ADDINGTON MARKET Breeding Ewe Values Unchanged

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31936, 13 March 1969, Page 11

ADDINGTON MARKET Breeding Ewe Values Unchanged

Breeding ewe values remained firm at the Addington market yesterday, but with a small yarding, wether lambs recovered last week’s decline.

With most of the standard lines now disposed I of, quality in the adult sheep section was plain, and most sales were made between about $3.50 and $4.10. i The store sheep entry fell from 20,890 last week to 12,510 lit consisted of 110 ewe lambs, '1360 wether lambs, 4400 two[tooth ewes, 6500 adult ewes [and 130 wethers. 1 Two annual consignments

of steers were offered at a special sale for store cattle. They met an excellent sale. Cattle from the Bluff Station, Kekerengu, averaged $108.40 a head. Many of them Were in prime condition. The quality of the Herefords was a feature of the consignment. Store Lambs The store lamb yarding was the smallest of the year, and took less than an hour to complete. Romneys and small lots of Down cross lambs made up the bulk of the entry. From

the outset the sale was stronger, last week’s decline of 30c a head being fully recovered. The pick of the Romney wether lambs sold from $4.80 to $5.25, with the average at $4.10 to $4.50, and tail-enders down to $3.20. There were sales of fine-woolled wether lambs at $4.05 to $4.40. Forward conditioned Down cross and Suffolk cross lambs continued to sell well, with several sales at $5.20 to $5.55, and others down to $4.20.

Only three pens of ewe lambs were offered. A pen of Corriedales realised $5.05, and two other pens of small ewe lambs sold at $4.05 to $4.25. Sales of store lambs included: Gamble Brothers (Barry’s Bay), 90 Border-Romneys at $4.70 to $5.25, 32 Down cross at $5.45; Lands and Survey Department (Mawheraitl), 326 Romneys at $4.20 to $5; T. F. Burrows (Motunau), 92 Corriedales at $4.40; Lands and Survey Department (Cape Foulwind), 37 Romneys at $5.20; A. E. Maindonald (Springbank), 230 shorn at $4-10 to $4.80.

Ewe lambs: Watson and Topp, Ltd (Waipara), 34 Corriedales at $5.05. Two-tooth Ewes The two-tooth ewe yarding was an end-of-season selection. It included quite a large number of Romneys. Most of the halfbreds and Corriedales were plain. A much larger gallery fol* lowed the sale, and with some competition from a North Otago buyer, the recent downward trend in values was halted.

The best of the Romneys sold from $6.30 to $6.70. with an occasional sale at $7.10. Average Romneys sold from about $5.60 to $6.10, and small and plain down to $5.25.

Values for Corriedales and halfbreds showed little change on last week. Some of the better sales ranged from $7 to $7.50, with an odd sale to $8.30; medium sold from $6.30 to $6.80, and plain down to $5.40.

Sales of two-tooth ewes included:—

Estate R. O. Bradley (Charteris Bay), 230 Romneys at $6 to $6.50; Lands and Survey (Mount Highfield), 400 halfbreds at $5.60 to $6.40; J. P. and K. M. O’Carroll (Hawarden), 187 Romney cross at $6.50 to $6.80; S. M. and J. A. Wood (Diamond Harbour), 199 Romneys at $6.20 to $7; Steele Brothers (Darfleld), 104 Romneys at $6.90; Inkson and

Hardaker (Ornihi), 142 halfbreds at $7.30 to $7.45; Cheviot A. and P. Association, 142 Romneys at $6.20 to $7.10; Spurtleton Downs (Omlhi), 60 Corriedale at $7.30; E. and estate F. Bevan iWalau), 75 Corriedales at $7.15; G. S. Long (Hanmer), 212 Romneys at $6.30 to $6.70.

Adult Ewes The yarding of adult ewes was •very small for mid-March. Quality was typical of yardings to be expected at the end of the season. A number of drafts of useful Romneys was included, and values were much on a par with last sale. Most of the Corriedales and halfbreds were plain, and, considering the quality, they also met a firm The top price of the day was $6.10 for a line of four-year-old Corriedaes, running with rams, but this was an isolated price. Most of the sound-mouthed ewes sold from about $4 to $4.40, with an occasional sale to $5.20, while the plainer one-year ewes sold from about $3.40 to $3.90. Romney values were steady, the best of the annual draft ewes selling from $3.90 to $4.20, with an odd sale to $4.45, and one-year ewes from $3.30 to $3.65. A pen of early shorn Merino ewes realised $4.05. Store Cattle A special sale of store cattle was held for the offering of two lines of steers, one from the Bluff Station, of Kekerengu, and the other from C. W. Humm and Sons, of Waikuku. The Bluff Station steers were aged two years and a half, while the cattle from Waikuku were aged 20 months. A big gallery followed the sale and competition from Dunedin and Kurow buyers, made the sale a strong one throughout. Annual balance dates are due soon, so this demonstrated that cattlemen have had an excellent farming year. The Bluff cattle were offered in 30 pens, and only five sold at less than 1100 a head. For the draft of 307, the average was $108.40 a head.

Thirteen pens of Aberdeen Angus-Hereford cross steers sold from $lll to $127, with nine pens at $llO or better; six pens of straight Aberdeen Angus steers sold from $96 to $lll, and 11 pens of Herefords at $9B to $129. Two hundred and twenty steers from Messrs Humm and Sons averaged $78.40. The sale appeared to be $5 to $6 a head stronger than at the weekly store cattle sale on Tuesday. The best of the entry sold from $B7 to $93. medium from $7B to $B5, and smaller from $69 to $75. Frieslans sold from $62 to $66.