manual handling involved in setting up a sale by traditional showing and manual core testing of bales.

This has meant a change in the way we offer fibre for sale.

Future catalogues may consist of three sections -

1. Traditional Lots – The best lines/types of each age group. I.e. the Fine Kid and Kid types, the best Young Goat and Fine Hair types. All bales in these lots will be displayed traditionally. (i.e. all bales of these lots lined up on the floor and opened at the top for inspection)

2. The Sale By Sample Lots – These lots made up the bulk of the catalogue i.e. all the average/good top making types. The bales were not be on display but instead samples of approx 4 - 6kgs mechanically taken by the grab sampling machine were displayed in display boxes.

3. A.M.M.O. Producer Lots – These lots were sorted/resorted by A.M.M.O. technical staff, each individual lot will comprise fibre from one producerand will have been selected for this section because the lines many vary slightly from the specification for that type. (Different from grower lots offered in the past as they are offered under the AMMO Brand and will have been classed/typed by AMMO technical staff (not by the producer). These lots are displayed traditionally - i.e by open bales.

The introduction of a core and grab sampling machine to our operation will also allow for the possibility of Sale by Separation with test results and grab samples in the future should this be necessary for whatever reason.

More Soft Cots Evident

Recently A.M.M.O. Staff have seen a noticeable increase in the incidence of Soft Cots (SCOT) - most noteably in the D2006 (Sept—December) marketing period, with soft cots representing approx 2300kgs which is up from 1500kgs in the previous quarter. A reasonable assumption could be made that lack of nutrition due to the longevity and severity of the current drought situation has played a major role in the increase in the percentage of soft cots.
If the problem was a management/late shearing problem, there would usually be a corresponding increase in the quantity of Hard Cot (HCOT) as well. However, when we compare the quantity of Hard Cots in the D06 season with the C06 HCOT quantities, we can see that there was actually more HCOT in C06 than in the D06 season, which indicates the degree of cotting is related more to nutrition levels rather than significantly late shearing.
There was also a significant increase in the quantity of ‘C’ length mohair which I believe to also be as a result of the drought.