“There’s plenty of confidence to buy today, there’s stability in the market and there’s confidence in the red meat industry from both farmers and processors alike,” PGG Wrightson auctioneer Jonty Hyslop said.
“With a good past 12 months following on from some years of drought and industry uncertainty I expect we will see some good confidence that will drive what farmers are prepared to pay and that’s likely to be getting up there,” industry stalwart Peter Walsh said.
And he was right on the mark with the top price of the sale being $320 for Border Romneys offered by breeder Bruce McDonald of Peel Forest in South Canterbury.
Holding on as traditionally topping the sale the Border Romneys not only fetched the top price, all but two lines of the breed made more than $300.
Capital stock Romneys sold from $252-$290 with other smaller lines selling from $234-$266 while Romney-Texel made $230-$263.
Coopworths sold from $208-$274, Coopdales $274-$279, Coopworth-Romney $279 and Coopworth-Texel $272.
The best of the Perendales fetched $245 with others selling from $228-$240.
Sheep farmers of old Norman Carr and John Miles happy to see confidence in the industry.
For self-confessed old timers, Ashburton farmers Norman Carr and John Miles said the industry needs to get more ewes on the ground and while they were just looking they agreed the industry is in good shape and what farmers are prepared to pay for good stock reflects that.
“It’s said that you can double the price of a fat lamb and that will always benchmark the value of a good two-tooth ewe,” Miles said.
So true, with top prime lambs at recent on-farm lambs sales fetching $160 against the fair’s top price of $320.
But the pair of Suffolk breeders, while suggesting the Suffolk is still a popular terminal sire, said the prices are not necessarily flowing through to the ram prices yet.
“But with the confidence we are seeing in buying ewes, that will come,” Carr said.
