Manawatu stock sales

Feilding Prime Stock Sale 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 1,000 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.

It was noticeable that a few meat companies had a number of representatives in attendance so their reports back to base should make for interesting reading with lamb sale prices well ahead of printed schedules.there were many pens with small lines in them, such being the time of year, but lamb numbers remaining will continue to decline.

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, for $148. Twotooths 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.

Only one bull was sold but he was in a good weight bracket and sold for $2081 ($2.42).

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.

Feilding Store Stock Sale 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 occurring. For whatever reason, sheep entries lifted but the market did not falter.

More scanning is underway and scanned in lamb ewes came forward in twice the numbers. They still look cheap to this observer with today’s top price being $158 for younger scanned in lamb ewes from Crossland, Conoor.

As can so often happen, the first pen of lambs appeared the cheapest. The top male lambs remained merely firm on today’s market with two pens; 181 blackface cryptorchids from GF Mcnie, Raetihi and 241 cryptorchids from M & J Tapp, Taihape, both selling for $130. Once the sale moved into the second cuts of males, however, the action heated up and medium males, all the ewe lambs and the lighter, longer term lambs all lifted to new seasonal highs.

The top pen of ewe lambs, 263 romney ewe lambs from Dunbar Ltd, Hunterville, sold for $125.50. Hawke’s 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. Ewe lambs maintained their parity with the males again. Hardly a pen of lambs sold for less than $100/head all day.

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. 18 heavy hereford/ friesian rising three year steers from AM & PA Shand, Marton, sold for $1775 ($2.93) and 5 angus/hereford cross rising two year steers from LG Currie, Bunnythorpe, sold for $1660 ($3.09). Even the weaners were firmer, selling up to $1080 ($4.03) for angus.

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.

Woodlands Partnership, Feilding, sold 6 good angus heifers for $1420 ($2.85) but many of the heifers were dairy cross and did not spark the market. The better weaner heifers were also beef cattle.

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. Rongotea Sale Report June 21 There was a good selection of yearling jersey bulls at Rongotea with prices remaining steady across all lines.

3 year white face heifers 532 kg made $1390 ($2.61).

2 year friesian steers 385 kg made $860 ($2.23).

2 year friesian bulls 410 kg made $960 ($2.34) and jersey bulls 383 kg made $840 ($2.19).

2 year white face heifers 340 kg 435 kg made up to $1150 ($2.55 $2.79) and cross breed heifers 235 kg - 415 kg made up to $960 ($1.47 $2.31).

15 month white face steers 347 kg made $900 ($2.59) and cross breed steers 312 kg made $800 ($2.56).

15 month white face heifers 320 kg – 365 kg made up to $920 ($2.50 $2.52).

Yearling white face bulls 117 kg made $455 ($3.90), Friesian bulls 165 kg - 298 kg made up to $855 ($2.73 $2.87) and cross breed bulls 132 kg made $360 ($2.71). Jersey bulls 157 kg – 270 kg made up to $600 ($1.60 $2.48).

Yearling angus cross steers 185 kg made $550 ($2.97), cross breed steers 130 kg made $330 ($2.54) and jersey steers 155 kg made $2.65 ($1.71).

Yearling white face heifers 135 kg – 335 kg made up to $880 ($2.81 $3.62) and cross breed heifers 160 kg – 236 kg made up to $530 ($2.04 $2.25).

Weaner white face steers 195 kg made $715 ($3.67).

Weaner white face heifers 238 kg made $685 ($2.87) and simmental heifers 259 kg made $685 ($2.64).

Cross breed boner cows 310 kg 315 kg made up to $450 ($1.43 - $1.45). Weaner pigs made $40 - $77. Ewes made $60 and mixed sex lambs made $85 - $129.

Friesian bull calves made $300 -$375, white face bull calves made $300 - $415, angus cross bull calves made $365 and cross breed calves made $150.

White face heifer calves made $300 - $400, angus cross heifer calves made $410 and friesian heifer calves made $260.