Single buyer pushes prices up on unusually low volumes

Yesterday's Feilding Prime Stock Sale was unusually small, even by short week standards, with just over 1000 each of lambs and ewes and only 4 cattle offered.

Also unusual by short week standards was the solid lift in sale prices for lambs and ewes.

All the usual main buyers and traders were present but one in particular, and especially on lambs, just kept bidding until he had secured the pen.

This resulted in last week's firm price levels lifting again, to the delight of those vendors watching their sheep sold.

Yesterday's top price was $118 for 13 woolly ram lambs from M Greene, and J B Martin sold 76 lambs for $117.

Last week's top sale price was $113 and this $5/head difference was probably about how much the market lifted.

There are clearly not enough prime lambs coming forward at present.

There were hardly any store lambs offered.

The ewe market started on a firm note but then lifted further, and the increase would have been greater than for the lambs and was heading towards $8/head for some lines above last week.

Another buyer entered the market for grazing ewes, although these were steadier with the biggest increase for the heavier ewes. Once again, higher numbers would have been easily absorbed by the market.

Yarding numbers are becoming the key to this prime sale.

Four service bulls only were sold at the cattle sale. One big Angus was perhaps too heavy but sold for $2253 ($2.62).

Sheep (2239): lambs (1012); prime (989), 37-54 kg, $86-$118, $2.30-$2.40, lift; store (23), 25-36 kg, $50-$80, $2.00-$2.25, firm; hoggets (15), $88; ewes (1202); good, heavy, 26-35 kg, $87-$103, $3.00-$3.40, lift; medium, 21-25 kg, $65-$81, $3.00-$3.30, lift; lighter, 16-20 kg, $40-$56, $2.50-$3.00, steady; poor sorts, $10-$39; 2ths (40), $76-$93; male sheep (10), $40-$75.
Cattle: bulls (4), 490-860 kg, $1328-$2253, $2.62-$2.71.