We asked farmers what they're voting at WoolPoll and here's what they said

Woolgrowers are set to vote in WoolPoll from September 20 to November 1, to decide what proportion of their incomes will go towards Australian Wool Innovation.

The levy was dropped from 2 per cent to 1.5pc at the 2018 WoolPoll, and that figure was maintained at the 2021 vote.

It is unknown exactly what the poll's levy options will be at this stage, with AWI set to supply woolgrowers with information on projected revenue and what program spending will look like at different levy rates soon.

Of the 186 respondents from across the country, 46pc said they didn't believe AWI provided value for money, while 35pc said they did and 19pc were unsure.

The largest proportion of growers believing they were not getting value for money from the levy was in Victoria and Tasmania, with 59pc, followed by NSW with 49pc and South Australia with 30pc.

Western Australia and Queensland's small sample sizes were insufficient for a reliable indication, but 45pc of WA respondents and 42pc of Queensland respondents believed they were not getting value.

SA led the way for growers believing AWI was offering value for money, with 50pc of respondents answering positively.

This was followed by NSW with 32pc and Victoria and Tasmania with 22pc.

Nationally, 39pc of growers under the age of 44 were not seeing value, while 36pc were.

Of the growers aged 45-64, 46pc were not seeing value, while 34pc believed AWI was offering value for money from the levy.

Nearly half the growers 65 years and older (49pc) were not seeing value from the levy, with 35pc believing the opposite.

When asked what would represent value for money, 47pc of respondents answered improved wool prices, 26pc said improved marketing of wool, 10pc said more research and development, 6pc said more use/investment of new technologies, 6pc said more training and 4pc said less reliance on China.

Woolgrowers were asked if they believed the levy should return to 2pc, to which 43pc of respondents answered no, 34pc said yes and 23pc were unsure.

The largest response against raising the levy back to pre-2018 levels was from Victoria/Tasmania, with 53pc against it and 31pc for it, followed by NSW with 41pc against and 33pc for.

More respondents in SA were for the levy to go back to 2pc, with 39pc, while 37pc were against it.

Nationally, 39pc of woolgrowers under 44 years of age were for the levy to go back to 2pc, with 30pc against it.

When asked to comment on why the industry should go back to the 2pc levy rate, 32pc of respondents answered to provide general support to the industry, 29pc answered to provide marketing and 9pc said for research and development.

Asked why the levy should not return to 2pc, 42pc of growers answered they were not seeing the value, 18pc said the money was not being spent wisely, 13pc said AWI was not doing a good job and 6pc said AWI needed to be performance based.

Growers were asked whether AWI should be targeting luxury markets or focus more be on everyday clothing items like socks and jumpers, with 70pc answering they should be focused on both, 19pc wanting the focus on everyday clothes and 6pc believing AWI should be targeting luxury markets.

What research and development AWI should be conducting had opinions divided.

Animal health topped the list of responses with 29pc, followed by new product development and marketing with 20pc, improving productivity and profitability with 18pc, wool processing/manufacturing with 16pc and environment and sustainability opportunities with 14pc.

Barunah Park woolgrower Russell Coad said he would be supporting a 1pc levy at voting time, which was similar to what he voted at the last WoolPoll.

"I question what benefit we are seeing from our dollars," Mr Coad said.

"The many millions of dollars spent previously on marketing and research over a very-long time does not seem to have much of a flow-on effect, particularly now with the diminishing returns from wool markets which have continued to trend down."

He said farmers were facing increased costs, which was putting pressure on woolgrowers and resulting in many of them leaving the industry.

"Which puts more pressure on those remaining," he said.

Mr Coad, who runs 4500 breeding ewes in a Dohne/Merino operation, said AWI's investment in shearer and wool handling training in recent years had benefited the industry, and he hoped that support was maintained.

He also hoped more research was put into sheep blowfly control, lice control and footrot management.

Morrisons woolgrower Tom Spiegevel said he would be voting for a 0pc levy.

Mr Spiegevel, who runs approximately 4500 Merino sheep, said he still had "no confidence in AWI" after voting 0pc at the last WoolPoll.

He wanted AWI to "support more innovations and inventions" and "stop being held back by the past".

"Be proactive instead of reactive," he said.

Crowlands woolgrower Keith Boatman said he would also be voting for a 0pc levy, "the same as the last couple of WoolPolls".

"I am voting for this as I believe AWI is not representing the majority of woolgrowers and is not giving us any real positive outcomes, and the only way I can see to get change is the removal of all their funding so the body ceases to exist," Mr Boatman said.

"Wool accounts for less than 2pc of the world clothing trade yet it is still the major focus for AWI.

"They are only looking after a small portion of the industry whilst the majority of the wool types in volume are struggling to find a market.

"Other, meaningful uses for wool need to be found, just as all parts of a processed animal are used today, so should all types and qualities of wool and the price has to be at a level that makes it profitable to grow it."

He said programs to encourage more people into the industry were "too little and too late".

"Being able to source a skilled labour force from other countries, namely New Zealand, has hidden this fact for many years and they are only now starting to see a problem," he said.

Mr Boatman, who runs 3000 Dohne ewes, said the cost of production had increased significantly while the raw price for wool had remained "stagnant" for 30 years.

"AWI's solution is for us to get more efficient," he said.

"If I get much more efficient my sheep are going to have to learn to shear themselves, drench themselves and perform all other animal husbandry tasks, themselves."