This term our Year 5/6 students are investigating the Geographical links between local businesses contributing to global economics as part of an international community. We invited local sheep farmer, Leigh McKenzie, into our classroom to describe the pathway of Australian fleece from farms across Australia that are exported overseas where they are processed into manufactured goods and imported back into Australia. Leigh described the history of sheep and wool production in this area and outlined the seasonal activities of his farm at Newfield with sheep primarily bred to firstly produce meat with 5,200 lambs turned off and 100 bales of wool produced last year. Learning about different types and breeds of sheep, the students were interested in shearing and the journey of wool bales from farms, through wool broker warehouses where they are tested and then sold. Geographical and economic concerns were discussed including the implications of environmental concerns and cost of production. Over 92% of Australian wool is exported greasy, or not processed, with China importing 85%, India 4% and Italy 3%. We learnt that Australia produces 325 million tonnes of wool each year, with wool exports worth $3.5 billion to the Australian economy. Comments are closed.
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April 2024
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