Steer Calves In Demand At Tinwald Sale

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31340, 10 April 1967, Page 10

Steer Calves In Demand At Tinwald Sale

Although values were back on last year, store calves met quite a good sale at the Ashburton county breeders’ autumn calf sale at Tinwald on Friday. After a quiet start, steer calves, in particular, sold briskly at values a little stronger than Addington rates on Wednesday. Steer calves were about £4 below last year’s high rates, and in some cases the markback was a little higher. There were no sales at £3O or more, but there were several at £25 to £2B 10s. Steer calves generally sold from £l9 to £22. The offering came forward in good order. Some lines were considered to be a little better than last year’s. Although conditions were cold and wet, there was a large gallery, and this could have helped the sale. Most of the calves were Aberdeen Angus, and many were drawn from inland foothills properties. Most of the yarding was bought by Ashburton county farmers, but some lots went to South Canterbury, and a few others to Ellesmere, Amberley and Hororata.

Top steer calf price was £26 10s for 15 Aberdeen Angus calves from M. M. Curd, Lauriston, and the same vendor sold his second drafting at £22 ss. The same vendor topped the Aberdeen Angus section last year with a pen at £32. Top price for Hereford steer calves was £27 for a pen of 12 from J. Gregory, Westerfield, and another 16 from the same vendor made £26. Last year’s top price for Herefords was also £27. C. C. Gray, Springburn, sold 11 Hereford-Shorthorn cross calves at £24 10s. Shorthorns sold to £27 10s, this being paid for a small lot from the estate of J. Bonifant, Wakanui.

The Mount Somers Estate sent forward ftn even line of 86 Herefords, which sold from £l9 to £23, an average of more than £2l.

Best Aberdeen Angus steer calves sold from £24 10s to £27 10s, with one sale at £2B 10s, average to good sold from £lB to £23 10s, with smaller from £l3 to £l7.

Herefords sold to £27 for the best, with average to good from £2O to £23, and small from £l6 to £l9. Shorthorn sold at similar rates.

Steer calf sales included:— N. J. MacKenzie (Anama), 22 Aberdeen Angus at £22 10s to £23; Edendale Run Company (Ashburton Gorge), 22 Aberdeen Angus and Aberdeen Angus cross at £2l to £22; estate L. J. Fechney (Westerfield), 16 Shorthorns at £26 10s to £27 ss; 13 Shorthorn-Hereford cross at £24;

J. P. Kane (Mount Somers), 28 Aberdeen Angus and Aberdeen Angus cross at £2l 10s to £26 10s; C. C. Gray (Springburn), 11 Hereford Shorthorn cross at £24 10s, 20 Herefords at £l9 to £2O 10s; Blackford Station (Rakaia Gorge), 13 Aberdeen Angus at £23 10s, 13 Herefords at £2O 10s; L. P. Chapman (Mount Somers), 77 Aberdeen Angus at £l9 to £26 10s; I. D. McKeown (Ruapuna), 14 Aberdeen Angus at £24; V. C. Latimer (Shepherd’s Bush), 31 polled Herefords at £2O 10s to £2l 10s; estate J. Bonifant (Wakanui), 6 Aberdeen Angus at £27 ss, 5 Shorthorns at £27 10s; Fechney Brothers (Westerfield), 20 Herefords at £22 15s; J. B. Ndcol (Montalto), 13 Herefords at £22; Proutings, Mesopotamia, Ltd. (Rangitata Gorge), 120 Aberdeen Angus cross at £l4 5s to Heifer Calf Sale The heifer calf sale was much weaker, especially for the smaller calves. Buyers showed much more interest in the bigger calves carrying some condition. Quite a proportion of the entry consistently sold from £ll to £l6 which., on last year’s range of values, appeared to be £5 to £6 easier. The best of the Aberdeen Angus and Aberdeen Angus cross calves sold from £lB 10s to £2O 10s, with average from £l4 10s to £l7 10ss and smaller from £lO to £l3. Herefords sold from £2l to £23 10s for the best, with average from £l7 to £2O. Shorthorns sold to £lB. Top heifer calf price was £23 10s for 11 Herefords from Fechney Brothers, of Westerfield. J. Gregory, of the same district, sold 10 at £2l ss. Top price for Herefords last year was £2B ss. J. P. Kane again topped the black heifer section with 16 Aberdeen Angus cross at £2O 10s, compared with £26 last year. N. J. MacKenzie, of Anama, sold 14 at £l9, and B. E. Newton, of Windermere, 10 at £lB 10s. The Bonifant Estate sold 9 Aberdeen Angus and Shorthorns at £lB.