Cattle numbers were typical for the time of year, with dairy stock taking precedence last Monday, while budget constraints favored heifers at the store cattle sale last Thursday.
Store hoggets included 2000 from the Chatham Islands and 1400 shorn Merinos, with the balance from Central Otago. Merino hoggets proved popular and medium to good mixed sex traded at $111-$126, with similar weighted meat breeds making $85-$117. Male hoggets returned $77-$129, and ewes, $106-$150.
High prices for ewes with lambs-at-foot is drawing more to auction and of note was a line of 80 1-2 shear ewes with 104 tailed lambs which made $90.50 all counted, though a number of smaller lines reached $91-$92.
With space tight for prime hoggets prices did not improve but managed to hold at $120-$180. Ewes had a better sale and prices firmed, with top lines making $140-$186, and the remainder, $85-$135.
Dairy cows, heifers and service bulls are a regular feature, with small lines of beef cattle scattered through the pens. Schedule prices have just held for another week, which has seen auction prices follow a similar path.
Prime beef steers returned $2.90-$2.99/kg, with second cuts trading at $2.80-$2.88/kg. Friesian steers, 554-630kg, fetched $2.75-$2.83/kg. Beef heifers were not far off the pace but quality was better and Charolais, 560-670kg, reached $2.84-$2.85/kg, and Hereford, 453-520kg, $2.78-$2.86/kg. Unusual for a Monday sale was a pen of 37 Friesian bulls, sold as one line for $1476, $2.63/kg.
Beef cow numbers were low but had quality and prices recovered ground lost as Hereford, 488-663kg, made $2.06-$2.11/kg.
The dairy portion of the sale was a game of two halves, with heavy heifers and cows improving, though lighter lines eased. Most boner heifers were medium types, 440-476kg, $2.40-$2.53/kg, while lighter lines hovered around the $2/kg mark.
Friesian cows, 580-685kg, firmed to $2.00/kg, with some lines hitting $2.07/kg. Prices could not be sustained through the lighter pens however, and $1.64-$1.78/kg was common ground.
The run of 1-year dairy-beef continued on Thursday, where nearly 90% of the 980 head yarding was in this age group.
Two-year cattle numbers were very low though still demand was limited. Friesian steers, 421-490kg, returned $2.55-$2.57/kg, and Hereford-Friesian heifers, 369-370kg, $2.76-$2.82/kg.
The 1-year heifer market had quite a following as buyers looked for lighter alternatives with smaller outlays. The steer market showed pockets of strength whereas the heifer market was much more consistent. Hereford-Friesian steers, 320-330kg, made $3.28-$3.33/kg, with the same $/kg paid for slightly lighter heifers at 303-314kg. There was real strength in heifers, 245-259kg, and these managed $880-$920, $3.55-$3.61/kg, with some lines of similar weighted steers reaching these levels, while others were off the pace. The demand in the heifer pens was not just limited to the Hereford-Friesian, as Hereford-cross, 232-325kg, sold for $3.32-$3.42/kg, and Murray Grey-Friesian, 253-257kg, $3.42-$3.48/kg. Friesian, 225-269kg, sold at respectable levels also for $2.60-$2.61/kg.
The bull section was mixed, and while there was good interest on light and medium lines, budget constraints meant heavier lines proved harder to sell. Friesian, 212-225kg, made good values at $3.38-$3.40/kg, but prices dropped sharply for 241-288kg to $3.06-$3.15/kg. Hereford-Friesian, 278-312kg, were good shopping at $2.69-$2.77/kg.
Autumn-born results were pleasing, due to the fact they fitted comfortably within people's budgets. Friesian bulls, 213-267kg, made $715-$810, with the lighter lines fetching $3.35-$3.36/kg.
