BOBBY VEAL FOR SOUTHLAND

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 9, 21 December 1929, Page 22 (Supplement)

BOBBY VEAL FOR SOUTHLAND

AN INTERESTING RETURN. Collection of calves and killing operations in Southland for the current season have now concluded, and the final returns are extremely interesting. During the season, 13,418 calves were collected in the Eastern District compared with 15,358 last year, and 7781 were collected in tho Western District as compared with 7458 last year. The total of 21,199 represents a shortage of 1617 on the total for the whole province last year. The average rejection for the season just closed amounted to 1.23 per cent, as compared with 3.34 per cent, last year. The average weight during the current season was 18.551 b as compared with 19.4031 b last year and 19.031 b the previous year, which was the first year of the operation of the system in Southland. There has been a decided tendency on the part of farmers during the current season to retain more of their heifer calves than during the previous two seasons and this is considered to he responsible to some extent for the reduction shown in the number of calves offered. The calves show a very great preponderance of males, which indicates that this view is probably correct. The experience of the past season has been that young heifers coming to profit have been able to command a very high price, and farmers are anxious, therefore, io avoid a shortage. . _ There is as yet no indication of the final return to the farmers, but it is expected that a very satisfactory sum will be available, despite the faet that the market has shown a falling tenfle»cv this season.