Manawatu stock sales

Feilding Prime Stock Sale Monday August 7

Stock entries continued their seasonal decline and reasonable numbers of prime lambs would have been withheld for this week’s Feilding and Marton Hogget Fair. Long gone are the days when this hogget fair would have attracted two days of up to 20,000 hoggets on both days which only illustrates the drop in sheep numbers but also shows that the season has been difficult. The reduced entries for this coming hogget fair also illustrates just how good this Monday prime sale has generally been for prime lamb vendors and Monday entries have been relatively high all season thus reducing the numbers left for a hogget fair.

This particular prime lamb sale was very strong and cents/kg levels reached a new high for this season today. Only around a thousand prime hoggets gave the main buyers little to fight over. Top price today was $184 for 42 male lambs from JJ Farms and Glen Hill sold 43 rather prime ewe lambs for $179. Whilst these individual prices were not as high as last week, overall the cents/kg levels increased 10-20 cents for all weight ranges.

Nearly 300 store lambs sold at firm levels.

Not at all surprisingly, given the time of year, ewe entries were also reduced again and ewes sold to firm demand without the lift of the lamb section although the heaviest ewes improved. Overall ewe quality was not high.

Two big steers started the cattle auction. These blokes would have been making big divots in their paddocks at home and Rick Bullen would have been pleased to sell them for $2212 ($2.80). Steer prices eased slightly in line with the prime cattle market and only one heifer was offered and she sold for $1624 ($2.80).

A good proportion of the cow entry were better yielding cattle but there is little spark in this market at present with declining sale prices and only one bull was offered.

Sheep (2,295): lambs (1,315); heavy prime (394), 50-64kg, $163-$184, $3.00-$3.30, lift; medium prime (635), 40-50kg, $129-$154.50, $3.10-$3.30, lift; store (286), 32-38kg, $100-$129, $3.10-$3.50, firm; ewes (960); good, heavy (169), 26-28kg, $126-$137, $4.80-$4.90, lift; medium (504), 21-25kg, $91-$120, $4.35-$4.80, firm; lighter (187), 16-20kg, $61-$87, $3.80-$4.35, firm; 2ths (96), $113.50-$117; male sheep (20), $38-$119.

Cattle (73): steers (4), 450-790kg, $1125-$2212, $2.50-$2.80, slight ease; heifer (1), 580kg, $1624, $2.80; cows (67); good, heavy, 550-690kg, $1028-$1311, $1.75-$1.90, ease; boners, 466-570kg, $792-$991, $1.68-$1.85, steady; bull (1), 730kg, $1883, $2.58.

Manfeild Park Calf Sale Monday August 7

The largest calf sale to date this season with around 550 calves caused a few problems for the crew. Sale prices remained firm.

Bulls: friesian; good, $200-$250; medium, $150-$180; lesser, $80-$120; h/f x; good, $300-$385; medium, $180-$280; a/fr x; good, $300-$340; medium, $140-$200; speckled park; good, $350-$400.

Heifers: h/fr x; good, $180-$250; medium, $140-$180.

Feilding Store Stock Sale Friday August 4

As usually happens each year during August, sale entries begin a decline towards seasonal lows. With a hogget fair calendared for the following week, albeit with what are likely to be much lower entries than in a ‘‘normal’’ year, lamb entries were especially affected and not much more than half of last week’s and the sheep sale finished well before the cattle sale for a change.

Scanned in lamb ewes continued the firming trend of late in spite of many ewes being later lambing than common in this area. Maata Kotahi Estate, Taihape, sold a line of 272 big, woolly mixed age ewes for $180.

The most noticeable reduction in lamb entries was in the male lamb section with roughly only a quarter of the yarding being male lambs. Many of the better male lambs will have been saved for the hogget fair but it does indicate a general decline in lamb numbers as the males have been killed earlier in the slaughter season.

The day’s top price was $144 for 98 cryptorchids from MA Bedingfield, Dannevirke and the Sue Bros, Ohakune, sold 135 males for $141. The top ewe lamb money was $136 for 148 shorn ewe lambs entered by MB & VB Cottrell, Taihape. As the sale entered the medium ewe lamb section, a new buyer, acting as a buying agent, entered the market and this helped contribute to what was a significant lift in lamb cents/kg which would have been around 20 cents/kg in round figures. Many of the lambs offered were rather plain, indicating what has been a difficult winter lamb finishing season for most.

The difficult season also had an impact on cattle demand with buyers again being selective and picking up the better bred cattle. Those with the coastal feed lots are still operating in the older steer section but many potential buyers do not want more cattle at home at this time. The total yarding was also lower than last week but with quite a number of pens with small lines, also reflecting the time of year.

The heavier, shorter term cattle traded in a tight range selling to those who can handle them. DH Sweet, Rangiwahia, sold 11 rising three year angus steers for $1970 ($3.06) and AN & SK Knight, Apiti, sold 12 rising two year angus steers for $1880 ($3.06) illustrating the tight range. Two lines of angus yearling steers sold for $1110; 13 from Hillview Grazing, Pakihikura, at $4.20 and 12 from Rorokoko, Masterton, at $4.15 with both younger steer sections easing back a little.

Older bulls were almost completely absent and the younger bull numbers increased again. The younger bull cents/kg eased back and traded in the day’s widest range with, naturally, the lighter and younger bulls making many more cents/kg and not greatly cheaper than the bigger older bulls.

The heifer section was nothing startling with the heaviest heifers, two lines of hereford/friesian cross heifers, trading at levels relating to the local trade schedule. An attractive line of 20 rising yearling angus heifers from Mt Mabel, Kumeroa, caught the eye selling for $1070 ($3.69).

This cattle market is in a bit of a holding pattern while the winter persists.

Sheep (7,688): ewes (1,807); SIL (1,163), $107-$180; RWR (268), $113-$122; lambs (5,881); 36-41kg, $118-$144, $3.10-$3.68, lift; 31-35kg, $103-$123.50, $3.10-$3.70, lift; 25-30kg, $79-$119, $3.20-$4.06, lift.

Cattle: steers; R3 (54), 493-642kg, $1400-$1970, $2.83-$3.34, steady; R2 (237), 310-615kg, $870-$1880, $2.80-$3.27, slight ease; R1 (91), 198-267kg, $645-$1110, $2.94-$4.38, slight ease; bulls; R2 (15), 468-510kg, $1465-$1540, $3.02-$3.13; R1 (248), 141-275kg, $635-$950, $3.34-$4.60, ease; heifers; R2 (100), 347-515kg, $890-$1370, $2.56-$3.16, slight ease; R1 (192), 193-290kg, $600-$1070, $3.22-$3.72, ease.

Rongotea Sale Report 2nd August 2017

This week saw the start of the Dannevirke feeder calf sales and another increase in the number of calves at the Rongotea sale yards. The highlight of the cattle pens was an outstanding line of autumn weaner friesian bulls which attracted spirited bidding.

2 year friesian steers 455 kg made $1100 ($2.42).

2 year cross breed bulls 490 kg made $1200 ($2.45), lowline bulls 217 kg made $545 ($2.51) and miniature hereford bulls 275 kg made $720 ($2.62).

2 year white face heifers 413 kg made $1085 ($2.62) and friesian heifers 340 kg made $755 ($2.22).

Yearling friesian bulls 190 kg - 265 kg made up to $700 ($1.84 - $2.64), white face bulls 317 kg made $820 ($2.58) and jersey bulls 166 kg made $500 ($3.01).

Yearling cross breed heifers 205 kg - 305 kg made up to $710 ($2.09 $3.20).

Autumn weaner friesian bulls 105 kg - 137 kg made up to $665 ($4.19 $4.84) and white face bulls 130 kg 143 kg made up to $650 ($4.12 $5.00). Murray grey bulls 132 kg made $550 ($4.15) and angus cross bulls 124 kg made $540 ($4.36).

Autumn weaner white face heifers 112 kg - 120 kg made $500 ($4.17 $4.44).

In calf friesian heifers made $950 and in milk friesian heifers made $1160. Weaner pigs made $70 - $115. Ewes with lambs at foot made $80 all counted, RWR ewes made $60 and mixed sex lambs made $98 $102.

Big friesian bull calves made $200 - $250, medium calves made $170 $190 and smaller calves made $100 $150. Big white face bull calves made $290 - $350, medium calves made $240 - $275 and smaller calves made $150 - $200. Big white face heifer calves made $180 - $220, medium calves made $120 - $160 and smaller calves made $70 - $100. Dannevirke Calf Sale Big friesian bull calves made $200 - $225 and smaller calves made $130 $170. White face heifer calves made $100 - $200 and Angus cross heifer calves made $190