Manawatu stock sales

Feilding Prime Sale June 12

Lamb numbers were very similar to last week but there were many more pens of smaller lines.

The early stages of the sale moved along as per normal with most sale prices being right up to last week for the bigger lines of mostly heavier male lambs. When the sale moved into the more medium-weight lambs like the prime ewe lambs, which are generally lighter and smaller than those heavy males, the sale dropped a cog. Top money was $159 for heavy males from RA Brown and H Nitschke with MD Collis selling a larger line for $158. Well over half the yarding fitted into the mediumweight range with more and more vendors yarding those lambs rather than worksing them.

Twice as many ewes this week put pressure on the ewe sale prices and they noticeably dropped for all weight ranges. Scanning is bringing more out but even the odd pen of scanned in lamb ewes were not chased after hard although they were only lighter ewes, to be fair.

The males ranged from lightweight cull types to massively over-fat wethers and sale prices also ranged widely.

There was not a lot of weight or quality offered in the cattle yards with any number of lighter store cattle sprinkled around the yards.

Cow numbers ebbed a little more and prices did struggle to stay up. The heavier and in-calf cows were steady enough considering the lesser quality but the boners did ease back even for the better cows.

Sheep (6,673): lambs (4,823); heavy prime (1,227), 50-60kg, $136-$159, $2.50-$2.75, firm; medium prime (2,953), 42-50kg, $120-$138, $2.70-$2.90, lift; store (643), 28-40kg, $58-$122, $1.95-$3.10, steady; ewes (1,755); good, heavy (563), 26-34kg, $112-$139, $4.00-$4.30, ease; medium (967), 21-25kg, $78-$114.50, $3.70-$4.60, ease; lighter (225), 16-20kg, $57-$78, $3.60-$4.00, ease; 2ths (23), $81-$118; male sheep (72), $20-$145.

Cattle (137): steers (3), 240-480kg, $499-$1209, $2.08-$2.52; heifers (24); 180-520kg, $361-$1445, $2.08-$2.78, firm; lesser sorts, 130-387kg, $240-$716, $1.57-$1.85; cows (103); good, heavy, incalf, 470-624kg, $850-$1316, $1.81-$2.13, steady; boners, 417-566kg, $742-$1086, $1.60-$1.92, ease; lesser sorts, 372-410kg, $577-$640, $1.52-$1.62; bulls (7), 200-1020kg, $442-$1703, $1.67-$2.75.

Feilding Store Stock Sale Friday June 9

Entries were reduced towards winter levels in both the sheep and cattle sections as the hills continue to run down to their winter stocking levels and this was the smallest sale for many weeks.

Scanned in lamb ewes came forward in reasonable numbers and still look to be good buying in comparison to run with ram and cull ewes. 96, scanned with twins, shorn 5 year ewes from Horizon Trust sold for $151 to top this section.

There were heavier male lambs at the start of the lamb section this week and the sale prices obviously lifted at the start. 532 male lambs sold for more than $123 and 119 shorn cryptorchids from KJ Oliver, Raetihi, sold for $127.50 to be the day’s highest sale price. Most of the buying strength came from the Hawke’s Bay.

Hill country vetted in calf cows and heifers began the cattle sale. They sold at similar levels to last week for essentially similar cattle.

The traditional steers, especially angus steers, caught the market’s attention this week and sold to lifting demand.

Bull numbers lifted above last week’s tiny entry and this brought along more buyers and bulls also had a lift. Bulls are not massively heavy anymore – the heavy ones have probably gone to heaven by now – but JR and A Hughes, Pahiatua, sold their heaviest pen of 18 friesians for $1430 ($2.87) and the weaner bull section also enjoyed a price firming.

Heifers firmed but not to the extent of the male cattle.

As with most weeks, at this time, fairly nondescript weaner steers and heifers finished the sale but there are always bottom-feeders there sensing a bargain and they sold for a price.

Sheep (13,019): ewes (1,379); SIL (1,276), $80-$151; lambs (11,640); 40-45kg, $114-$127.50, $2.71-$3.10, lift; 36-40kg, $94-$116.50, $2.58-$3.18, lift; 31-35kg, $88.50-$112, $2.61-$3.39, lift; 27-30kg, $77-$105, $2.78-$3.42, lift.

Cattle (1,020): steers; R3 (167), 429-617kg, $1360-$1822, $2.60-$3.36, lift; R2 (254), 273-508kg, $890-$1565, $2.79-$3.49, lift; R1 (63), 131-205kg, $515-$855; bulls; R2 (98), 383-498kg, $1120-$1430, $2.85-$3.08, lift; R1 (78), 137-288kg, $455-$890, $2.92-$3.51; heifers; R2&3 (196), 272-498kg, $750-$1370, $2.39-$3.03, lift; R1 (109), 150-210kg, $450-$720, $2.21-$4.03; VIC (9), 549kg, $1610, $2.93; cows VIC (46), 518-656kg, $1210-$1480, $2.25-$2.33. Dairy Sale Thursday June 8 These cows were offered on account of Ben Alpin Dairy Ltd, Patoka, and consisted of 180 friesian and friesian cross vetted in calf cows of which half were carryover cows. Buyers came from a wide region, including Canterbury. The best recorded cows sold from $1800 to $2400 and the best of the carryover cows made from $1700 to $2300. Rongotea Sale June 7 There was a smaller yarding at Rongotea today due to the short week, with prices steadying after a week of reasonably fine weather.

2 year white face steers 397 kg made $1020 ($2.13), angus steers 380 kg – 486 kg made up to $1410 ($2.46 - $2.90) and murray grey steers 363 kg – 475 kg made up to $1370 ($2.59 $2.88). Friesian steers 552 kg made $1460 ($2.64) and cross breed steers 347 kg made $740 ($2.13).

2 year friesian bulls 455 kg made $1280 ($2.81) and cross breed bulls 440 kg made $1060 ($2.41).

2 year white face heifers 412 kg made$1010 ($2.45), angus cross heifers 397 kg made $975 ($2.45) and south devon heifers 315 kg made $630 ($2.00).

15 month friesian bulls 345 kg made $870 ($2.52).

Weaner white face steers 290 kg made $765 ($2.64), murray grey cross steers 235 kg made $450 ($1.91) and jersey cross steers 250 kg made $480 ($1.92).

Weaner white face bulls 180 kg – 305 kg made up to $840 ($2.75 $2.78) and angus cross bulls 260 kg made $685 ($2.63). Jersey bulls 185 kg made $320 ($1.73) and cross breed bulls 150 kg made $435 ($1.92).

Weaner white face heifers 121 kg – 123 kg made up to $510 ($3.46 - $4.15), angus cross heifers 142 kg – 175 kg made up to $400 ($2.11 - $2.82) and cross breed heifers 160 kg made $400 ($2.50).

In calf jersey cows made $520 and in calf jersey heifers made $780 $800.

Friesian boner cows 397 kg - 550 kg made up to $1190 ($1.90 - $2.16) and cross breed boners 355 kg made$640 ($1.80). Jersey boners 356 kg made $515 ($1.44).

Porkers made $60 and weaner pigs made $20 - $50.

MA ewes made $82 and mixed sex lambs made $84 - $107.

Friesian bull calves made $150 – $200 and white face bull calves made $120 - $350. Angus cross bull calves made $200 - $320 and cross breed bull calves made $80. White face heifer calves made $180 - $320, Angus cross heifer calves made $200 - $305 and Friesian heifer calves made $60 - $80.

Feilding Prime Sale Tuesday June 6

This may have been a ‘‘short week’’ sale but there were still plenty of lambs yarded with an entry approaching 5000. Even though there did not appear to be many buyers operating, sale prices continued to firm for the medium weight prime lambs by $2-3/head and the heaviest lambs remained steady on last week.

Store lambs also continued to sell for firm demand and at better levels than the Friday store sale but the majority are forward store and not in need of much finishing.

Ewe numbers were reduced. Scanning is not bringing big numbers out which may suggest most of the early ewes are in lamb. They remained steady on last week with good money being paid for good ewes and they do make scanned ewes look cheap.

Once again, big woolly wethers lifted the average for male sheep.

Cattle numbers eased back this week. There was little weight offered in the steer and heifer pens on low numbers and the few beef cattle were just medium.

Cows actually firmed on those reduced numbers. Most of the herd shifting has probably been done by now so cow numbers offered are unlikely to lift dramatically although there is a carryover cow sale scheduled for Thursday with heavy cows, albeit in-calf, likely to be offered. There were no beef cows offered this week.

One light young angus bull was the extent of the bull sale.

Sheep (5,741): lambs (4,851); heavy prime (1040), 50-62kg, $136-$161, $2.50-$2.75, steady; medium prime (3,036), 38-50kg, $116-$137.50, $2.70-$2.85, firm; store (775), 26-40kg, $54-$115, $2.30-$3.05, firm; ewes (788); good, heavy (100), 26-30kg, $117-$133, $4.40-$4.50, steady; medium (517), 21-25kg, $89.50-$115.50, $4.30-$4.60, steady; lighter (171), 16-20kg, $57-$87, $3.60-$4.40, steady; 2ths (60), $89-$120; male sheep (42), $38-$126.

Cattle (140): steers (4), 440-660kg, $1135-$1749, $2.58-$2.65, firm; heifers (23); 450-460kg, $1030-$1177, $2.29-$2.56; lesser sorts, 350-396kg, $633-$871, $1.81-$2.20; cows (112); good, heavy, 451-670kg, $857-$1333, $1.99-$2.11, firm; boners, 390-521kg, $686-$1042, $1.61-$2.00, firm; lesser sorts, 306-500kg, $443-$545, $1.28-$1.45; bull (1), 270kg, $545, $2.02