Feilding Store Stock Sale

Lambs were difficult to sell at the latest Feilding Stock sale.

The market for store spring lambs underwent a major correction today and, unfortunately for the vendors, it was a negative correction.

The small lambs were especially difficult to sell and there were many passings at auction which, to the credit of the agents, were sold afterwards.

Next week may give a better gauge to the lamb market as vendors may decide not to take this money and the yarding size will reduce. Conversely, more buyers may be attracted by this money and turn up to bid thus firming the market off these levels.

Or the lack of rain and grass may push more in and the falling trend will continue. Time will reveal but it is early days yet for most lamb traders.

The day's top sale price was $105 for 154 mixed sex lambs from the Carpita Partnership, Colyton, with Mananui Station, Dannevirke, selling 247 mixed sex lambs for $103. As the sale progressed, cents/kg levels dropped further and overall ; lamb prices were $10-$15/head lower than last week. The smallest lambs would have sold for much more had they been sold with their mothers as lambs at foot.

Just over 900 dry ewes continued to sell well and just over 700 hoggets also sold reasonably well with BD Bowie, Pongaroa, selling 37 capital stock fresh cut two-tooth ewes for $140.

There seemed to be a distinct lack of bodies on the buying benches for the cattle sale and this, too, was a large sale with high numbers. The law of supply and demand was at play in the cattle sale as well and most sections eased with some down by up to 20 cents/kg.

Quality had a hand in the changes as well as the top cattle stood out in this yarding and deservedly sold for better money. Few older steers came forward today and the top steer price was $1930 ($3.25) paid for 20 Angus two year steers from Tony Brown, Kimbolton, which was steady on his entries last week.

The price drops were for the lesser types and the dairy cross cattle. Maas Farming, Marton, sold pens of top, quiet yearling steers with the 18 Charolais cross selling for $1400 ($3.35) and the 12 Angus/South Devon sold for $1435 ($3.28). The market movement for the yearling steers was not as pronounced as for the older steers.
With over 1800 weaner dairy beef cattle sold during the week, the lack of buyers looked to be a problem for the bulls.

Two year old bulls were in short supply so any changes were not significant. As things turned out though, the yearling bulls were roughly steady on last week's levels with a small ease for the better bulls although all the better Friesians cleared $1200 with ease and there was a good gap back to the rest. Blackburne and Son, Te Horo, had a large entry of yearling Friesian bulls and sold the top 17 for $1365 ($2.80).

Older heifers showed the same degree of easing as did the older steers with the same proviso that the better cattle sold well enough.

Kiihfuss Bros, Patea, sold 9 Angus heifers for $1410 ($2.97) but the rest of the section made up the numbers. The yearling heifers had to wait a long time for their turn and the benches were nearly empty by then.

The section sold at steady levels much like the yearling bulls and steers. Of interest was the sale prices for the Hereford/Friesian yearling heifers which had the better of the section with the breeding option available. For example, the McLaughlin and Hoskin Partnership, Palmerston North, sold 14 Hereford/Friesian yearling heifers for $1100 ($3.53).

Both lamb and cattle sales were beaten by numbers to an extent.

Sheep (7,495): ewes (117) and LAF (165), $81-$108; dry ewes (912), $80-$131; hoggets (715), $90-$140; lambs (5,586); 27-32.7kg, $79-$105, $2.57-$3.46, ease; 19-26.9kg, $40-$84, $2.07-$3.26, ease.

Cattle (1,555): steers; 3yr (37), 463-610kg, $1185-$1720, $2.56-$3.04; 2yr (367), 362-594kg, $1095-$1930, $2.56-$3.27, ease; 1yr (564), 227-439kg, $800-$1435, $2.46-$3.96, ease; bulls; 2yr (28), 450-474kg, $1240-$1428, $2.76-$3.03, ease; 1yr (291), 211-487kg, $690-$1365, $2.79-$3.45, steady; heifers; 2yr (49), 406-475kg, $1100-$1410, $2.71-$2.97, ease; 1yr (