Feilding sale: Lamb and ewe prices rise

The "short week syndrome" seemed to have beneficial effect on the market for ewes and lambs with the prime lamb section lifting and the ewe section fully firm to lifting.

As every week goes by, it is becoming more obvious that the sheep numbers are just not there and with more heading down to the South Island all the time that does not seem likely to change any time soon.

There was an increase in the number of heavy lambs sold at this sale but a sad heavy lamb vendor was nowhere to be found today as they have been receiving works kill sheets that make their eyes water with the penalties for heavy weight lambs.

Four lambs from PM Rowe sold for $128 and many of the nearly 2,300 lambs sold were knocked down just below or just above $120.

Not surprisingly, the lighter lambs sold for the highest cents/kg but the prices paid for the heavy lambs did surprise a little.

The Easter chilled lamb season has a few more weeks to run.

The store lambs were not in great numbers today , reflecting both the local grass season and the trucking to the South Island from eastern regions, and those that were sold today were mostly forward store and sold up to Friday's improved levels.

Slightly more ewes than last week were sold but this market continues to be very solid and mutton contracts are around or promised soon.

Much more of the ewe offering today were heavy ewes with very few lightweight ewes and the heavy ewe section was probably the strongest today.

The short week did affect cattle sale entries with hardly any put up save for the usual turnout of Jersey bulls. There is little to be said about the cattle sale.

The lone steer was a good but lighter weight Angus and sold for $1383 ($2.66).

The heifers were dairies and the cows were dairies or dairy cross as was the sole non-Jersey bull. The boners may have been a little firmer but on very low numbers.

Sheep (5,063): lambs (2,272); prime (2,161), 38-60 kg, $91-$128, $2.15-$2.45, lift; store (111), 27-40 kg, $55-$96.50, $2.10-$2.50, steady; ewes (2,707); good, heavy, 26-35 kg, $85-$116, $3.10-$3.40, lift; 21-25 kg, $67-$85, $3.20-$3.40, firm; lighter, 16-20 kg, $40-$64, $2.50-$3.20, firm; 2ths (38), $40-$91; male sheep (46), $40-$75.

Cattle (25): steer (1), 520 kg, $1383, $2.66; heifers (4), 517-620 kg, $1282-$1494, $2.41-$2.48; cows (8); boners, 570-630 kg, $906-$1071, $1.59-$1.70; bulls (12), 315-500 kg, $634-$1250, $2.00-$2.50.