Stock sales around the region
FEILDING STORE STOCK SALE FRIDAY MAY 26
The much maligned beef cow, once abandoned by many farm advisors, save for champions like Barrie Ridler, had a wonderful day at the Thursday cow sale with terrific prices paid for around 620 VIC cows and 254 VIC heifers.
The top sale price was a record $2840 ($5.26) paid for 26 rising three year first calving Hereford heifers in calf to an Angus bull. These heifers were sold by the Hurley family’s Siberia Station, Hunterville, and headed to the South Island. The underbidder then cleaned up the rest of Siberia Station’s entry. Works buyers went home empty handed as the cows and heifers, deservedly for a high quality yarding, sold above works values this year. Over 1000 scanned in lamb ewes were offered with the top price again $150 for Kuratahi’s Romney ewes. Good scanned ewes are looking cheap buying at present compared with run with ram ewes and works ewes.
Over 20,000 store lambs were met with a mixed reception by the buyers. The early male lambs sold to strong demand considering some were not as heavy as they may have appeared. Locals were bidding again and prices lifted for these early males. The top price was $128 for 146 shorn cryptorchids from RK & SL Goldsworthy, Wanganui. Many male lambs sold between $112 and $118 and these were the lambs that increased in price with most over $3/kg liveweight.
As the market moved into the lighter male lambs and the ewe lamb section, the sheer weight of numbers dragged on the market and ended all price increases abruptly with sale prices quite noticeably steadying. At this stage of the season, most lambs offered are at least 30kg. The better steers at the start of the cattle sale did sell up to or firmed on last week’s levels but overall the cattle market became a ‘‘little sticky’’. The wet conditions and current cow cull is making life difficult for cattle traders.
Of the earlier steer pens – G Florence, Tangimoana, sold 16 rising three year Hereford/ Friesian cross steers for $2000 ($2.87) and ‘‘Waiwiri’’, Longburn, sold 23 rising two year Angus steers for $1730 ($3.03) so some prices weren’t bad and the rising two year steer section, offering some good cattle, firmed. Bull numbers were way down on last week. The bulls traded in a narrow range but did ease overall. Karaka Court Trust, Cheltenham, sold 16 Friesians for $1540 ($2.74) which was more dollars but fewer cents/kg than their entry last week.
Sheep (22,345): ewes (1,707); SIL (1,079), $100-$150; lambs (20,638); 40-45kg, $109-$128, $2.51-$3.09, lift; 36-40kg, $92.50-$117, $2.49-$3.20, firm; 31-35kg, $93.50-$112, $2.71-$3.20, steady.
Cattle (1,513): steers; R3 (83), 491-695kg, $1400-$2000, $2.65-$3.05, steady; R2 (481), 259-570kg, $620-$1730, $2.61-$3.44, firm; R1 (58), 112-254kg, $500-$890; bulls; R2 (70), 274-561kg, $610-$1540, $2.71-$2.80, ease; R1 (238), 118-302kg, $435-$850, $2.81-$4.11, ease; heifers; R3 (49), 357-471kg, $970-$1120, $2.29-$2.88; R2 (374), 294-478kg, $710-$1400, $2.35-$3.15, ease; R1 (155), 134-293kg, $400-$800.
FEILDING PRIME STOCK SALE MONDAY MAY 29
Sheep (8,105): lambs (6,953); heavy prime (2,302), 50-64kg, $132.50-$160.50, $2.50-$2.70, firm; mediumgood prime (3,515), 40-50kg, $112.50-$135, $2.65-$2.85, firm; store (1,136), 23-42kg, $61-$122.50, $2.65-$3.06, firm; ewes (1,119); good heavy (347), 26-30kg, $118-$132, $4.40-$4.50, firm; medium (450), 21-25kg, $4.20-$4.60, firm; lighter (260), 16-20kg, $64-$88, $4.00-$4.40, firm; RWR (62), $130; male sheep (33), $20-$123.
Cattle (606): steers (3); 295-490kg, $681-$1244, $2.31-$2.54; heifers (111); 400-655kg, $828-$1755, $2.01-$2.68, firm; lesser sorts; 276-380kg, $527-$725, $1.53-$1.91; cows (490); good, heavy, incalf, in-milk; 465-640kg, $814-$1342, $1.68-$2.27, ease; boners; 368-578kg, $548-$1031, $1.49-$2.37, ease; lesser sorts; 318-392kg, $393-$471, $1.00-$1.43; bulls (2); 830-890kg, $1543-$1619, $1.82-$1.86.