the abc victorian country hour this week had a long piece of abc life values journalism.
the farmer interviewed was praised for marketing her woolclip in such a way that she got ten times the price she used to get.
her initiative was to name her sheep,because people like buying the wool from sheep with names.instead of getting one dollar a kilo for black wool [which has a massively oversupplied supply] she was getting ten dollars a kilo for posting off parcels of wool to people ,with a description of the name and personality of the sheep it came from. if you want wool from the sheep called sally,you can book it for next year as well.
the abc did admit that there were only 15 sheep in the mob,but it is the thought that counts.the abc believes that farmers who grow food with a profit motive are without a soul.farmers,according to abc life values,should supply 'amenity' and landscape services,while supporting their families with government payments,and arts and crafts sold at farmers markets.
in the real world,by the time the chick with sheep with names has advertised,chatted on the phone,made up the parcels,dropped them off at the post office--she is getting cents an hour for her work.
if she just grew white commercial wool,which has a market,she could get ten bucks a kilo for the lot in bulk.the unfortunate fact that sheep only grow wool suitable for spinning for five years,before the quality declines.explain why sally the sheep had to go to the knackery?.
the abc country hour presenter boasted that she was 'hopeless with money',but the abc knows that the 'abc licence to farm,issued by the collective consensus' is the future.looks like i have to think up a few thousand names to be 'one of the right sort'.
