Friday, May 11, 2012

2012 Maryland Wool Pool

The 2012 Maryland Wool Pool will be held Wednesday, June 13th at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

Wool should be delivered to the pool between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. There will be three lines to accept wool. Two lines will accept loose wool. One line will accept wool baled in square bales. Consigners are expected  to unload their own wool.

The pool will not accept wet wool, black or gray wool, or wool from hair sheep or hair sheep crosses.  Wool delivered in polypropylene  bags will be refused and wool delivered in burlap bags will be discounted 3 cents per lb.

Wool being packed in a square nylon pack.

The pool now uses nylon square packs to ship the wool.  Anyone bringing wool to the pool in a nylon square pack weighing 250 lbs. or more will receive a 5 cent per lb. bonus payment for their wool. A replacement bag will be issued for each pack weighing 250 lbs. or more. Smaller lots of wool can be delivered in plastic trash bags (clear preferred) or loose in the vehicle.

This year's pool has been sold to Chargeurs, Inc. of Jamestown, South Carolina. Prices are slightly below last year:  Choice white-face, $1.10/lb.; Medium white-face, $1.00/lb.; Coarse white-face, $0.95/lb.; Non white-face, $0.90/lb.; and Short, $0.70/lb. The coarse white-face grade is for long wool, typically Romney, Lincoln, Cotswold, and Leicester breeds.

Payment will be made within several weeks of the pool.  The price received will be the above prices  minus a deduction for wool pool expenses (usually between 5 and 8 cents per lb). Maryland Sheep Breeders Association membership dues will be deducted  on wool sales over $40.

Questions pertaining to the wool pool should be directed to the wool pool manager Rich Barczewski at (302) 857-6410 or rbarczewski@desu.edu.

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