METHVEN SALE

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32265, 7 April 1970, Page 7

METHVEN SALE

Calf Values At Highest Point Store calf values reached their highest point of the season at Methven yesterday. Godd average steers rose by $l5 to $l7 on last year, while the average run of Angus and Angus cross heifer calve® was fully $lO stronger. A large gallery followed the srfle, and the brisk bidding reflected the good feed situation and high beef prices. Values were clearly stronger than at the first Ashburton County breeders' sale at Tinwald two weeks ago, and at Addington. But the class of calf offered at Methven was a much better beast than many at present being offered at Addington. Practically all of the calves were in very good condition; many were prime. At 870 head, the yarding was 70 fewer than last year. Out of 55 pens of steers, 29 realised $7O or more, and eight of them fetched $BO or better. A feature of the sale was a tine of June-born Charolais cross calves from the local breeder, T. L. Lucas. One of these pens topped the sale at $88.50, while a pen of CharolaisHereford cross calves, with Hereford markings, fetched $B3. The same vendor had a sale of An-gus-Hereford cross calve® at $81.50, while his average for 69 of all breeds was $77. It was a marked rise on last year, when Mt Lucas’s top pen fetched $7O. Sales at $82.50 were obtained by the estate of D. J. O'Connell with a pen of Angus-Hereford cross steers ($7O last year), and by W. A. Hart with 12 Hereford*. H. J. Stevens sold a small pen of Hereford cross steers at $81.50, and D. W. Knight obtained $80.50 for 15 Angus-Here-ford cross steers. Another vendor to reach the $BO mark was P. A. Groundwater with six An gus steers. Heifers To $B2 T. L. Lucas provided the feature of the heifer caif sale with seven Charalais-Hereford cross calves at $B2. A pen of eight Charolais-Angus heifers from Mr Lucas changed hand® at $67.50, and two lots of Angus-Hereford cross heifers from the same vendor sold at $65 and $62.50. Other leading prices included $70.50 for 10 Hereford-Angus cross heifers from H. J. Stevens, $65 for 12 Angus-Hereford cross from D. W. Knight, and $63 for 12 of similar breeding from C. A. Schikker. of- Mount Somers. A range of value® wa«:— Best Angus and AngusHereford steer calves, $77 to $82.50; good average, $69 to $75; medium, $63 to $6B, with small down to $54. Best ChaTOlai® cross steer calves, $77 to $86.50: average $64 to 870. Good average Hereford®, $64 to 170; others, down to 856.

Heifer calves: Best Angus and Angus-Hereford cross, $BO to 165: medium, $54 to $5B; smaller, down to $4B.