Manwatu¯ stock sales
Feilding Prime Stock Sale Monday December 4
Many factors combined towards another large sheep yarding at this prime sale and twice as many cattle came forward this week also. Around two and a half thousand lambs were offered but over a quarter of those were really only store lambs. The conditions were very hot and the weather which is pushing lambs out is also tempering the enthusiasm of the buyers to purchase. Sale prices did ease as a result of the large entry of lambs and it would be fair to state some pens would have struggled to make schedule with many in the $6.80-$7.00 schedule equivalent range with costs to come. Obtaining works space may make that objective only hypothetical, however. Three small lines did sell for $150 or better with ‘‘Jump-a-bull’’ selling 5 for $158 and John Mclean selling 16 for $154 with the lighter weight lambs altering to a lesser degree than the heavier lambs. The store lambs were probably cheaper than last Friday’s store sale and the weather is not helping the store lamb market.
Some gloom was predicted before the start of the ewe market but the market, while it did ease, only eased by $3, maybe up to $5, per head which is not significant. Of note this week was the much greater proportion of heavier ewes than last week but there was no trouble selling grazing ewes and once the sale found its level all sold.
More hoggets and fresh twotooths came forward as vendors tidied up their flocks and there is still limited interest in them. While total numbers of sheep were reduced there were more pens and it was a long sale in the sun.
Steers were sold in the prime cattle sale this week, the first for some time. Works space is a problem now and this probably helped attract more steers and heifers.
Local trade space is very tight and heifers sold to an easing market. Many small lines were sold and mostly around the mid $2.50’s.
Cows were back on last week’s firm market with a larger entry. The bigger lines were beef cross cows but some good friesian cows matched them.
Bulls had the range covered from service bulls through to store bulls.
Sheep (7569): lambs (2458); prime (1741), 36-54kg, $114-$158, $3.00-$3.40, ease; store (717), 20-33kg, $45-$112, $2.30-$3.50, ease; hoggets (417), $61-$137; ewes (4,581); good heavy (1,989), 26-30kg, $115-$143, $4.40-$4.70, ease; medium (1,750), 21-25kg, $85-$113, $4.00-$4.70, ease; lighter (648), 16-20kg, $50-$85, $3.20-$4.30, ease; 2ths (194), $66-$129; male sheep (113); 2th (40), $60-$110; adult (73), $50-$150.
Cattle (157): steers (22), 320-860kg, $835-$2244, $2.64-$2.89; heifers (34), 375-620kg, $939-$1525, $2.01-$2.77, ease; cows (82); good, heavy, 510-707kg, $1009-$1378, $1.86-$2.00, ease; boners, 355-540kg, $571-$972, $1.55-$1.85, ease; bulls (19), 320-845kg, $694-$2146, $2.17-$3.05.
Feilding Store Stock Sale Friday December 1
Another massive yarding of yearling cattle greeted those arriving for the Feilding Store Sale and, with a couple of thousand more spring lambs to sell it looked like a big day in the heat. As the sale progressed, it became obvious that the number of lambs was far from overwhelming for the market and last week’s firming trend continued as the better lambs firmed with the medium and lighter lambs in fact lifting.
The day’s top price was $118.50 for 97 poll dorset cross lambs from Torridon Farm, Palmerston North, with Roger Woodruffe, Sanson, selling 124 mixed-sex lambs for $110.50. It was noticeable that a large proportion of the yarding came from the coastal hills around Wellington and were showing the effects of the hot and dry conditions currently prevailing. It would be reasonable to expect a further increase in lamb entries from the dry areas of the North Island in forthcoming weeks. Many of the better lambs went to the central Hawke’s Bay region. The numbers of ewes with lambs at foot and hoggets offered are dwindling.
The sheer number of cattle looked like it may well test the number of buyers. Older steers may have eased very slightly with the traditional steers were a little pulled back by the dairy crossbreds but the change was not great. Tony Brown, Kimbolton, sold this week’s top cut of 24 angus and angus/hereford cross two year old steers for $1788 ($3.15) which is the same cents/kg as last week. At 645 head, the yearling steer section was 50 head less than last week and it was a section of good steers which actually sold to solid demand. The Taylor Family Trust, Levin, sold 2 top south devon steers which were a credit to the vendor for $1530 ($3.12) and the top angus yearlings, 15 from Pilet Contracting, Shannon, sold for $1440 ($3.31) a cents/kg rate fairly typical for this section today.
5 heavy angus bulls from D Whiting, Rewa, stood out in the older bull section, selling for $1650 ($3.03) but that cents/kg was matched by the better friesians. Lighter yearling bulls seemed easier to sell than the heavier bulls. Some passings did occur but were generally sold later. A large entry of friesian yearling bulls from Davey Brown Farm Partnership, Pahiatua, was sold with 20 selling for $1170 ($2.67). This was another large section and was a little sticky.
Yearling heifer buyers had to be very patient again this week. Older heifers did sell to comparatively firm demand again - ‘‘Te-mere’’, Wanganui, sold 10 angus heifers for $1400 ($2.92) but it was ‘‘beer o’clock’’ before the yearling heifers entered the ring. Nothing much really stood out with prices in a wide cents/kg range but the heifers were at similar levels to comparable cattle last week and larger numbers of hereford/ friesian cross yearling heifers again.
Sheep (8153): ewes (184) with LAF (255), $60-$111; hoggets (138), $81.50-$101; lambs (7466); 31-35.7kg, $91.50-$118.50, $2.89-$3.40, firm; 26-30kg, $80-$106.50, $2.87-$3.67, lift; 18.5-25.6kg, $58-$90, $2.31-$3.43, lift.
Cattle (1,715): steers; 2yr (302), 402-577kg, $1125-$1788, $2.61-$3.22, slight ease; 1yr (645), 214-491kg, $750-$1530, $2.66-$3.44, firm; bulls; 2yr (45), 436-544kg, $1290-$1650, $2.92-$3.03; 1yr (332), 270-438kg, $790-$1170, $2.67-$3.11, ease; heifers; 2yr (99), 338-480kg, $1035-$1400, $2.66-$3.10, firm; 1yr (270), 183-406kg, $560-$1115, $2.40-$3.35; heifers (22) and calves, 476-658kg, $1740-$1920, $2.92-$3.78.
Rongotea Sale Report 29th November 2017
There as another good yarding at Rongotea today as vendors shed longer term cattle due to the dry conditions. Short term cattle were again in demand with prices remaining steady for those lines.
3 year hereford bulls 775 kg made $2380 ($3.07) and galloway bulls 715 kg made $2300 ($3.21).
2 year white face steers 355 kg made $890 ($2.51) and angus cross steers 416 kg - 475 made up to $1225 ($2.19 - $2.58).
2 year hereford bulls 540 kg - 590 kg made up to $1950 ($3.36 - $3.61), white face bulls 680 kg made $1975 ($2.90) and galloway bulls 440 kg 490 kg made up to $1380 ($2.61 $2.82). Friesian bulls 472 kg - 677 kg made up to $2010 ($2.71 - $2.97), cross breed bulls 395 kg made $900 ($2.28) and jersey bulls 423 kg - 455 kg made up to $1100 ($2.36 - $2.42).
2 year white face heifers 287 kg 417 kg made up to $1100 ($2.26 $2.64) and cross breed heifers 413 kg made $810 ($1.96).
Yearling white face steers 260 kg – 347 kg made up to $950 ($2.21 $2.73) and angus cross steers 399 kg made $1195 ($2.99). Friesian steers 275 kg – 340 kg made up to $710 ($2.08 - $2.45) and galloway steers 327 kg made $715 ($2.18).
Yearling white face bulls 305 kg – 370 kg made up to $850 ($2.30 $2.41), Friesian bulls 227 kg – 333 kg made up to $850 ($2.13 - $2.86), cross breed bulls 247 kg – 277 kg made up to $660 ($2.28 - $2.67) and Jersey bulls 322 kg – 352 kg made up to $720 ($2.13 - $2.86).
Yearling Hereford heifers 286 kg made $805 ($2.81), white face heifers 263 kg – 369 kg made up to $1015 ($2.52 - $2.79), angus cross heifers 259 kg made $715 ($2.76) and charolais cross heifers 295 kg made $825 ($2.80). Murray grey cross heifers 430 kg made $110 ($2.59) and friesian heifers 245 kg - 322 kg made up to $815 ($1.84 - $2.53).
Autumn born angus cross bulls 192 kg made up to $610 ($3.17) and friesian bulls 167 kg made $450 ($2.69).
Weaner white face steers 132 kg made $550 ($4.18).
Weaner friesian bulls 87 kg – 127kg made up to $500 ($3.36 - $4.70), white face bulls 85 kg - 90kg made up to $450 ($4.12 - $5.14) and cross breed bulls 95 kg – 127 kg made up to $400 ($3.14 - $4.11).
Weaner white face heifers 79 kg – 107kg made up to $450 ($4.22 $5.41), charolais cross heifers 125 kg made $505 ($4.04) and angus cross heifers 107 kg – 117 kg made up to $490 ($4.27 - $4.19).
Friesian cows with calves at foot made $870 - $900.
Friesian boner cows 547 kg – 755 kg made up to $1480 ($1.72 - $1.96), crossbreed boners 430 kg - 485 kg made up to $900 ($1.58- $1.86), Jersey boners 317 kg - 355 kg made up to $595 ($1.42 - $1.68) and white face boners 485 kg made $900 ($1.86).
Weaner pigs made $70 - $102. MA ewes made $44 - $131, hoggets made $55 - $70 and mixed sex lambs made $53 - $85.