The NWGA offers advisory services to commercial and communal farmers aimed at increasing their overall financial sustainability.
Commercial farmers have access to reproduction training to ensure the best possible yields from ewes. The training is broken into seven modules and presented to farmer groups.
Farm analysis services are offered that benchmark farming operations against one another, and allows farmers to identify ways in which the financial performance of a farm can be improved.
Farmers also benefit from predation management courses aimed at minimising the impact of problem animals. Members suffer significantly lower predation losses than non-members, thanks to this programme.
In addition to this, the NWGA supplies shearing training to equip shearers with the skills to manage sheep humanely, avoid injuries to the animals and themselves, and shear sheep as quickly and efficiently as possible.
On a communal level, the NWGA organises smallholder farmers into wool production associations allowing the collective marketing of wool. These associations may also be used to enhance the farmers’ bargaining power by allowing them to buy inputs in bulk.
Shearing sheds and equipment are made available to these farmers through support from government and private organisations or companies, where they can harvest and class the wool according to market requirements.
The National Wool Growers' Association of SA offers a government funded genetic improvement project, whereby good quality rams are supplied to communal farmers to improve their herds. The farmers also have access to training and mentorship programmes, which includes thirteen courses in basic wool production, which is funded by the Wool Trust and AgriSETA.
Since 1997, the association’s training and development programme has increased communal farmers’ income from wool by almost 90 percent.
Sheep farming is done all over South Africa, but is traditionally concentrated in the more arid regions of the country. Although the income ...