LOCAL STOCK SALES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 177, 12 July 1927, Page 8

LOCAL STOCK SALES

(By

“Sundowner.”)

CJINCE last writing, the heavy downpour of rain which the district has experienced has very materially altered the situation in regard to the stock market. Cattle are now likely to be badly wanted, to keep the grass growth which we anticipate the spring will bring us, in order; ewes in • lamb show more prospect of returning a profit without undue risk; wethers also will be needed for crushing, and hoggets can be handled by many on the bills and drier areas.

As a result, at both markets, anything in the shape of decent store cattle were keenly sought after, while even unfinished fats were competed for by graziers. This demand for cattle was to a certain extent counteracted by the large supply of fat and half fat cattle offered at Stortford owing to much of the fattening country having been inundated and left with a covering of silt by the recent flood. In spite of this yarding, however, prices appreciated considerably, and three year good forward P.A. cross steers brought the good price of £7 1/-. Light prime cows were worth £6 2/6 to £6 15/- at Waipukurau, medium to £5 15/-, and light to £4 4/-. Bullocks, in the same market brought £9 15/- for prime, £8 15/for light prime, £7 15/- for medium, and £6 16/- for light. At Stortford the prices for fat cattle were as follows, only the best prices realised being give n. Cows, prime £B, light prime £6 16/-, medium £5 17/6, light £5, and unfinished £4 3/-. Bullocks- Prime £lO 10/-, light prime £lO 5/-, medium £8 18/-, light £B. and unfinished £6 7/6- Heifers: Prime £B, light prime £6 18/6, medium £5 10/-, and unfinished £3 10/-. Good vealers are worth £2 to £3 10/In the fat sheep pens at Stortford prime ewes are worth to 20/9, light prime to 18/-, and medium to 17/6. Prime wethers to 27/9, light prime to 24/9 and medium to 23/6. Prime hoggets brought 25/-, light fat 20/to 22/9, medium to 17/9 and small 15/-. Fat two-tooths are ’ good demand, small sheep at Srortford fetching to 24/7, and light 19/-. Among store sheep, small Southdown hoggets are bringing from 14/to 16/2, small m.s. Romney cross, shorn, from 15/11 to to 16/7, small

cully m.s. woolly hoggets from 15/10 i- 6 /’* Breeding ewes are firm throughout the district and the offering at Stortford where some good sheep were yarded owing to farms being flooded, offers some data regarding values for fairly good quality lines. Fourtooth to five-year, good ewes in lamb to Southdown, here brought 26/- as did also 2 and 4-tooth oi the same class. Fair 4,6, 8-tooth and 5-year ewes also in lamb to S.D. sold at 23/6, and five-year old guaranteed sound mouth ewes in lamb to Romney 19/- to 20/- Sound mouthed empty ewes in fresh condition are worth from 14/- to 15/-, and hard conditioned, aged, empty ewes 10/6 to 12/-. Wethers at Stortford, in fresh condition and fairly well grown, brought 22/3 for two-tooths and 24/8 for 4 and 6-tooth, leaving very little margin for the fattener. \ There are still plenty of farmers requiring stock, and there appears to be no prospect of these prices being reduced in face of the promising feed prospects.