Andy Collins and his wife Brenda knew they wanted to join a wool industry co-operative and considered their options before joining Primary Wool Co-operative.
“We believe in the co-operative model, explored our options, almost joined another one but ended up feeling most comfortable with Primary Wool Co-operative,” says Andy.
Andy has been an active part of the family farm since an early age. He and Brenda run Romney and Romney Cross on 2,500 ha in the Wanganui district.
They were first introduced to the Co-operative when they purchased a ram off of a current PWC board member and learned all about it.
Like many farmers, Andy struggles with the future of the wool industry and would like to see more control beyond the farm gate. He sympathises with many farmers who lack the incentive to put tremendous effort into maintaining the quality of the wool because the price is so low compared to the meat value.
Despite his struggles with the industry as a whole, Andy values the Primary Wool Co-operative efforts. “They offer great service. They have really good service,” he says. The rebates and the cheap wool packs that come as a member benefit are not a bad part of the deal either.