Manawatu stock sales

Feilding Prime Stock Sale Monday May 15

There was a welcome drop in lamb entries with about 3,000 less this week than the last sale but still well over 5000 lambs were sold.

This was well timed as there was also a reduction in the number of active buyers this week. The sale started a little slowly and prices were slightly easier in the initial stages of the sale. This sale also had the largest entry of medium weight ewe lambs seen so far this season.

These always sell to the firmest demand and usually further into the sale so, once these lambs began to dominate the offering, sale prices improved and the sale ended up fairly steady on last week overall.

Top price was $150 for 8 big males consigned by Hancock & Davis with ‘‘Rowenda’’ and Pilet Contracting both selling pens of male lambs for $141.

Forward store and straight store lambs sold to firm demand and at levels that were higher compared with last Friday’s store sale. A fine day did help them, though.

Ewe entries were further reduced on last week but scanning is underway in the earlier flocks and this will determine ewe entries going forward.

As with the lambs, the buying ranks were very shallow and one buyer bought the bulk of the yarding with prices firming as the ewe weights increased and lighter grazing ewes steady.

The cow offering did not sport the number of higher yielding beef cows that went through last week but still offered plenty of dairy boners.

As a result of these lower yielding cows, cents/kg levels did ease. Works buyers were able to operate again today with paddock buyers not so busy and there were a few in-calf cows put through at prices similar to the better boners.

The steers and heifers offered were all dairy cross with lighter weights as a consequence and cents/ kg for these cattle were also reduced somewhat and it was another large heifer offering.

Two big service bulls at over 1 tonne of liveweight each were sold and penalised for cents/kg in the usual fashion.

Sheep (6,315): lambs (5,272); prime (4,578), 40-64kg, $108-$150, $2.30-$2.60, steady; store (694), 28-40kg, $76-$114, $2.65-$3.10, firm; ewes (984); good, heavy, 26-30kg, $113-$128, $4.20-$4.35, lift; medium, 21-25kg, $83-$109, $3.95-$4.35, firm; lighter, 16-30kg, $60-$81, $3.75-$4.05, steady; poor sorts, $30-$35; male sheep (59), $40-$109.

Cattle (484): steers (5); 410-520kg, $1095-$1404, $2.67-$2.70;heifers (98); 290-453kg, $639-$1223, $1.96-$2.70, ease; lesser sorts; 383-400kg, $574-$684, $1.50-$1.71; cows (367); good, heavy, incalf; 420-650kg, $802-$1285, $1.76-$2.05, ease; boners; 352-602kg, $500-$1168, $1.41-$2.03, ease; bulls (14); 190-1030kg, $498-$2031, $1.25-$2.80. Feilding Calf Sale May 15 A much reduced offering of 30 calves sold to an easing market even with some useful calves being put up. The season is drawing to a close, however.

Bulls: Friesian; medium, $140; H/FR X; good, $300-$360; medium, $230-$260.

Heifers: H/FR X; good, $240; simmental X; good, $300-$330.

Feilding Store Stock Sale Friday May 12

Thursday saw a yarding of just over 600 beef cows sell to very strong demand from those looking to build their herds up again. Cows were up to $200 dearer than last year and, in a very good sign for the industry, works buyers were not able to beat the cattle breeders and all the top cows were retained.

The store sale started with a few more run-with-ram ewes and included a pen of run-with-ram ewe hoggets. All these sheep were just average and sold well considering.

A much larger yarding of store lambs had been advertised but the effects of the latest cyclone led to many cancellations and only just under 16,000 lambs were sold in general rain that only eased with the southerly wind change.

The very first pen, 192 woolly cryptorchids from M Duffy, Eketahuna, sold for $118 which remained the day’s top price. These lambs looked good wringing wet so would have looked even better if dry. Daker Ridge, Stratford, sold 134 shorn lambs for $116.

The top ewe lambs were the 301 woolly romneys from ‘‘Kuratahi’’, Taihape, which sold for $108.50 and would make good ewes. These better lambs remained essentially steady on recent markets. Once the sale moved into the lesser cuts of the males and into the majority of the ewe lambs, there was a perceptible easing in cents/kg. This was not dramatic but it was noticeable that lambs that would have sold for $95 last week sold for $90 at this sale.

There is a definite buyer resistance to wethered lambs and, on a day like today with fewer buyers, these lambs are marked back. This mostly drove the market easing which was more noticeable as the weight lowered today.

The wet conditions impacted on the cattle sale to some extent, as well.

Only those buyers with dry paddocks or feedlots were very interested in climbing into the cattle market so while the better beef cattle sold well enough, there was much reduced interest in the lesser dairy types. This is typical of large yardings in adverse conditions. Ferndene Land Co, Hunterville, sold 8 angus and angus/hereford cross rising three year steers for $1850 ($2.95) and Te Whake Farm, Taihape, sold 23 charolais cross rising two year steers for $1792 ($3.10) but much of the steer yarding could not reach the cents/kg levels of recent weeks.

Bulls eased last week but stayed roughly steady on those levels this week, even with a larger yarding which does show the bull buyers turn up if there are numbers.

Karaka Court Trust, Cheltenham, sold 20 rising two year friesian bulls for $1535 ($2.83) which compared well with last week. Weaner bulls were in massive numbers with over 400 head but after earlier looking barely steady, finished fairly steady, overall, on last week with a few pens over $900 (mid-$3.80’s). Collis Farming, Kumeroa, sold a number of pens with 28 weaner friesian bulls selling for $930 ($2.87) to top the section.

The heifer numbers were about 100 less than last week without any real standouts as in recent weeks. Sale prices were roughly steady for the older heifers but they, too, are off recent highs. This is no surprise as winter approaches and the better heifers have mostly already found new homes. The rising yearling heifer section was dominated by dairy cross heifers.

Sheep (16,618): ewes & lambs, RWR (837); $67-$123; lambs (15,781); 41-44kg, $101.50-$118, $2.48-$2.79, steady; 36-40kg, $95-$110, $2.52-$3.04, ease; 31-35kg, $85-$106.50, $2.68-$3.08, ease; 26-30kg, $76-$91, $2.76-$3.23, ease.

Cattle (1,901): steers; 3+ (25), 587kg, $1750, $2.98; R3 (237), 436-627kg, $1000-$1850, $2.22-$3.17, ease; R2 (464), 272-578kg, $810-$1792, $2.51-$3.21, ease; R1 (73), 140-270kg, $590-$1065, $3.50-$5.00; bulls; R2 (205), 357-542kg, $950-$1535, $2.66-$3.01, steady; R1 (428), 139-240kg, $540-$930, $2.61-$4.64, steady; heifers; R2&3 (292), 240-490kg, $755-$1310, $2.55-$3.14, steady; R1 (79), 130-245kg, $500-$730, $2.88-$3.84. Rongotea Sale Report May 10 The cattle pens were full to capacity at Rongotea today as more big cattle and boner cows come onto the market.

2 year white face steers 392 kg 442 kg made up to $1170 ($2.55 $2.84), angus steers 345 kg made $900 ($2.61) and murray grey steers 405 kg made $1010 ($2.49). Speckle Park steers 325 kg – 480 kg made up to $1300 ($2.63 - $2.84) and ayrshire steers 325 kg – 464 kg made up to $1155 ($2.34 - $2.49). Friesian steers 311 kg – 465 kg made up to $1100 ($2.09 - $2.37) and cross breed steers 375 kg - 522 kg made $1275 ($2.14 $2.44).

2 year white face heifers 330 kg – 555 kg made up to $1400 ($2.48 $2.63), friesian heifers 285 kg – 417 kg made up to $860 ($1.79 - $2.12) and cross breed heifers 285 kg - 460 kg made up to $1150 ($2.05 - $2.56). Beef cross heifers 300 kg - 545 kg made up to $1440 ($2.47 - $2.64).

18 month white face steers 390 kg made $1060 ($2.72) and angus steers 385 kg made $970 ($2.52).

18 month friesian bulls 352 kg made $990 ($2.81) and white face bulls 368 kg made $955 ($2.60).

Yearling white face steers 207 kg made $720 ($3.47) and cross breed steers 198 kg – 225 kg made up to $540 ($2.20 - $2.40).

Yearling Friesian bulls 172 kg – 370 kg made up to $960 ($2.59 - $3.09) and cross breed bulls 234 kg made $500 ($2.14). White face bulls 345 kg – 350 kg made up to $1000 ($2.49 $2.86) and hereford bulls 362 kg made $1300 ($3.59).

Yearling white face heifers 205 kg – 258 kg made up to $880 ($2.83 $3.41).

Weaner white face steers 155 kg – 165 kg made up to $640 ($3.87) and angus steers 150 kg made $610 ($4.07). Friesian steers 170 kg made $440 ($2.59).

Weaner Friesian bulls 125 kg – 212 kg made up to $750 ($2.80 - $3.61) and cross breed bulls 137 kg made $340 ($2.47). White face bulls 135 kg – 168 kg made up to $600 ($3.57 $3.85) and angus bulls 200 kg - 230 kg made up to $660 ($2.87 - $3.05).

Weaner white face heifers 112 kg – 172 kg made up to $665 ($2.98 $4.24) and angus heifers 255 kg made $660 ($2.59). Murray grey heifers 175kg made $540 ($3.09) and cross breed heifers 188 kg made $395 ($2.10).

In calf friesian cows made $680, in calf friesian heifers made $1230, and RWB friesian heifers made $900.

Friesian boner cows 502 kg - 655 kg made up to $1020 ($1.55 - $1.73) and cross breed boners 405 kg – 511 kg made up to $850 ($1.48- $1.70). Jersey boners 372 kg – 432 kg made up to $630 ($1.37 - $1.46).

Porkers made $120 and weaner pigs made $40 - $70.

MA ewes made $77 and mixed sex lambs made $64