Southern Man Cattle Sale: Couple still selling steers over 50 years after event started

Vendors Maurice and Meree Yorke at the Southern Man Cattle Sale at Lorneville Saleyards. Photo / Shawn McAvinue

A retired Catlins couple continue to go head-to-head at the Southern Man Cattle Sale after selling steers at the maiden event more than 50 years ago.

About 1300 steers and heifers were on offer at the opening of the two-day event at Lorneville Saleyards on March 2.

Vendors Maurice and Meree Yorke, of Waikawa, sold all of the 250 steers they offered at the sale.

Maurice Yorke said the prices paid for the cattle were on par with last season which was pleasing, considering the state of the market and the dry conditions continuing to bite in the South.

The couple were both aged in their 80s and offered cattle at the first Southern Man sale more than 50 years ago.

When the Southern Man cattle sale was launched, the couple were running another cattle sale on their 1500-ha farm Te Mara in the Catlins in the same week.

The annual Progress Valley Cattle Sale on their farm was meant to be temporary but ran for about 40 years until 2012.

When the sale on their farm finished they returned to selling cattle at the Southern Man event.

Holding a sale on Te Mara had become tricky due to a lack of modern technology including that required for the Nait (National Animal Identification and Tracing) programme and scales to weigh stock.

“There wasn’t even a toilet,” Yorke said, laughing.

Yorke said he threw everything he had into the sale day.

A party would always follow and vendors would either commiserate or celebrate their sale result.

“I’d have a hangover for a week after.”

They sold Te Mara in 2014, keeping 40ha for themselves and built a “retirement cottage”.

In retirement, he bought pockets of land in the district to run cattle.

Between them, they had run up to 2000 calves each season.

Meree was responsible for the cattle on the home block and Maurice was responsible for the cattle on the other bits of land.

Maurice usually made more money per head of cattle at the sale because he was farming on better country, Meree said.

Maurice said the home block was rocky and dry but was a good spot to retire because it was close to Waikawa Harbour and a good place to launch the dinghy and go fishing.

Meree purchased all of their cattle at calf sales across Otago and Southland in April.

“I do all the buying and send them home to him,” she laughed.

Some of the steers they sold at the Southern Man Sale were calves bought at Temuka Saleyards from vendors at Fox Peak Station, Mesopotamia Station and Shenley Station.

“You can imagine 2000 showing up, all in a short period of time - I love the challenge,” Maurice said.

Meree bought whatever breed had the strongest demand at market and this was the first year they had not offered any exotic cattle breeds at a sale.

“We went straight blacks.”

In a bid to downsize and take it easier in retirement, the plan was to buy about 450 calves next month.

“I’ve got that all worked out,” she said.