Manawatu stock sales

Feilding Prime Stock Sale Monday April 10

This sale offered a substantial reduction in lamb entries compared to last week, at around 3000 head less, but sale prices went in the other direction and scaled new heights. Heavy lambs were also competed for more vigorously this week and the discount for these very large lambs in comparison to the mediums reduced noticeably today.

The top price today was $144 for 14 from MJ &CA Love and for 65 blackface ram lambs from MS & TA Frame. This price was $12 higher than last week’s top price but there was very little difference in the lamb weights. The lightest of the prime lambs was $7.50/head higher than last week’s lowest price. More buyers bid on the medium lambs. There were a couple of hundred store lambs which sold to firm demand.

Ewe numbers were roughly similar to last week with more better and medium ewes. They also sold to firm demand. Richwyn Farm sold 96 heavy ewes for $128 to be another new seasonal high. Numbers were not bad at around a couple of thousand.

The cattle sale numbers was boosted by a large entry of cull cows and local meat plants have good bookings for now. The sale started with a big hereford/friesian steer, called ‘‘Bullseye’’ and reared by Finn O’brien, he sold for $2610 ($2.90). Steers were firm.

Heifer sale prices lifted on the biggest entry for some time. Most of the heifers were dairy cross with the odd beef cross.

300 cows were for sale as sale prices lifted by around 10 cents/kg. Even with these increased numbers, there is any amount of feed around so paddock buyers are pushing the works buyers along. A couple of short weeks will influence cow numbers.

The bull weights were not extraordinary and prices were at firm.

Sheep (6,733): lambs (4,689);prime (4,484), 41-58kg, $110.50-$144, $2.50-$2.80, lift; store (205), 28-38kg, $68-$108, $2.43-$2.84, firm; ewes (1,954); good, heavy, 26-30kg, $99-$128, $3.80-$4.20, firm; medium, 21-25kg, $77-$99, $3.70-$4.00, firm; light, 16-20kg, $47-$72, $3.00-$3.60; 2ths (78), $83-$88; male sheep (12), $30-$97.

Cattle (436): steers (8), 430-900kg, $1092-$2610, $2.54-$2.92; heifers (86); 410-700kg, $1168-$1787, $2.78-$2.95, lift; lesser sorts, 210-381kg, $336-$929, $1.60-$2.53; cows (310); good, heavy, incalf; 482-660kg, $964-$1419, $1.84-$2.12, lift; boners; 358-633kg, $658-$1202, $1.70-$2.09, lift; bulls (32); 330-640kg, $686-$1811, $2.08-$2.84.

Feilding Calf Sale Monday April 10

Around 140 calves sold onto a solid market with a large buying bench gathered. After last week’s highs, the whiteface heifers eased a fraction but prices were generally high again. Next week’s sale will be on Tuesday April 18.

Bulls: Friesian; good, $330-$390; medium, $260-$290; H/FR; good, $380-$435; medium, $300-$340; Char. X, $420.

Heifers: H/FR; good, $290-$340; medium, $250-$270; Char. X, $420.

Feilding Store Stock Sale Friday April 7

The first sunny day after a week of diabolical weather lifted the spirits and the sights of the lamb buyers with sale prices and cents/kg lifting to new highs for this season. Just over 13,000 store lambs were offered which should have been enough for all the buyers but, such was the determination of the Hawke’s Bay buyers, many registered buyers recorded no purchases. This would suggest there will be no backing off in this store lamb market and even these high sale prices are not attracting capacity yardings. That would suggest the available lamb numbers are not as high as some have been predicting.

The day’s top money was $119.50 for 366 ram lambs from Belmont Station, Apiti, and G & P Raleigh, Pongaroa, sold 96 blackface ram lambs for $115. The top ewe lamb money was $110.50 for 129 Romney ewe lambs from Mangahane Station, Taihape. As is seemingly becoming normal, the second and third cuts gave the top cuts a run for their money and there is little in the way of discount for ewe lambs. The average liveweight this week was less than last week and the quality of the lambs was a little less but it has been a horrible week. The heaviest of the lambs are comfortably selling for more in the saleyards than they would return at the meatworks. The better lambs lifted by around $2/head, the medium lambs by around $3/head and the lighter lambs by up to $4/head. A handful of very average run-with-ram ewes began the sheep proceedings.

Cattle entries were much reduced on last week’s numbers with many potential vendors and buyers probably unwilling to have cattle anywhere near their yards after all the rain. Sale prices were also inconsistent with some sections firm and others off a little. Ratanui Development Co, Halcombe, sold a number of pens of forward rising three year steers, mostly all over $1800 with the top 25 angus making $1820 ($2.99). MD Pratt, Kairanga, sold 25 rising two year old angus steers for $1600 ($3.41) to top that section and a few ordinary weaner steers beat next week’s fair.

The bull sections illustrated the unpredictable nature of this sale with older bulls lifting – Baxter Dairies, Aorangi Road, sold 10 good autumnborn rising two year friesian bulls for $1765 ($2.96) – but the younger bulls backed off a little. P Myers, Hawera, sold 14 good weaner friesian bulls for $1070 ($3.44), which is good money, but the off-bred weaner bulls were harder work on the day. Heifers benefited from reduced numbers and lighter weights and sold to lifting demand. The best money was $1390 ($3.03) for 14 exotic cross rising two year heifers from David Smart Farm, Lees Road, with the better angus heifers selling for a 10 cents/kg premium at least. Once again, a few average weaner heifers beat next week’s fair.

Sheep (13,295): ewes (150), RWR, $95-$105; lambs (13,145); 36-42kg, $105-$119.50, $2.72-$3.06, lift; 31-35kg, $100-$110.50, $2.92-$3.40, lift; 24-30kg, $94.50-$111.50, $3.34-$4.01, lift.

Cattle (1,160): steers; R3 (109), 475-607kg, $1350-$1820, $2.69-$3.00, ease; R2 (405), 302-503kg, $1035-$1600, $2.90-$3.61, firm; R1 (34); bulls; R2 (155), 404-596kg, $1320-$1765, $2.95-$3.27, lift; R1 (247), 150-311kg, $680-$1070, $3.44-$4.77, heifers; R2&3 (160), 321-458kg, $1040-$1390, $2.98-$3.37, firm; R1 (46); cows, VIC (4), 442kg, $1000, $2.26.

The ’’weather bomb’’ played havoc with the weaning plans and this sale was affected by scratchings to the point of being about half the size af that predicted. The scheduled Thursday heifer sale along with the remainder of this sale’s steers and bulls will now be offered on a newly programmed weaner fair on Wednesday April 12.

The sale started with exotic cross steers and began on a restrained tone with sale prices a little behind those achieved at the previous weaner fair – perhaps influenced by some friesian influence. $1180 ($3.47) for 7 simmental cross weaner steers from MS Smith, Whangaehu, topped this section.

Once the traditional steers entered the ring the market stepped up and the prices for the better weaner traditional steers exceeded the last weaner sale by up to $50/head. Pukeko Land Company, Hunterville, sold 15 angus/hereford steers for $1262 ($4.51) and 15 angus steers for $1255 ($4.38) to claim the honours. Hawke’s Bay buyers were dominant. Lighter traditional steers later in the sale sold at extraordinary cents/kg levels.

A few bulls sold to steady demand with one leading bull finisher declaring all the exotic cross steers should remain entire.

Total (824): steers; exotic cross (66), 218-340kg, $930-$1180, $3.47-$4.26; traditional cross (709), 122-286kg, $800-$1262, $4.00-$6.76; bulls (49), 206-302kg, $790-$1230, Rongotea Sale Report April 5 Weather conditions in the Manawatu, Whanganui and Horowhenua areas resulted in a small sale for bigger cattle at Rongotea sale today, however the calf pens had an excellent selection for the autumn rearers.

2 year murray grey steers 462 kg made $1340($2.90).

15 month white face heifers 310 kg – 375 kg made up to $1100 ($2.58 $3.07).

Weaner white face steers 120 kg 165 kg made up to $700 ($4.00 $4.94).

Weaner white face heifers 123 kg – 140 kg made up to $550 ($3.50 $4.07), friesian heifers 115 kg - 179 kg made up to $485 ($2.71 - $3.00) and cross breed heifers 118 kg made $335 ($2.84).

Young empty friesian cows 408 kg – 413 kg made up $930 ($2.14 $2.25).

Friesian boner cows 490 kg - 587 kg made up to $1100 ($1.87 - $1.92), cross breed boners 510 kg made$995 ($1.95) and jersey boners 353 kg made $505 ($1.43). Weaner pigs made $60. Good friesian bull calves made $320 – $395 and smaller calves made $250 - $300. White face bulls made $350 - $420 with smaller calves making $180 - $300. Angus cross bulls made $300 - $405 with smaller calves making $200 - $250. White face heifers made $250 - $320 and smaller calves made $150 - $200. Angus cross heifers made $150 $300.