Volume at yards typically increases now as demand for lambs grows and sellers time their offload to meet that. That increase in demand stems mainly from two areas – Hawke’s Bay and Mid Canterbury, which are both big producers of cash crops and harvesting for many has been completed with winter grass sown and grown. Irrigation has helped keep grass moving in both Mid Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay this year and the latter has also been fortunate enough to keep some moisture in the ground thanks to Mother Nature.
So, as the crops come out and the grass goes in and the apples and grapes come off the trees and vines, lambs become a very popular commodity and stock trucks are seen heading up all manner of driveways. Not only have we seen more lambs at the yards but paddock sales are also bringing the lambs direct from the farms to the flat country in the unit-loads. Proof of that was the convoy of stock trucks that went past our driveway on the Taihape Road in Hawke’s Bay on Thursday, bringing lambs down from the stations further up.
So, what has all this meant for prices? The increase in volume has met an increase in demand so prices in the North Island are largely staying put, though with a bit of the edge taken off. Results at Feilding reflected that while Stortford Lodge did trade at softer levels though there is mounting concern around facial eczema and that influenced the market. At Matawhero on Friday April 5 buyers were so pleased to see good numbers they really gave each other a run for their money and prices surpassed levels seen at Feilding and Stortford Lodge.
South Island prices have been very positive with last week’s sales showing a steady to lifting market for the mainly mixed-sex offerings.
