Looking back at ewe fair season

Press, 3 April 1980, Page 12

Looking back at ewe fair season

By

PETER BRITTENDEN

The law of supply and demand worked both ways during this season’s round of ewe fairs in North and Mid-Canterbury. Romney breeders were at an advantage because the numbers of this breed offered nowhere near satisfied the demand. But the reverse applied to Corriedales and Halfbreds, which were offered in large numbers and consequently had to be highly regarded to make over $32 (for twotooths).

Selling at the nine North Canterbury fairs was generally steady. Buying power, with odd exceptions, was very strong, and quality, except in one or two cases, was very good reflecting the excellent growing season the province has experienced during the last six months.

Among two-tooths, the Romneys had a $6 to $8 advantage over the finewool breeds. Coopworths and Perendales did not sell as well as Romneys but were sought consistently at every sale they were offered at. In North Canterbury -the best twotooth price was $45.60 for Coopworths. Romneys made to $45 and Perendales to $37. In MidCanterbury Coopworth»

sold to $4B and Romney's .to $46.

The $4O mark was broken by Corriedales at two different fairs. At Amberley a pen made $41.60 and Tinwald $40.25. It is thought that the price paid at Amberley was the highest ever for Corriedale two-tooth ewes. Halfbred . two-tooths were not as keenly sought. The best price was $32.40, at the Sheffield fair.

The bulk of the Romney two-tooths made from $ 2 8.4 0 to $36.60; Coopworths $28.10 to $33.80: Perendales $24.20 to $32.10; Corriedales $24.60 to $28.10; and Halfbreds $23 to $27.20.

Observers at the fairs were consistently commenting on the small price margin between the two-tooth and adult sheep. The two-tooth : will usually, produce lambs and grow wool for five years but many of the adult sheep at the fairs were five-year-olds which would produce for only one to two years, depending on the sort of country they were shifted to. Adult fine-wool ewes consistently sold over $22. in some cases up to $3O, and returned a top price of $36.60 — this for a pen of 336 five-year Corriedales offered at the Hawarden fair.

Strong wool adult ewes mainly ranged from $23.40 to $27.50. According to many adult ewe buyers at the fairs the big prices were being paid for ewes which would form the basis of a breeding flock. Farmers looking to increase production through increased wool weight and lambing percentages were buying the best adult ewes for the crop of ewe lambs they would produce next spring. The adult ewe enthusiasts gave strong support to this age group because they prefered the capital stock ewe which had spent several years on a farm as a productive unit to the two-tooth which, in many cases, was a cull. There are not a great many farmers breeding two-tooths especially for the ewe fairs. Although Corriedale adult ewes, reached the top price for the season Romneys and Coopworths were usually $4 to $5 dearer than the-' fine wool types. Generally adult Romneys were making from $22.40 to $27.30; Coopworths $20.25 to $26.10; Perendales $17.10 to $23.80; Corriedales $22.30 to $27.10; and Halfbreds $21.10 to $24.20. There were only two disappointing sales. The last fair at Coalgate was dominated by light condi-

tioned ewes and these failed to arouse much buying enthusiasm. The other fair which did not reach expectations was Culverden. The energy crisis could have been a restrictive factor at Ciilverden. Unlike other fairs, where a lot of the ewes‘offered are brought by local farmers footrot • free property re-

nearly. all - the Culverden ewes go to buyers from outside districts. ' Traditionally the sale has been well supported, by buyers from Mid-Canterbury and the Darfield, Sheffield and Springfield areas, but at that fair this support was not strong. The sheep at Culverden were much the same as usual. They were light but

they have a great reputation for shifting arid doing well on easier farmland. But high transport costs make, Culverden an increasingly expensive place to shift stock from. In previous years the amount of wool on the ewe’s back has only influenced the price paid to a small degree. This year, with the prevailing wool

prices, the amount of wool on the ewes certainly influenced the prices paid; Because of the wet season there has been a serious increase in foot infection on farms. This certainly had an effect on the market, and undoubtedly the vendor who could say his stock “came from a ceived a financial advantage.