Cautious buyers at Dannevirke Feeder Bull Sale

These Speckled Park Heifers topped the sale at $145/head.

Pic 2: BTG160821FB2 Caption: These white-faced heifers sold for $130/head.

Pic 3: BTG160821FB3 Caption: These Speckled Park Heifers topped the sale at $145/head.

Pic 4: BTG160821FB4 Caption: These Hartridge Friesian bulls sold for $80/head.

By Dave Murdoch

Early in the dairy feeder calf season and despite excellent calves being offered buyers showed caution in buying.

NZ Farmers Livestock auctioneer Clint Worthington believes after the difficult past few seasons, farmers are not taking too many risks so early and prices on last year are back a bit for Friesian bulls in particular.

Good quality Friesian bulls off to a good home.

The average on Monday August 9 was $90/head with a few exceptional animals reaching $160 last Thursday – offered by Paul and Lynne Boyden who topped the Thursday and Monday Dannevirke sales for Friesians.

Prices for beef crosses still remain high with the better bulls selling for $130-$140 – mostly white-face with heifers averaging $110-120.

Worthington hopes that the reasonable beef schedule and a benign spring will bring the confidence back. There were 70 bulls and heifers at the Thursday and Monday sales, only good stock were on offer and there were a few in the market looking to start their buying.