Canterbury Park sale 12.06

There was no issue with selling bigger numbers in the sheep pens, but the cattle market was hard going.
Store lambs sold well and mixed sex topped the section at $140-$144, though most traded at $110-$136. Male lambs sold for $122-$133 and a handful of ewe lambs $114-$130.
The market tone was repeated in the prime pens where prices held the previous week’s values across the board. A handful pushed past $200 to $200-$205, with other heavy lines making $170-$199. Most of the rest sold for $130-$159.
Ewe numbers dropped slightly but the yarding was top-heavy with good ewes, and with a slightly stronger market few could be found for less than $140. The very heavy lines made $208-$258, with good and heavy types earning $170-$198. Light-medium to medium-good lines made up most of the yarding and sold for $120-$159.
Adult male sheep were also still finding quite an audience and a very heavy line of wethers made $255, with other lines trading at $119-$148.
Two parts of one sale could not have been more different as the sheep and cattle sales showed a clear divide. There were 600 cattle to find homes for, which was no easy task with limited space and little to no interest in store cattle.
Prime steer and heifer numbers pushed to 110 and 114 apiece and most were unfinished beef-Friesian. The best that could be coaxed out of buyers for these types was $2.40-$2.60/kg for steers and $2.36-$2.45/kg for heifers. There was not much improvement for prime lines as traditional steers, 540-695kg, returned $2.60-$2.70/kg, with one Charolais and seven Angus-Friesian pushing to $2.80-$2.84/kg. The best of the heifers sold for $2.50-$2.61/kg.
Cows really struggled and lowline Angus, 339-570kg, made just $1.18-$1.27/kg. Better lines of Hereford and Hereford-Friesian did manage $1.67-$1.89/kg.
A special entry of in-calf traditional heifers to an Angus and a Hereford bull kicked off the store section and traded at $1205-$1480. However a consignment of in-calf cows only made processor value though will head out to have their calves. These traded at $1010-$1280, with Angus taking top honours.
Everything was stacked against the rest of the section but vendors met the market. Beef-Friesian filled the R2 steer pens. Better types made $2.55-$2.66/kg, and second cuts, $2.43-$2.54/kg. Angus heifers, 409-435kg, were good shopping at $2.35-$2.40/kg, while similar weighted Hereford-Friesian sold for $2.34-$2.39/kg.
R1 numbers were low and featured some nice lines of beef calves, which were very good shopping. Angus steers, 268kg, made $820, while heifers of same breeding fetched $700-$780.