Ewe prices realistic

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33786, 7 March 1975, Page 17

Ewe prices realistic

Two-tooths had a good. sound[ • sale at realstic prices at the; Sheffield ewe fair yesterday. I Under keen demand, the castI for-age lines again rose on rates • ! paid at earlier fairs. Good average two-tooths sold' ' regularly at $lO to Sil, but there was a keener edge to the adult: ewe market, with the top pens' of the annual lines consistently! bettering $9. The fair drew an entry of: : 11.175, compared with 9710 last year. Two-tooths accounted for ; the increase, the number offered in this section being almost double that of last autumn. The sheep as usual came for- ! ward in very good order, although the two-tooth section , continued to draw a fair propor- : tion of small sheep. Two-tooth values were anything ; up to $2 back on the buoyant ; sale at Culverden last week, but ; they were probably up to a ; dollar a head better than at ; Addington the previous day. par- ; tlcularly on the plainer end of ;■ the yarding.

DOWN 39 PER CENT For the season, it was a very satisfactory sale, although well! black on last year’s rates. A' comparison of 21 pens, with 14 pens from the same vendors last year, showed a decline of $7.60. or 93 per cent. The top price in the section was SI 2.70 for 100 Corriedales from C A. Reed (Dalthorpel. All told, this vendor sold 402 two-tooths at SH to the top monev for a pen average of 511.75. Benmore Graziers (Springfield'' sold 383 Corriedales at SI 1.50 to St 2.40 for a pen average of more than $l2. The estate J. Milliken

(Brooksdale) was the principal | vendor in the section with 1014; hallbreds selling at 59.60 to $12.; Most of them bettered $ll. and at these rates it was a sale which: gave intending buyers room to operate. Other two-tooth sales included: | Mount Torlesse Station (Spring-! • field), 413 halfbreds at 59.30 to; 511.60; High Peak Station ißakala: Gorge). 448 halfbreds at $7.70 to! $9.90; Narranda Farming Com-; panv (Russells Flat), 211 Corriedales at $B.BO to $11.I0;l Courtenay Farm (Kirwee), 139 Romneys at $9.20 to $11.40; Ayr-; dale Estate (Springfield), 178; halfbreds at $8.90 to $9.40.

CAST-FOR-AGE LINES The cast-for-age lines from the tussock properties again came forward in good order, and they drew brisk competition from a large gallery. Most of the ewes were early shorn, and a sizeable proportion were in ideal order for tupping.

The best of the lines consistently bettered 9, at which the fair was about a dollar a head stronger than the adult ewe sale at Culverden. Some of the Sheffield ewes were carrying more 1 condition than those at Culverden. but they were not as good in the mouths as the Culverden ewes.

A comparison with last year’s fair showed that 15 main lines of ewes had declined by $5.75. or 40 per cent.

The top price of the section, was 510.50 for 272 four-year-old Corriedales from C. IV. Reed IDalethorpei. The same vendor: sold 228 of the same age at $9.90. and 270 five-year-olds at S 9 The first drafting of 224 four-year-old halfbreds from Mount'

Torlesse Station fetched $9.50, and the top drafting of annual draft Corriedales from Grasmere Station (Cass) made $9.40.

Most of the fine-woolled station lines sold in the $8 to $9 range, with several pens to $9.50.

Romney ewes sold to $9.60 for 210 four-year-olds from 1.. A. Ferguson (Baldoon), and J. R. Collier (Annat) sold 220 five-year-olds at $9.10.

Principal sales included: Estate : J. Milliken, 313 four-year-old| halfbreds at 59.20. 204 at 58.90. 275 five-year-old at S 8.80: Mount, Torlesse Station. 374 five-year-old halfbreds at S.lO. 116 at $8.80: Grasmere Station. 405 annual draft Corriedales at 58.70.1 262 at $9.40: Benmore Graziers.; 220 annual draft Corriedales at; $8.60 300 at 58.40, 124 at $8.50:' Castle Hill Run Company. 188 annual draft halfbreds. at $9.10. 135 at S 8.10: High Peak Station. 208 five-year-old hafbreds at S 8.10: F. and L. Westenra iCraigieburnl. 304 four-year-old halfbreds at $7.20- Ayrdale Estate' (Springfield*. 227 five-year-old: halfbreds at 50.70: Mount White station. 362 Merinos at $3 to <5.90. 246 Merino whethers at $3 60 tn 54.40. The fair drew widespread buy ! ing inonfry. A large nronortion: of sheen were bought hv< farmers in districts south of the. Waimakariri. and there was also! regular birring from districts | fmm Oxford to Ran«iora. Other! sales were made as far north as ! Parnassus, several to Rakaia and some of the Romneys to the West Coast. vard’ne of 11.175 consisted of 4185 two-toeth ewes <9205 las* - rear* and 6990 adult sheep (6875] last year). I