FAT SHEEP PRICES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 79, 15 March 1934, Page 11

FAT SHEEP PRICES

Keen Competition LAMB VALUES IMPROVE From a slow start th© fat sheep sale at Stortford Lodge yesterday closed firmly at prices which showed an improvement on ewes and lambs and which were on a par for wethers. Strong competition from several buying interests, buttressed by bidding from local butchers, led to a good clearance, lines which were passed earlier in the sale being snapped up privately afterwards. At the start of the sale ewes appeared to be better buying than last week, but after a few lines had been passed in buyers got more into their stride and values showed an upward trend which was maintained to the close of the selling. Lambs sold strongly right through the sale, while wethers, which were in relatively short supply, met their usual degree of inquiry. Five, and occasionally six, buying interests competed steadily in the bidding, the usual export interests not securing such a proportion of the yarding as they have been obtaining recently. Y’esterday’s sale was a good day tor vendors the quality of the yarding was good generally, there being only a small proportion of lightly-finished lines entered, and on these poorer lines several farmers took part in the bidding, securing a number of lines which were somewhat lacking in finish. Some of the entries and prices paid, from which an idea of the state of the matket may be obtained, were as follow A draft of 70 Romney crossbred lambs, offered on account of Mr A. McKay, well-grown and carrying plenty of condition, sold out at 19/-. A lighter line of 35 Southdown crossbred lambs from the same vendor secured 17/6 A bid of 20/1 secured a line of 209 prime black-face lambs, well-grown and in good order. A light line of Southdown crossbred iambs met the market at 16/10. A grazier secured a pen of 80 light fat and forward lambs at 14/1.

i — > -waa* < 'W’W « •■»>rama ana • •>;« Top price for lambs was 22/8, obtained for a pen of 18 prime heavy Southdown crossbred lambs. A single prime lamb had a good sale at 22/7. Two pens of Atua Station lambs, 24 and 41 in the respective pens, sold at 19/- and 19/2. Few wethers were entered, a pen of 15 prime heavy sheep topping the market at 24 6. A pen of 44 prime well-grown wethers passed at 23/9. A similar pen of 75 passed at 23/4 A small pen of 14 prime wethers sold at 23/3. Tauroa Station obtained top prices m the ewe section, a pen of 46 wellgrown prime sheep making 19/3 after a good run of bidding Two further pens of Tauroa sheep. 18 and 15 in the respective pens, sold at 18/9 and 18/-. A big line of 117 medium-framed and finished ewes passed at 16/9. In from Otane and offered on account of the Tod Estate, two pens of medium prime to prime ewes, 22 in each pen, sold at 17/8 and 18/- respectively. A bid of 18/- failed to secure a pen of 61 prime ewes. In from Whanakino Station, Kereru. a pen ot 16 prime ewes, well-grown and in good order, realised 17/9. Several pells of lighter sheep made prices ranging from 16/. to 17/-. Judged on the day’s markets the following is an approximation of the range of prices realised: — Ewes, medium to prime 17/4 to 19/3 Others from 16/- .*> Wethers. medium to prime 22/- to 21/6 Lamb ß ... „ 14/6 to 22/8