Stock sales around the region
FEILDING STORE STOCK SALE FRIDAY JUNE 23
For a number of quite likely reasons, sheep entries lifted again for this sale. Recent sale prices must look very attractive to those hill country blocks still holding lambs, the recent weather has made sheep work a little easier and some end of year book squaring is probably occuring. For whatever reason, sheep entries lifted but the market did not falter.
As can so often happen, the first pen of lambs appeared the cheapest.
Hawkes Bay buyers, from Central right up to Wairoa, were to the fore again. Lamb sale prices for those medium and lighter lambs lifted another $5-$6/head this week but quite frankly this lifting trend does not look like changing anytime soon. Many lambs are unshorn, such is the state of the wool market, but all would benefit with shearing.
The cattle sale was a smaller affair with numbers hovering around winter levels. The steers were a little better this week and the steer section lifted overall.
The bulls met a mixed response this week with older bulls lifting but the weaners, on the back of a couple of larger lines, easing back. Bull numbers doubled last week’s but the buyers may not have been in. Regular Friesian bull vendors, Parkes Farming, Ohingaiti, sold 16 rising two year Friesians for $1500 ($3.11) and in the weaner Friesians; MG Rivers, Woodville, sold 12 for $940 ($3.53) and Karaka Court Trust, Cheltenham, sold 20 also for $940 ($3.60).
The heifer section was also more of a mixed bag today as a small yarding of older heifers eased a little yet the weaner heifers, without any standout lines, firmed. There were some more prime heifers offered.
Sheep (15,570): ewes (1,861); SIL (1,525), $112-$158; lambs (13,697); 40-44kg, $119-$130, $2.90-$3.03, firm; 36-40kg, $104-$130, $2.85-$3.37, lift; 31-35kg, $105-$121.50, $3.21-$3.82, lift; 27-30kg, $97-$104, $3.22-$3.86.
Cattle (790): steers; R3 (107), 518-604kg, $1460-$1775, $2.64-$3.13, lift; R2 (135), 307-536kg, $890-$1660, $2.87-$3.48, lift; R1 (95), 125-268kg, $475-$1080, $3.18-$4.06; bulls; R2 (57), 321-500kg, $800-$1500, $2.49-$3.11, lift; R1 (193), 187-266kg, $640-$940, $3.10-$4.27, ease; heifers; R2 (89), 300-497kg, $865-$1420, $2.54-$3.14, ease; R1 (70), 96-257kg, $545-$930, $3.40-$5.67; cows VIC (44), 477-529kg, $1160-$1290, $2.33-$2.51.
FEILDING PRIME STOCK SALE MONDAY JUNE 26
Cattle and sheep entries both declined at this sale and, while the cattle sale prices remained basically steady, vendors in the sheep section enjoyed a buoyant market and a solid increase in sale prices. Lamb entries dropped back by around 1000 head with the decline in proportion to last week’s ratio of heavy prime to medium prime to store lambs and ewe numbers also dropped proportionally.
A sustained spell of inspiring auctioneering by PGGWrightson’s Alex Stewart saw a new seasonal high of $188 for 7 male lambs from M& C Love but lamb prices overall lifted by between $5 and $10/head. The medium lambs are still maintaining a premium over the heaviest lambs but that premium is slowly reducing and those with all weights and grades contracts are paying more each week for those heavy brutes.
Ewe numbers also declined with the exception of a reasonable number of dry two tooths. There were more buyers present which kept ewe sale prices at firm levels and, although ewe prices did not lift as much as the lambs, those ewe prices were firming across the board by $2-$4/head. Alex Stewart maintained his auctioning form and sold the top ewes, a pen of blackface ewes, for $148. Two-tooths also firmed on this market.
The cattle market was sedate by comparison with no steers but some prime heifers. Local trade may hold better than prime cattle and one good Hereford/Friesian heifer sold for $1606 ($2.77) today with a couple of Friesian heifers at $1612 ($2.71).
Cows were essentially steady with a few more beef cows entered but one main cow buyer is still having a break. Some of the dairies had a bit of weight which helped the steadiness of the sale.
Sheep (5,931): lambs (4,105); heavy prime (1,439), 50-66kg, $148-$188, $2.80-$3.00, lift; medium prime (2,095), 40-50kg, $121-$153, $2.90-$3.20, lift; store (571), 24-39kg, $73-$131, $3.00-$3.35, lift; ewes; good, heavy (380), 26-30kg, $120-$148, $4.40-$4.70, lift; medium (747), 21-25kg, $81-$119, $3.85-$4.70, lift; lighter (192), 16-20kg, $50-$79, $3.20-$4.00; poor, $30; 2ths (476), $84-$120; male sheep (31), $50-$126.
Cattle (89): heifers (13); 353-595kg, $744-$1612, $2.11-$2.77, steady; lesser sorts, 290-365kg, $522-$682, $1.80-$1.87; cows (75); good, heavy, incalf, 583-670kg, $1230-$1467, $2.02-$2.11, steady; boners, 401-617kg, $708-$1234, $1.71-$2.00, steady; bull (1), 860kg, $2081, $2.42.