Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
ble matter). These off-sorts are packaged separately to
avoid further contamination of the clip. The remaining
mohair may be further differentiated (classed) and
packaged according to fi ber diameter ranges, staple length,
and lock structure (for example, ringlet versus fl at lock),
type or amount of vegetable contamination, and estimated
clean yield. A trained owner or an experienced classer
normally accomplishes these grading or classing opera-
tions. The skirting and classing processes are labor inten-
sive and slow but result in bags (traditionally made of jute)
or bales (made of nylon) of classed mohair that are deliv-
ered to a commission warehouse or cooperative associa-
tion for sale. Some U.S. producers believe that this extra
process after shearing is not cost effective and package
their mohair directly from the shearing fl oor into burlap
bags that are delivered to the warehouse as “original bag”
(OB) mohair. Before processing, this mohair must be
skirted and classed either at the warehouse, a custom class-
ing fi rm, or at a textile mill. In South Africa, shearing is
carried out using hand or power shears. Most South African
growers take great personal pride in having the entire clip
skirted, classed, and packaged in bales at the farm prior to
delivery for sale. Both South Africa and the U.S. have
offi cial guidelines for skirting, classing, and marketing
mohair.
Fiber Marketing
M
OHAIR
At the storage facility, the different lines of mohair may
be grabbed and core sampled and the samples objectively
tested for the following main value-determining character-
istics: clean yield, vegetable matter content, average fi ber
diameter (and variability), degree of medullation, and pos-
sibly staple length and staple strength. This information
may or may not be made available to mohair buyers on or
before sale day when they view representative opened bags
or representative samples of mohair from each sale lot.
Sales can be fi nalized by private treaty, sealed bid, or open
bid. The private treaty method is quite common in the U.S.,
and open bid auction is more popular in South Africa. The
buyer's representative then arranges for transportation to
a scouring plant.
C
ASHMERE
Prior to the early 1980s, the extensive and remote nature
of production, poor communications, informal trading, or,
in the case of China, availability of raw cashmere only at
central markets at prices set by the government character-
ized the raw cashmere market (Van der Westhuysen,
2005). Most of the raw cashmere from Mongolia and
China was shipped to European countries for dehairing and
conversion into luxury textiles. Since that time, the econo-
mies, marketing philosophies, and manufacturing ability
of these two countries have changed to the point where
export of raw material has been greatly diminished and
fabrics and luxury apparel items are being produced in the
countries of origin. This trend has resulted in shortages of
raw materials for western manufacturers, some of whom
have chosen to partner with Asian companies rather than
leave the cashmere business altogether. The shortage of
raw materials and subsequent elevated prices provided an
impetus for numerous research projects aimed at establish-
ing cashmere production in other countries, such as,
Australia, New Zealand, U.K., U.S., and several others. To
date, none of these countries have become major
suppliers.
For the very small production in the U.S., much of the
combed product is sold directly to hand spinners by the
producers themselves using online marketing and fi ber
fairs. Several attempts have been made during the past 20
years to amass commercially signifi cant amounts of classed
(by color, fi ber diameter, and staple length) cashmere,
mainly shorn, that was then offered to buyers through
cooperative organizations such as Cashmere America
(founded in 1991).
C
ASHMERE
G
OATS
Toward the end of winter, the undercoat or down of
cashmere goats begins to shed. The actual time of year is
quite variable throughout the world being dependent
upon latitude, altitude, pregnancy status, and plane of
nutrition. Generally, the colder it is, the longer the goats
hold on to their insulating cashmere. In the traditional
producing countries, China and Mongolia for example,
the fi ne down is combed out of the fl eece using special
combs once shedding has been detected. Multiple comb-
ings are required to remove most of the cashmere.
Elsewhere, whole fl eeces are shorn. Combed and shorn
cashmere both have to be scoured and dehaired before
further textile processing, but combed cashmere normally
produces much higher yields of down fi ber than its shorn
counterpart. Variability in coarse hair content and average
fi ber diameter of “raw cashmere” make meaningful price
comparisons among districts, countries, or breeds very
diffi cult unless objective measurements of these charac-
teristics are available. In addition to producing relatively
low down yields, shearing cashmere goats results in
shorn animals at a time of year when exposure to cold
or wet weather can produce serious stress, abortions, or
even death.
