A Northland yearling Angus bull sold for a top price of $8800 at the Te Atarangi annual auction at Te Kopuru, Pouto peninsula.
Te Atarangi Woody R311 is on his way through the Auckland lockdown zone to the Waihi Beach cattle breeding business of Graeme and Rachel Brown, Maranui, who bought on bidr®.
Chris and Karren Biddles, Te Atarangi, offered 114 yearling bulls at their auction, delayed by three weeks, and sold 96 at an average price of $3633.
High prices included $8400 paid for Te Atarangi Wheta R226 by John Marchant of Maramarua, $8000 for Te Atarangi Flint R275 and $7700 for Wheta R211, also paid by Marchant.
Te Paki Station in the Far North was a multiple purchaser of the higher-priced bulls, along with Geoff Robertson of Taranaki and Murray Jagger of Whangarei Heads.
Biddles says the clearance was very pleasing given that he had increased the number of bulls offered this year and the attendance of buyers was down because of travel restrictions.
“It shows that we are doing the job that our farmers want in terms of fertility, low birth weights and calving ease, followed by good growth rates,” Biddles said.
Kay Jay Angus, Masterton, had a top price of $12,400 paid by Turiroa Angus and sold 20 from 23 offered to average $3830.
The Blackwell family of Mangaotea stud, Tariki, sold 161 bulls in total of four breeds, Hereford, Angus, Murray Grey and Jersey, with a top price of $4000 for a two-year-old Murray Grey.
All the two-year-old bulls offered were sold and only four of the yearlings were passed in.
Te Atarangi R259 and R266 before the sale weighed in at 378kg and 368kg respectively.
Mt Mable Angus, Woodville, sold 29 bulls out of 30 offered, averaging $4261 for the yearlings and $4466 for the two-year-olds. Top price was $7000 for a yearling bull.
Hillcroft Angus and Hereford, Huntly, sold 68 Angus yearlings with an average $2504, 47 two-year Angus, with an average of $3355, and 35 two-year Herefords averaged $2891.
Mahuta Herefords, Glen Murray, sold 45 of 57 Herefords, with an average of $3485 and a top of $5600, and three of four Angus bulls averaging $2800.
Resurgam Angus, Ohope, had a full clearance of 25 bulls sold and averaged $2070.
Kairaumati Herefords, Colville, Coromandel, sold 21 of 24 yearlings offered, averaging $2447, with a top price of $3100, and a full clearance of 25 20-month bulls averaging $2892. Top price was $5100.
McFadzean Cattle Company, Carterton, achieved the sales season’s top price so far, with $12,200 paid by Washpool Partnership for the Meat Maker 0337 yearling bull.
In all, 26 of 29 bulls offered were sold for an average of $4800.
Ratanui Angus, Matawhero, sold 13 of 17 offered for an average $3533 and a top price of $7200 paid by Ruanui Station.
Also on the East Coast, Turihaua Angus sold 22 of 24 yearlings offered for an average of $4047 and a full clearance of nine two-year-olds at $5278 average.
Oranga Angus, Apiti, sold 39 of 44 offered, averaged $2200 and had a top price of $3000 paid by Wai-Iti Dairy Farm.
Herepuru Station Herefords had a full clearance of 37 bulls, averaging $2452 and the highest was $6000.
