Manawatu¯ stock sales
Feilding Prime Stock Sale Monday October 2
It was no surprise to see a continuing reduction in the hogget numbers, such is the time of year, but it was a little surprising to see the sheer size of some of the hoggets and a puzzle as to why they had been kept so long. The heavy hoggets easily outnumbered the medium weight hoggets this week and there was easily enough for all the buyers. That being so, there was very little change in the prices paid.
Win Pearce, Colyton, sold a pen of 63 very woolly and obviously big hoggets for $193 to start the sale with the day’s top price and there were some large lines sold in the mid$160s. There was little fireworks in the buying ranks and sale prices could be regarded as steady overall. The store hoggets were also roughly steady with some being very small for this time of year.
Ewe entries were again low. Most of the ewes were medium weight which would suggest they may have done some work in recent months and they, plus the heavy dry ewes, were firm on the day.
One rather anxious steer was sold for store value and of interest in the cattle pens was a pen of 12 prime angus/hereford cross heifers consigned by I & J Watson, Opiki, which sold for $1475 ($2.87). All the other heifers were dairies with increased numbers contributing to a small lift in cattle numbers.
The cow section did not offer the quality of last week and the heavier cows struggled a bit. The boners, on the other hand, remained steady to firm.
A handful of bulls sold for store values with one angus/friesian bull selling for $1848 ($2.80).
Sheep (4,252): hoggets (3,638); prime heavy (2,235), 51-66kg, $155-$193, $2.90-$3.10, steady; medium prime (1,176), 40-50kg, $129-$156, $3.00-$3.25, steady; store (227), 38-38kg, $81-$131, $2.70-$3.40, steady; ewes; good, heavy (145), 26-30kg, $127-$143, $4.80-$5.00, firm; medium (366), 21-25kg, $95-$129, $4.50-$5.10, firm; lighter (53), 16-20kg, $66-$81, $4.00-$4.20, steady; 2ths (37), $71-$120; male sheep (13), $41-$128.
Cattle (110): steer (1), 390kg, $1084, $2.78; heifers (29); 514kg, $1475, $2.87; lesser sorts, 330-479kg, $630-$1125, $1.91-$2.36; cows (74); good, heavy, 571-700kg, $1022-$1358, $1.88-$1.94, ease; boners, 434-543kg, $898-$999, $1.78-$2.07, firm; lesser sorts, 395-430kg, $492-$675, $1.20-$1.70; bulls (6), 300-660kg, $675-$1848, $2.25-$2.80.
Manfeild Park Calf Sale Monday October 2
With this calf sale now down to just the one day per week there was a large turnout of calves and buyers and around 400 calves were offered.
Bulls: friesian; one month old, $290-$300; good, $140-$190; medium, $80-$115; h/fr x; one month old, $400-$410; good, $240-$300; medium, $150-$200; angus x, $175-$230; sim x, $200-$250.
Heifers: h/fr x; good, $160-$200; medium, $100-$120; angus x, 120-$140; sim x, $120.
Feilding Store Stock Sale Friday September 29
There was a large contrast between the sheep and cattle sections at this store sale with a very brief sheep sale over in no time at all and a larger store cattle sale with an increase in the offering of traditional two year old steers being of interest.
A drop in the number of ewes with lambs at foot helped the sale prices and these firmed again. A small line of 9 ewes with 12 older and forward blackface lambs at foot from Waihewe Farms Ltd sold for $110.50 but there was increased interest in the whole yarding.
The majority of what was a very small hogget yarding of just over 1400 head was smaller, woolly hoggets in clean up lines. There was firm interest from buyers looking for a final trade and sale prices were generally firm as a result. A dozen heavy shorn ram hoggets from Mounganui Station, Taihape, sold for $177 but these were works hoggets. Of the male store hoggets; Fairdale Stud, Kairanga, sold 120 forward hoggets for $150 and Rosewarne Trust, Waverley, sold 80 top ewe hoggets for $144.50. These sheep were obviously forward hoggets but the light hoggets sold firmly at good cents/kg levels which may indicate these will be needed if the spring lambs are slow coming forward.
A larger and good entry of traditional steers helped the steer market to firm overall, particularly the yearling steers. Spring is still struggling to get under way but there is an underlying demand for cattle which is driving this market. 11 two year old angus steers from T & G Eade, Marton, sold for $1875 ($3.12) and 30 yearling angus steers from Whakapuni Station, Hunterville, sold for $1252 ($3.74) to illustrate the demand for good traditional steers and a pen of charolais cross yearlings was close behind. The lesser bred and dairy cross steers were unable to match these levels although as we are still some way from a grass market.
Bulls did not arrive in high numbers and did not offer quite the weight of last week. 6 devon two year old bulls from Nirvana Partnership, Taihape, sold for $1730 ($3.25) and the first pen of yearling bulls offered, 14 hereford/friesian cross bulls from B & C Wilson, Marton, sold for $1060 ($3.24). Things went downhill from there and the crossbred bulls plus the lesser types offered all lead to an easing in sale prices.
The heifer section followed much the same pattern with numbers and quality unable to match the previous week and sale prices also easing as a consequence. The best of the older heifers was a pen of 9 hereford/ friesians from Bilbar Lodge, Kopane, which sold for $1360 ($3.10). The majority of the heifers were lesser types from a breeding aspect and also not that appealing to the finishers so selling them was harder than last week. This was also the case with the yearling heifers and the top money was only $920 ($3.35).
No other section could match the steers for the level of interest today.
Tusons hereford stud bull sale held at the Rongotea sale complex saw 30 2 year bulls offered for sale, specifically targeting the dairy sector. Prices ranged from $2300 - $3000 with an average of $2600. Rongotea Weekly Sale After yet more rain in Manawatu¯ the day brightened up and turned the conversations in the rostrum to if and when the elusive grass market will kick into gear. A good yarding of 2 year cattle sold well, with more booked for sale over the next few weeks.
2 year white face steers 420 kg – 536 kg made up to $1560 ($2.70 $2.91) and angus cross steers 465 kg made $1020($2.19). Charolais cross steers 445 kg made $1100 ($2.47) and galloway steers 355 kg made $930 ($2.62).
2 year white face heifers 368 kg 467 kg made up to $1325 ($2.83 $3.00) and jersey heifers 305 kg made $520 ($1.70).
18 month white face steers 325 kg made $1115 ($3.43) and cross breed steers 300 kg made $800 ($2.67).
18 month angus cross bulls 391 kg made $1040 ($2.65).
18 month white face heifers 319 kg – 325 kg made up to $1020 ($2.31 $3.17)
15 month friesian heifers 316 kg made $700 ($2.21).
Yearling friesian steers 172 kg made $465 ($2.70) and cross breed steers 210 kg made $435 ($2.07).
Yearling friesian bulls 323 kg made $915 ($2.83), white face bulls 170 kg made $600 ($3.53) and Jersey bulls 170 kg – 257 kg made up to $580 ($2.14 - $2.94).
Yearling friesian heifers 315 kg made $735 ($2.33).
Weaner white face bulls 114 kg made$465 ($4.09) and cross breed bulls 143 kg made $480 ($3.36).
Weaner white face heifers 112 kg 140 kg made up to $525 ($3.67 $3.75) and belted galloway heifers 141 kg made $420 ($2.99). In calf friesian cows made $810. Friesian boner cows 500 kg – 645 kg made up to $1030 ($1.40 - $1.67). Weaner pigs made $60 - $82. Ewes with lambs at foot made $72, dry ewes made $80 - $91 and mixed sex lambs made $87.
Friesian bull calves made $50 $115, big white face bull calves made $150 - $210 and smaller calves made $80 - $140. Charolais bull calves made $245 - $285. Big white face heifer calves made $100 - $165, smaller calves made $40 - $80 and angus cross heifer calves made $170. Dannevirke Calf Sale Friesian bull calves made $60 $160, white face bull calves made $80 - $240 and angus cross bull calves made $670. White face heifer calves made $60 - $160 and angus cross calves made $140.