Stortford Lodge: High lamb returns keep farmers happy

The markets have seen solid sales for sheep, lambs and cattle.

April was another busy month at Stortford Lodge.

With two weaner fairs and a cow fair to go with rising numbers of store lambs, agents and auctioneers were on their toes. The weaner steer fair, the third one of the season, saw prices ease from the highs of March.

The yarding of about 2000 head was also a new high as cows become a popular item on farms.

Weaner heifer prices remained steady in March.

The in-calf cow fair earlier in the month saw strong prices and good demand from a full rostrum of buyers. Few if any of the 1200-head offering went to meat processors.

A feature of the fairs was the quality of the stock on offer. PGG Wrightson livestock manager Neil Common said this was another reflection of a kind spring and summer.

Mr Common said anyone who could feed cattle over the winter could look forward to good returns in the spring.

Store lamb numbers grew steadily but prices were not affected by the big supply as the winter finishers returned to the market in earnest. The apple harvest is almost complete which provides another market.

The prime lamb schedule has been rising which has been reflected in the price of store lambs. The better lambs sell for upwards of $110 and few for less than $90.

Towards the end of the month prime lambs came into the yards in bigger numbers.

Again, the increase in numbers had no effect on the price. However, at the last prime sale of the month prices broke through the $200 a head mark which came as a surprise to many there.

However, meat schedules rise during winter so that mark could be broken regularly. Mr Common said many lambs were sold for good money earlier in the season so the numbers might not be as high as usual later in the season.

Prime ewe numbers fell but prices remained well above the $120 mark for all but the lightest animals.

The numbers will pick up during May as scanned-empty ewes arrive.

In the prime cattle pens numbers remained small and there were cattle at all in the last sale of the month. Mr Common said meat processors were busy with cull dairy and beef cows so anyone sending anything for sale ran a risk of no demand for them.

"It is easier to keep them on the farm eating grass while waiting for space," he said.

The easing in prices from the heights of earlier in the year had a follow-on effect on the price of store cattle although angus and angus-hereford animals continued to sell well.

Mr Common said the high returns for lambs and good outlook for cattle meant farmers were "feeling pretty good". "They are having a good autumn and are hoping for a kind winter with enough frosts to kill off the bugs."