Addington market Outsanding sale for store cattle yesterday

Press, 8 March 1984, Page 24

Addington market Outsanding sale for store cattle yesterday

The confidence of farmers in the future of the beef industry remains at a high level, judging by prices paid for store cattle at the Addington market yesterday. Buying demand for cattle was described by several regular vendors and buyers as the strongest seen at Addington. Two lines of well-known station cattle and some of the first calves for the season attracted a big gallery of buyers from as far afield as Central Otago.

A line of 387 two-year-old heifers from the Lands and Survey Department’s Molesworth station sold at an average price of $405. All the heifers were bought on behalf of a Banks Peninsula farmer.

This was the first time that the Molesworth station’s surplus annual draft heifers have been sold at Addington. In other years the heifers have been sold privately but a change in management policy resulted in the cattle being auctioned at Addington. The Molesworth consignment of heifers included 99 Angus-Hereford cross cattle which averaged $407 and had a top price of $440. A total of 118 Angus heifers sold between $420 and $372 for an average of $390, and 170 Herefords sold from $440 to $346 to average $4ll.

Another feature of the sale was a line of 175 2% and 3Vi-year-old Hereford steers from The Poplars station, Lewis Pass. The forward condition steers sold to $670 and averaged $594 compared with an average price of $3BB last year.

Ten Simmental steer calves from P. D. Hastings, Irwell, sold at $374, and the annual consignment of Hereford cross steer calves from E. A. Hutchinson, Te Oka, sold to $340. Mr Hutchinson’s heifer calves sold to $268 compared with last season’s prices of $244 for steers and $l9O for heifers.

During last season’s calf sales at Addington, steer calves sold to $336, which was believed to be an Addington record. Buying power for cattle came from farmers in Central Otago, South and Mid-Canter-bury and local areas, particularly Banks Peninsula. Few cattle were bought for West Coast farmers.

The cattle yarding totalled 1068.

In the sheep section, demand for annual draft ewes firmed slightly after last week's easing. The lamb market remained very strong and most small to medium lambs sold between $l6 and $lB with good shorn lambs selling to $22. The lamb yarding was 8641 (compared with 4965 last week) and adults numbered 10,458 (13,163 last week). Sales included:—

Cattle: Lands and Survey Department (Molesworth), 99 Angus cross two-year heifers at $372 to $440, 118 Angus at $372 to $420, and 170 Herefords at $346 to $440; N. Waghorn (Little Akaloa), 6 Angus 2V4year steers at $462, and 6 heifers at $430; S. P. Hastings (Irwell), 8 Hereford-Friesian cross steers at $502; N. Thomp-

son (Halswell), 10 Angus mixed aged cows at $538; J. M. Shearer (The Poplars, Lewis Pass), 175 2Mi and 3^-year Hereford steers at $536 to $670; T. C. Glasson (Whiteeliffs), 40 Hereford and Angus cross 18month steers at $450 to $462, and 7 heifers at $314; Stewart and Rae (Waiau), 36 Hereford 3Mi-year steers at $6OO to $646; Geoff Stewart (Taramakau), 9 18-month steers at $386; D. P. Graham and Sons (Tai Tapu), 11 15-month steers at $460 to $522, and 9 heifers at $314; E. A. Hutchinson (Te Oka), 23 Shorthom-Hereford cross steer calves at $2BO to $340, and 19 heifers at $250 to $268; L. A. Breading (Rakaia), 22 Hereford 18-month steers at $428 to $452; R. Vincent (Oxford), 8 Simmental 18-month heifers at $380; Kingsdown Partnership (Lees Valley), 14 Hereford cross 18month heifers at $272 to $382; J. D. M, Reid (Goose Bay), 20 Angus cross adult heifers at $426; S. J. Blakely (Culverden), 14 Angus adult steers at $516; P. D. Hastings (Irwell), 10 Simmental steer calves at $374; W. D. Croft (Ohoka), 9 Hereford-Friesian cross yearling heifers at $344.

Adult sheep: K. Thelning (Le Bons Bay), 53 mixed age Romneys at $25.20; N. A. Fraser (Takamatua), 102 annual draft Perendales at $l9; H. J. Macartney (Tai Tapu), 133 annual draft Coopworths at $17.20; J. W. Cottier (Waiau), 153 annual draft Halfbreds at $2O; Wilson Brothers (Waiau), 898 Halfbreds at $13.60 to $18; J. R. B. Menzies (Hawarden), 255 Halfbreds at $l4 to $l9; J. A. and P. W. Paton (Oaro), 255 Halfbreds at $14.20 to $18; A. M. and G. B. Morton (Kaikoura), 157 Coopworths at $13.40 to * $17.20, and 194 Romneys at ' $14.20 to $17.30; A. K. Quentin- J Baxter (Te Oka), 111 Corriedales at $17.30; Estate T. W. ? Hutchinson (Little River), 407 ji Romneys at $22 to $22.60; R. H. > Ensor (Barrys Bay), 102 * Border-Corriedales at $22.20. *

Two-tooths: A. E. Birdling a (Birdlings Flat), 96 Halfbreds at $22 to $24.80; J. D. and R. J. ‘ Green (Kekerengu), 83 Half- ‘ breds at $24.40; E. W. Mosley n (Scargill), 103 Corriedales at ■’ $22.60 to $26.20.

Lambs: Golden Acre Farm (Dunsandel), 346 shorn at $21.20 to $22.40; E. O. C. Karst and Son (Coalgate), 171 shorn at $17.10 to $l9; B. H. Ridgen (Greendale), 53 Corriedale ewe lambs at $24.80; A. F. McArthur (Whitecliffs), 435 at $17.40 to $2O, and 197 Coopworth ewe lambs at $18.40; T. W. McKay (Tai Tapu), 116 at $17.80 to $l9; Estate K. Cameron (Takamatua), 738 at $13.80 to $23.40; P. Waghorn (Duvauchelle), 119 at $16.40 to $19.20; D. L. Biddington (Greymouth), 110 at $17.40 to $24; F. R. Brassell (Ahaura), 141 at $l5 to $l9; K. Robertson Partnership (Ngahere), 307 at $17.20 to $21.40; Okuku Hills station (Lees Valley), 892 at $14.60 to $19.50; Wilson Brothers (Waiau), 447 at $16.20 to $25.20; S. G. Lili (Sandy Knolls), 151 at $15.20 to $18.60; Achray Partnership (Rotherham), 501 at $18.20 to $2O; I. E. Winskill (Cheviot), 128 at $l9 to $20.30; H. G. E. Taylor (Oxford), 154 at $19.20 to $23.80; A. K. Quentin-Baxter (Little River), 87 at $l5 to $21.20.