Snow – but the sale must go on
Heavy snow played havoc with Canterbury bull sales, but failed to stop an offering of 92 bulls going to strong bidding at James and Fiona Fraser’s Stern Angus bull sale in Totara Valley.
Helpers had to clear snow off the bulls before they entered the sales ring last week so their lot numbers could be read.
James Fraser said they had the bad luck to hold the sale in snow, which carried on to produce about 300 millimetres the next morning.
He said the sale proceeded against the odds and produced one of the stronger sales this year.
‘‘A number of buyers were unable to attend due to the deteriorating weather conditions . . . but fortunately we have some good options still available.’’
Buyers bid strongly up to $16,000 for the top priced bull, secured by Wairarapa farmer John McFadzean.
A total of 86 bulls sold for an average of $7100 from the 92-bull catalogue, with strong buying support from stations across the Mackenzie Basin, Omarama, Wanaka, West Otago and northern Southland.
Fraser said the power supply held up during the sale, but was lost soon afterwards.
Three stud bulls were bought by Tangihau, Kaharau and Hillcroft studs from the North Island and 31 bulls were bought from $3000 to $5000.
Waist-deep snow stopped high country farmers heading to Meadowslea Angus Stud’s bull sale, which had been pushed back to today after 300mm of snow fell on the Fairlie farm owned by the Giddings family.
Mackenzie Country farmers on the Mt Cook side, including Braemar and Guide Hill stations, were one-metre deep in snow in the backcountry and their owners had been up overnight clearing snow from tracks and getting stock down to lower paddocks.
Meadowslea owner David Giddings said the 300mm layer of snow at Meadowslea and road closures had forced them to postpone the sale, originally scheduled for last Friday.
This was the second sale pushed back by snow and two years ago a similar amount had landed, accompanied by flooding, he said.
Bull clients in the backcountry had been dealing with greater snow depths, he said.
Giddings said the snow was about 500mm deep in their Berriedale Hill block near Mt Dobson ski area.
The stud was established in 1985 and a herd of more than 300 cows is run on tussock country west of Fairlie at an altitude of 460 metres to 915m.
The 58 rising two-year-old bulls on the sale catalogue were at one stage up to their midriff in snow.
Te Mania Angus’ bull sale on June 17 resulted in 107 bulls being sold of the 118 offered.