Feilding Prime Stock Sale

Sheep numbers dominated the Feilding Stock Sale.

Yesterday another weekly Feilding Prime Stock Sale was dominated by the sheep section with easily the highest numbers of sheep for some time as the hill country farms set to docking and sending in cull ewes to take advantage of a marvellous mutton market, excusing the alliteration.

That is not to say the cattle section let the side down as that, also, was a buoyant market.
The sheep sale began with spring lambs and featured Ray Moss' "Stratheden" draft of 57 lambs that sold in two lines from $150 to $173 and a couple of other vendors sold for more than $150.

Hogget numbers eased back by another 1000 head and, for the first time this season, medium-weight hoggets were in greater numbers than the heavyweights. All the usual buyers were operating and prices continued to lift although not by the same margin as last week.

Vin Nesdale sold 15 big males for $179 and M & P Simpson sold a larger line of 89 for $177.

Teeth were rigorously checked and pens of fresh two-tooths that were drafted off were discounted by between $30 and $60 for the males and less for the ewes.

Store hoggets were not in large numbers and there was a slight drop in interest for them which is not very surprising.

With all the docking being done, ewe entries lifted to 4670 but the feeling is that numbers may fall away as quickly as they rose.

Sale prices lifted again especially for the better types. Initially the grazing ewes were not included in the lift but they soon rose too. Top price this week was an impressive $221 for heavy blackface ewes from the Lochhead Partnership.

Two Friesian bulls were the only male cattle offered and they were in good order, selling for meat value but offering some more weight gain if wanted.

The heifers were just ordinary types and sold to improving demand but the cow section showed a good lift for all the offering as the better cows and beef cows lifted with the boners up as well.

Sheep (7338): lambs (260); 24-53kg, $86-$173, $3.26-$4.34; hoggets (2,173); heavy prime (921), 51-60kg, $165-$179, $3.00-$3.40, firm; medium prime (1105), 40-50kg, $134-$166, $3.30-$3.50, firm; store (147), 25-38kg, $75-$123, $3.00-$3.30, softer; ewes (4670): good, heavy, (1,861), 26-40kg, $137-$221, $5.20-$5.50, lift; medium (1662), 21-25kg, $106-$137, $5.05-$5.50, lift; lighter, (874), 17-20kg, $78-$104, $4.60-$5.20, lift; 2ths (273), $90-$133; 2th males (235), $80-$111.

Cattle (75): heifers (18), 313-490kg, $757-$1298, $2.42-$2.65, firm; cows (55); good, heavy, 460-633kg, $1177-$1551, $2.35-$2.56, lift; boners, 390-531kg, $784-$1248, $2.01-$2.35, lift; bulls (2), 620-680kg, $1736-$1870, $2.75-$2.80.

Feilding Calf Sale

The shift of venue to the covered yards at the Feilding saleyards yesterday did not attract many calves, with only 35 offered to a softer market.
Bulls: H/Fr X; medium, $135; Ang X; good, $180-$210.
Heifers: H/Fr X; good, $130-$140; Ang X; good, $120-$140.