DWARSVLEI | WOOL
Above: One of the Karoo farmer’ s most important tasks is to manage grazing astutely.
That is despite the war in the Middle East.
“ Oil prices affect livestock farmers less than crop farmers, but when diesel and fertiliser prices go up, maize prices follow suit. Then we pay more for feed and get less for our lambs at the feedlots.”
Furthermore, the Middle East was one of the biggest buyers of South African lamb, and at present South Africa cannot export due to FMD.
But it is not all doom and gloom as we move on to chat to Sarah van Lingen, Matthew’ s better half, about her initiatives regarding the South African wool industry.
BRINGING THE WOOL VALUE CHAIN TOGETHER
The Karoo Winter Wool Festival was founded in 2022 and is held at Dwarsvlei. And Sarah is none other than the festival organiser.
By the way, those impressive stables where Nourse kept his 200 broodmares have now been converted into nu-
46 GROND TOT MOND JUN 2026