SHORTAGE OF SHEEP

Evening Star, Issue 21623, 19 January 1934, Page 8

SHORTAGE OF SHEEP

HEAVY DEMAND FOR EWIS AUTUMN VALUES EXPECTED TO DOUBLE [Special to the Star.] CHRISTCHURCH, ‘ January 18. Farmers in Canterbury will have to pay about twice as much for hew season’s breeding ewes this' autumn . as' they did last season, according ,to .the views. expressed to-day. by stock and station agents in Christchurch. High wool prices and shortage of good ewes were held responsible. “Prices for smviceablO 'breeding , ewes are now nearly double what they were a year ago,” remarked one, “ and 1 would not be at all surprised to see them go a good bit higher. He pointed out that, with the increases in the price of wool and lamb this season, many more farmers would be looking round for sheep, particularly dairy, farmers, who, where it was possible, would turn over to sheep. They had every .reason to ..do, so, as, the failure of'the dairying industry 'had’'put'them in a bad way. At one time butter-fat was bringing m payable returns, while wool was selling at a loss. Now the position was reversed. In addition to the extra demand from that source, many men had been killing off their ewes as “fats,” and-would oe waiting to fill up the gaps in their flocks. During the period of low prices for stock and wool, he said, farmers had to sell more of their surplus stock than they would otherwise have done, in order, to meet their yearly commitments. For instance, a man with 50 Jier cent, of wether lambs would sell them as stores. in the ordinary circumstances and keep his other 50 per cent, of ewe lambs. But because of the dry weather and low prices, he went right through his flock and took out everything that was killable, irrespective of whether it was wether or ewe. Consequently he- was left short of ewe lambs.

He pointed out, too, that, at the last ewe fairs, there were many lines of surplus sheep that were not. as big aa they usually were. A proportion—sometimes as much as 25 per cent.—was being kept back by their owners for :fattening and 'killing, because of the. low, prices offering for stores. The result' was that a largo number of ewes was withheld from the market. He would not be surprised to see_ sheep that were bringing 15s—that is, good twotooths making as much as 35s next March, and good four-year-old station ewes round about 20s and oyer. ,

Another agent was in agreement with this forecast. He said that the shortage of young ewes was going to be felt most, and speculators were having a gamble on these, “ I know of a large number of two-tooth half-bred ewes that have been- purchased at-25s .for delivery in February and March," he said, “ and you can bet your life this figure would not be paid if there were any risk about it or if the purchaser had any doubts about the value ofi sheep at the time of delivery.” »He thought that perhaps the shortage among older ewes in Canterbury might be relieved, to some extent, by drafts from Marlborough, where the drought was already forcing stationholders to get rid of their sheep. It ‘ -would „no doubt force many others to cull very heavily. One deal recently’ closed involved a mob of 10,000 Marlborough! sheep. The extra sheep from there, however, would make very little difference to the position here next autumn,in view of the very much increased demand that was expected. ,