TARANAKI STOCK SALES

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 24 August 1935, Page 16

TARANAKI STOCK SALES

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK FARMERS’ CO-OP. REPORT _ The Farmers’ Co-op. Organisation Society’s ■weekly report states that a very steady week of trading has taken place. Lack of quotations in practically all sections of the stock business has naturally curtailed’ business somewhat. The weather for the most part has been exceptionally cold and wet, causing heavy mortality amongst lambs and making -conditions on dairy farms .most unpleasant, besides being very hard on all classes of stock. Interest during the week naturally centred on the Wellington wool sale and nearer home at Wanganui, reports on which appear elsewhere. The more optimistic trend of the market for this commodity is distinctly heartening. . , FAT STOCK, Values -on the Smithfield market for most classes of fat stock remain tiim, with local values very firm on ruling rates. Sales of fat ewes continue from 17s Gd to 18s Gd, with some quotations higher, and wethers at from 23s Gd to 25s. # Fat cattle still remain difficult of quotations, sales since our last report including two trucks of P.A. heifers and cows at £7 ss. Wherever ya!rded, competition remains keen on all classes of fat stock.

STORE STOCK. With quotations' of store sheep practically nil, business in this section has been very limited. Lambing is in full swing, obviating quotations of ewes, and hoggets remain difficult to obtain, j A keen enquiry exists for practically air classes of store cattle, with here again quotations difficult to obtain, j Sales since our last report include 150 P.A. and Hereford cows at £3 15s. DAIRY STOCK. , . Here again quotations of really top heifers are limited, business practically being confined to the yards, where good heifers close to profit attract keen competition, more backward sorts also showing a slight hardening in values. Jersey yearling heifers are keenly sought after,, sales including a truck at £2 ss. Really “top” cattle have changed hands at from £2 5s to £3. All classes of pigs continue to' meet keen competition, prices being on a par ■with those ruling at Hawera. At our weekly Manaia sale on the 20th August, a medium yarding of all classes of stock came forward. Mr F. Reardon again yarded some good dairy stock. Springing heifers changed hands at £3 ss, £4, £5, to £5 15s; calved heifers, £3, £3 10s, £4 10s, £5 to £5 15s; calved cows, £4, £4 15s, £5 to £5 15s; springing cows to £5 10s; pigs and store cattle*' selling well at late rates.

A larger yarding in- all sections ,eame forward to our Opunake sale on Mon- j day, August 19, a brisk sale resulting. Forward and calved dairy stock again j •met with a ready sale. ' Realisations were: Calved heifers, £3 ss, £3 15s, £4 10s to £5; springing heifers, £3 10s, £4, £4 10s to £5 10s; dairy cows, £3 ss, £4 to £4 10s. In the pig section, wean- j ers realised 10s to 17s; stores to 17s 6d; s light porkers to £l. Store cattle sold well at late rates. j The Urenui sale on Monday drew a large yarding of all classes: of cattle and a total clearance under the hammer was effected. Prices were well up to late rates and the demand is still keen for close-up dairy cattle. Realisations, were: Weaner pigs to 18s; yearling heifers to £1 6s; empty heifers to £1 17s fid; fat cows to £5 9s; lighter sorts, £4 10s to £4 17s; paddock cows to £2 15s; store cows to £1 14s; boners, 11s to 17s; dairy heifers to £6 7s fid. Hawera Sale. —A heavy yarding of dairy cattle and a full yarding of store cattle, including a number of yearling heifers and a small yarding of sheep, came forward to this fixture, as well as a full yarding of pigs. Possibly owing to the inclement "weather, the pigs met a harder sale than has been the case latterly and a few pens werepassed at auction. Dairy cattle were more difficult to sell, this also probably being due to the very rough fortnight just passed. However, we disposed of

practically the entire yarding of dairies. Only a few fat cattle were yarded and those that came forward got the advantage of the short market and prices rose considerably. The entire yarding of sheep was disposed of at prices in vendors’ favour. Quotations: Fat cows, dairy sorts, good medium, £5 10s to £6 10s; others, light medium, £4 'to £5; yearling heifers, good, £2 10s to £3; medium, £2 to £2 ss; smaller and hold-over, 2Ss to 3_s. Sheep: Wether hoggets, good, 18s fid to 20s 6d; fat ewes, 16s 6d to 18s 6d; fat wethers, 23s to 255. Store-cows, 10s to 255; paddock cows, 30s to £2; sound empty cows, 25s to £2; dairy cows, good, £4 10s to £6; medium, £2 10s to £3; heifers, good, to £6 10s; good medium, £4 to £5 ss; backward and inferior, 25s to £2 10s; pigs, weaners, 10s 6d to 15s; stores, 18s to 22s 6d; porkers, 30s to £2 ss. LOAN AND MERCANTILE

The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co. Ltd. reports that the week was marred by continuous rain and bitterly cold weather. Last Wednesday one of the heaviest falls of snow for many years was experienced in all districts adjacent to Mt. Egmont. Paddocks on the average farm provide plenty of mud and generally speaking the country has been practically waterlogged. The weather conditions have been particularly severe on stock, and consequently this has had its effect both in the paddock and in the saleyards. A spell of warm sunshine would 'be very -welcome just at the moment. Since our last report, a winter wool sale was held at Wanganui, the catalogue consisting, mainly- of erutchings. There -was a keen demand for crutchings; good quality sold up fair quality Gd to GJd, and seedy lines 4d to sd. The demand for fleece wools was not so keen, but one good line realised lid. The average price of wool sold was lid higher over the sale ' held in April. Prices for fat ewes and wethers are hardening and this week further consignments were railed to the Waikato, to be sold at auction. The wethers realised 27s 5d and the ewes 21s, -which exceeds any prices offering locally; however, fat ewes are likely to move iup in price in Taranaki. In the pad- ' dock good wether hoggets are bringing I£l but in the store sheep section business has been practically confined to 'oddments coming forward to the sales. Store wether hoggets are realising 16s, I and at Feilding last week- good ewe' I hoggets sold up to 28s. I Beef cattle, are very short, which ap- | plies to all districts. During this week ' we sold a Wanganui buyer a line of light P.A. cows at £6 6s, which serves ’ to show that beef is also scarce in dist tricts outside Taranaki. Other sales in ' the paddock include trucks of light fat Jersey cows and heifers at £4 10s. Quotations of all classes, of store and station-bred cattle are conspicuous by their absence, and business in this direction is also confined to oddments .at the weekly sales. A few lines of * top quality yearling Jersey heifers are ! making up to £3, but the numbers for ■ sale are small.

Weather conditions still continue to steady up the sales of dairy cattle vately, but we have managed to dispose of several trucks of top quality 2-year-old Jersey heifers at £5 10s to £O. Twelve of those heifers were purchased by a Pukekoao client at £6. Yardings at the weekly sales have been heavy and top quality dairy cat-: tie are maintaining good valfles. At Matau last Friday week there was a fair entry of store cattle and a good yarding of back country dairy heifers and cows. Heavy rain fell throughout the day, making conditions very unpleasant. Store cows sold up to 30s. A line of hill country rising 3-year P.A. bullocks, in low condition, were passed in at £4 12s Gd; 2-year Jersey heifers, close to calving, made I £4 10s to £4 12s Gd; backward heifers, £3 5s .to £3 15s; calved dairy cows, £4 j 15s; and young cows, close to profit, !£3 15s to £4 10s.

At Kakaramca on Monday, there'.was a full yarding of store and fat cattle; 43 head were -disposed'of in the store pens. Sound empty cows sold up to 38s; store cows, 22s to 28s; young paddock cows, 37s to £2 2s; fat 3-year Jersey heilerw, £4 15s to £5; fat and forward 2-year Jersey heifers, £3 19s. Over in the dairy pens we had a good entry of dairy heifers and cows, but some of the heifers were rather small,

although good, prices were realised.] Well-grown 2-year Jersey heifers, close j to profit, made £6; calved heifers, £4 15s to £5 15s; a second calver, on the | point of calving, sold for £6 ss; calved Jersey cows, £4 10s; and small springing heifers, £3 12s Gd to £4 ss. NEWTON KINO REPORT

Kewton King, Ltd., report that although the winter to date has been practically devoid, of frosts locally, less favourable adversities in the nature of devastating winds and incessant rains have created much more unpleasantness in farming operations and a change to brighter and drier weather conditions is tirgently needed to sustain tne buoyancy that reigns in branches other than the dairy cattle section, encouragement to purchase in the latter class having suffered a further setback through the severity of the weather encountered during the week.

The stock market continues to display firmness in sections that enjoyed tree inquiry at the close of last week, but at the same time the speculative spirit has undoubtedly been hampered by the. somewhat t unseasonable weather conditions. However, no other happening can be reported to hinder trade and a return to normal conditions should restore activity in all branches. j Sale entries in the mam have consisted of good entries of dairy cattle, supplemented by the usual o'ddments that appear at this period, but little of a grazing nature has been displayed, and through want of quotations that appeal the good demand that j continues for the latter class is diffi- 1 cult to satisfy. ; The demand for station-bred cattle, has shown no easing despite the urea- j ther and, although quotations are limited, the seeming shortage has occa-. sioned an advance in quotations from j holders, and the problem now is to | secure quotations that appeal. Bullocks have shown some appreciation in value, the numbers offering allowing for little choice, with discriminating buy-, ers, and it would seem that graziers I who postpone the satisfying of them wants will incur a greater monetary; outlay. . I Classes suitable for next season’s; dairy requirements are meeting fret»j inquiry, but tlie difficulty of locating cattle displaying the bloom and size ( desired hinders the filling of wants It can, hqjvever, he said of this class .that the numbers available fall short of those offering at this period in previous years, and as the spring advaiices the market may appreciate to an extent eclipsing last season’s levels., At the, moment good quality cat-tie of j size are saleable at from £2 <s 6d to £2 12s 6d, with extra choice lots, selling as high c* £3, while the average to good cattle unci a market at from 3os to £2, but lesser-bred and under-nourished cattle are somewhat dull of sale. j Hold-over and two-year empty Jor-j sey heifers are also popular, but in j both cases the demand has to be satis-. lied from the oddments that are avail-, able. Brices for the former range from £1 os to £1 10s for good ctuaJit-.Y | sorts, with occasional extra choice lots exceeding the latter figure, while others sell at from 12s 6d to 20s. Twoyear empty cattle of the best quality; change hands at from £2 to £2 /sj 6d, lesser-bred £1 7s 6d to £1 15s. Business in the store sheep section has been of little account, but not; for want of inquiry. Hoggets of both , sexes are freely .inquired for, but here again the strong inquiry has re- [ suited in some holders placing prohibitive prices upon their holdings. , Small entries are occasionally sub-, mitted to auction, and these are sub-j ject to spirited competition. At the Urenui sale on Monday a line o«. 300 j average wether lioggets met good competition and changed hands at 18s. At the Stratford sale the following day, a small entry of this class was also penned and met much stronger competition than was anticipated, wether hoggets selling at from IDs 6d to 22s 6d:“ Sales of ewe hoggets by private treaty have been recorded during the week at up to 245. Lambing operations are not suificiently advanced to permit of business being transacted; however, -favoured with mere seasonable conditions, it should not bo long before negotiations cf some magnitude arc completed in this regard, for theio ii undoubtedly a good inquiry for the purchase of ewes with lambs at foot. The beef market continues on its upward trend, and from what is reported concerning quotations in South Taranaki, from which quarter most of the district’s winter requirements are drawn, Taranaki seems likely to he faced with a shortage at no distant date, as difficulty is already being encountered in .securing quotations of prime heavy cattle. Sales since - the last report include 30 average-weight P.A. heifers at £6 7s 6d, 20 average-

weight P.A. cows at £6 10s, quotatations for heavier sorts ranging from £7 to £7 10s. The prediction that the fat sheep market would suffer a decline in prices has proved unfounded, as it now displays a hardening tendency, and sales for local consumption recorded during the week have been at advanced rates. This appreciation seems fairly general at established markets outside the district, suggesting that the rise may be sustained. Sales of ewes include one line of four trucks at 20s, and a general range of quotations of this class is from 18s Gd to 20s, while those for wethers are m the vicinity or 24s to 265.

Regarding the dairy cattle section, no improvement in the market can be reported. Many cattle are undoubtedly wanted, but weather conditions have necessitated deferring the satisfying of wn#its. but, favoured with more seasonable conditions, a sharp rise in this branch can be expected, especially for good cattle. The heavy trade cnat was transacted with northern buyers in the early part of the winter js new being reflected in the offerings of this class at the fortnightly sales, as few entries display the condition and size desired by most purchasers, and it would seem that those wishing to purchase cattle displaying these qualities will have little choice for .selection. This should result in the lesser-done sorts finding a freer market than is the order to-day. At the Stratford sale on Tuesday a good yarding in all sections was penned and practically a total clearance was effected. The demand for fat cattle and kiilable sorts was again strong, and prices showed an improvement on late rates, but boner and hold-over cattle were a little dull of sale. The offering in the dairy cattle section displayed better quality than usual and values were firm for forward cattle, but backward and poor sorts were slow to sell. Quotations are: Prime fat cows -£6 os to £7; ./fat Jersey cows and heifers, £4 to £4 11s: meaty sorts, £2 5s to £2 15s; paddock cows of the Jersey and Jersey-cross breed, £1 11s to £2; good-framed works cattle, £1 5s to £1 10s; boners, 15s to £1; Jersey-cross weaner heifers of average quality, £1 12s 3s, good calved Jersey cows, £5 5s to £6 10s; medium, £4 to £4 15s; good springers, £5 to £G £3 to £4 os; springing Jersey and Jersey-cross heifers of average to good quality, £4 ti £5- small light-conditioned and inferior’ £3 10s down to £2 2s 6d; good calved heifers, £5 to £5 ss. Weather conditions reduced the yarding at Inglewood on Wednesday and were also reflected in the disposal the cattle yarded, dairy cattle, especially, being dull of sale. Quotations are: Fat cows of the Jersey breed, £4 12s; lighter, £3; forward Jersey and Jersey-cross cows, £2 to £1 2s • paddock cows of the Jersey breed. £1 7s to £1 14s; boners, 12s to 20s: 2-year empty Jersey heifers displayinor quality, £1 14s to £1 IBs 6d: others, £1 5s to £1 os;- average quality yearling Jersey heifers a little small, £1 14s; hold-over heifers, 12s 6d to £1 2s 6d; medium Friesian yearling i heifers £1 Us; good quality 3-year | springing heifers, £5; average to good | 2-year heifers at the drop, £4 10s 1 to" £5 10s; smaller and lighter-condi- ' cloned sorts, £2 10s to £3; dairy cows, £2 to £4. . . . I All classes of pigs show signs oi ' hardening, particularly weaners, and it is expected that with the approach of milder weather conditions the niarf kets' will appreciate still further. 'At i the New Plymouth hayniarlcet on Fri- ■ dav there was a capacity yarding of 30 pigs which on the whole were show--1 ing the’ effects of the recent wet wea- ! ther. There were not any heavy porkers ) yarded, and only a small number of l the medium to light class. The latter were on a par with last week. Stores I were about 2s hotter and slips and 1 weaners steady. Unfortunately a large 'percentage of "the small pigs .were in poor order. A range of quotations is: \ Extra choice weaners, 17s 6d to ies 6d,- choice. 16s to 17s; medium, 14s to 15s 6d; small, 10s to 13s; well- ! done slips, 19s to 225; average 16s to 18s 6d; small to medium stores, I' 17s to 20s, large, 23s to 27s 6d;. medium porkers, 29s 6d to 32s 6d.