"The condition of these calves is reasonably good and people have realised holding on to their calves for 10 days before bringing them to the sale really pays off. These older calves do better than three or four-day-old ones. Buyers want healthy calves and don't want to get them home and have them keel over."
Prices were down at the Rongotea sale in Manawatu and Smith said buyers were aware they needed to get their quota of calves before the last NZ Farmers Livestock sale this Thursday in Dannevirke.
"The prices at Rongotea were down because of the large volume of calves and yes, we do have people who come to this sale just for a look," he said.
"But that's all part of it. We're happy to have a coffee with one gentleman and although he brings along his trailer, just in case, it usually goes home empty."
The downside of purchasing calves this late in the season is that come Christmas Day they'll still need to be fed.
Auctioneers assistant Bill Rendle said he was impressed with the quality of the 50 calves on offer last Thursday.
"Buyers paid more because of that and they liked the calves with more age," he said.
NZ Farmers Livestock auctioneer Tristan Gordon said he was very pleased with the prices paid.
"Milkpowder is still hard to find and last week we only had three buyers, but with more buyers today's prices are good money for this time of the year."
Top price of $210 was paid for a bull calf described by Smith as "a beauty, with all the right markings".
Other prices for bulls ranged between $80 and $115, up to $140, $165. An Angus heifer sold for $125 and was described as "a ripper of a calf".
Two heifer calves went for $160 a head, a large Angus for $100, before prices rocketed up from $155, $172, to $190 and then the top price of $205, as some onlookers scratched their heads and asked, "what's special?"
