1. Wool Industry By Aiden

2. What is Wool • Wool is a soft, curly hair which makes the coat of a sheep, goat or similar animal. Wool is used for many materials which mainly include yarn and different fabrics. • Some animals that make wool include sheep, vicuna, angora rabbit, angora/mohair goats and musk oxen. • Wool can be used to make clothing, blankets and other products that are similar. The thick and coarse wool is used for carpets and the fine and soft wool is used for clothing. • Australia has one of the largest wool industries in the world. Australia has been known to “ride on the back of the sheep”.

3. Properties of Wool • Some properties of wool is that it is biodegradable, breathable, hypoallergenic, fire resistant, absorbent and it has acoustic absorption. In cold, winter weather the wool keeps the sheep warm and in hot, summer weather it keeps the sheep cool and protects them from sunburn. Wool of most breeds of sheep is yellow and white in colour. The more white the wool is the bigger price it is sold for. Fibre is an individual strand of wool, just like a single strand of hair from your head.

4. (PROPERTIES OF WOOL CONTINUED) • Biodegradable- if something is biodegradable it means that it can decompose naturally. • Hypoallergenic- means that people are likely not to have an allergic reaction. • Acoustic Absorption- it means that the wool absorbs sound. • Breathable- comfortable and easy to wear. • Absorbent- an item that soaks up liquid easily • Fire resistant- is less likely to burn.

5. Environmental Sustainability • Environmental sustainability is the protection and wellbeing of the land. • Farmers need to keep the environment healthy for the sheep’s wellbeing. Some things that farmers have done to help the environment include carbon farming, biological/organic farming, plant trees, conservation farming, holistic farming, cell grazing and increase ground cover (plants on soil).

6. Where do Sheep live in Australia • Sheep tend to live inland where there is drier weather with lots of pasture and water. Prime lambs are in the Eastern Australian sheep/wheat belt from Queensland to South Australia west of the Great Dividing Range/Blue Mountains where there is 350-450 millimetres of rain which is marginal for farming. Merino sheep are also grazed on the semi-arid central plains west of the sheep/wheat belt. Some northern or coastal areas are too hot or wet which leads to diseases such as foot rot.

7. (Environmental sustainability continued) • Carbon farming- is managing the land to trap carbon from the atmosphere by having more plants. Paddocks are locked up and trees and long term pastures are planted. Carbon Farming is simply farming in a way that reduces Greenhouse Gas emissions or captures and holds carbon in vegetation and soils. It is managing land, water, plants and animals. It seeks to reduce emissions in its production processes, while increasing production and sequestering carbon in the landscape. • Plant trees- is very good for sheep as it provides them with shade, shelter and also wind protection. Having plants also makes the ground more stable and improves soil salinity. Planting trees is very good for the environment as trees release oxygen into the environment • Cell grazing- involves having more animals in a smaller area and moving them more often according to the plants needs. • Conservation farming- is the aim to conserve soil and water by using surface cover (mulch) to minimise runoff and erosion and improve the conditions for plant establishment and growth.

8. THANKS FOR WATCHING