FAT STOCK SALES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24049, 21 August 1941, Page 5

FAT STOCK SALES

VALUES AT WESTFIELD BACONER PIG RATES FALL SHEEP PRICES IMPROVE A sharp decline in the price of baconers and a slight easing in rates for other pigs occurred at the Westfield fat stock sale yesterday. Values for sheep improved, while beef and calf prices were steady. The quality of ox beef was first class, and a good offering brought recent rates. Average numbers of cows and heifers sold readily. The best price for steers was 10s lower than last we&k at £l6 17s 6d. Cows and heifers brought to £l2 ss, compared with £l2 12s 6d. A good entry of wethers met keen competition, and the top price improved from £1 17s 3d to £1 19s 6d, while unfinished wethers realised Is 6d more at £1 7s 6d. Prime ewes, which were offered in smaller numbers, showed a considerable improvement in price, and brought to £1 lis 6d, against a top price last week of £1 os 3d. Unfinished sorts improved by 2s to 19s. Average numbers of lambs were in demand. The top price yesterday was £1 13s 6d, compared with £1 14s. There was a larger yarding of calves, all classes meeting keen competition. Values were fully firm, runners bringing £l2 2s 6d, an increase of 6s 6d pn last week. Vealers improved from £7 17s to £B. Baconers were affected most by the slackening of demand for an average entry of pigs. The top price for baconers was £4 Is, against £4 8s last week. Porkers, weaners, slips and stores also declined in price, the drop being 2s in each case. Comparison of Quotations Following is a summary of the prices realised for the last two weeks at the Westfield fat stock sales: — This JVeek Last Week BEEF (per 1001b.) Extra choice ox 41/- 41/*

DETAILS OF SALES THE AUCTIONEERS' REPORT Alfred Buckland and Sons, Dalgety and Company, and the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company report:— Beef.—A good offering of first-class ox beef sold readily at values on a par with late rates. Cows and heifers, in average numbers, also sold readily, and late ruling rates were fully reached. Extra choice ox, to 41s per 1001b; choice and prime, 37s to 40s; secondary and plain, 34s to 365; extra prime young cow and heifer, 31s to 355; choice andprime, 26s to 30s; ordinary cow beef, 23s to 275; extra heavy prime steers, £ls 10s to £lO 17s Gd; heavy, £l4 10s to £ls; lighter, £l3 to £l4; light, £ll.l<Ss to £l2 10s; small and unfinished, £7 to £11; extra heavy prime young cows and heifers, £lO 10s to £l2 ss; heavy prime, £9 to £10; lighter, £7 10s to £8 10s; other killable cows, £5 to £J. Sheep.—A 'good entry of well-finished wethers sold under keen competition at very firm late rates. For a small offering of ewes values firmed. Extra heavy prime wethers, £1 17s to £1 19s 6d; heavy, £1 15s to £1 IGs: medium, £1 lis 6d to £1 13s 6d; light, £l. 9s to £1 10s 6d; plain and unfinished, £1 5s to £1 7s 6d; extra heavy prime young and maiden ewes, £1 7s to £1 lis 6d; heavy prime, £1 3s td £1 ss; lighter, £1 to £1 2s; plain and aged, 17s to 19s; others, 2s to 15s. Lambs.—Well up to average numbers were again offered, and competition was keen. Late rates were fully maintained. Extra heavy prime lambs, £1 10s to £1 13s Gd; heavy," £1 Ss to £1 9s; medium, £1 Gs to £1 7s; lighter. £1 4s to £1 ss; light, £1 2s to £1 3s; small and plain, 19s to £1 Is; culls, 17s to 18j. Calves.—There was an increased yarding. Competition was very keen for all classes and values were fully firm at late quotations. Runners, £5 to £l2 2s 6d; heavy vealers, £6 10s to £S; medium, £5 5s to £6 ss; light, £4 to £5; smtll, £1 to £3 15s; unfinished and bucket-fed, £1 to £1 15s; bobby and rough, 3s to 15s. Pigs.—There was an average entry. The demand was less keen, and values were lower, baconers being affected most. Stores also realised lower rates. Choppers, £2 5s to £4 ss; heavy baconers, £3 18s to £4 Is; medium, £3 12s to £3 16s; light, £3 5s to £3 10s; heavy porkers, £2 18s to £3 2s; medium, £2 9s to £2 14s; light, £2 2s to £2 6s; small and unfinished, £1 15s to £2; stores, £1 Ss to £1 14s;, slips, £1 to £1 ss; weaners, 8s to 18s. ADDINGTON MARKET [by telegraph—PßESS association] CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday Addington market entries to-day were small except in the fat cattle section. Only a few pens of store sheep were offered as vendors had difficulty in getting stock in after the recent wet weather. The fat sheep entry was small, but butchers' requirements were also restricted. The sale was a good one for best quality, which was Gd to Is a head better than the double market a fortnight ago. Best wethers made 31s to 40s 4d; wethers, 24s Gd to 30s 6d; best ewes, 23s Gd to 30s Id; medium, 19s to 235. The fat cattle entrv was again heavy, but of very poor quality. Best beef sold at about the rates of the last sale, but the rest was £1 a head cheaper. Best beef made to 44s per 1001b, with medium 35s to 40s. Prime steers, £l4 to £23 12s Gd; light and ordinary, £lO to £l3 15s; best heifers, £l2 10s to £l7 2s 6d; others, £7 to £l2; best cows, £9 to £ls 7s Gd; others, £4 10s to £8 10s. A very heavy yarding of porkers came forward, but prices were about the same as at the last sale until the end, when there was a fall of 3s a head. There was a medium entry of baconers, which showed little change in values except for very heavy pigs, which were 5s a head cheaper. Heavy porkers made £2 15s to £3 Gs Gd; others, £2 3s 6d to £2 7s Gd; average, 7%d to 9%d; heavy baconers, £4 to £5 4s Gd; others £3 7s Gd to £3 19s Gd; average, 6%d to 7%d. * IMPROVING HERDS DAIRY BOARD'S WORK (0.c.) HAMILTON, Thursday The progress made by the Dairy Board to improve the quality of New Zealand's dairy herds was described by Mr. A. H. Ward, the board's herd recording technical officer, at a conference of the New Zealand Co-operatiV'e Dairy Company's suppliers' committeemen to- i day. Mr. Ward said that at the outset the herd improvement plan was designed to carry out herd testing only, but the scope of the work had since been extended to ipclude fundamental problems such as breeding, feeding and health. Information was being collected, sorted and analysed from over 5000 herds, and consequently data of a thoroughly practical and typical character was being made available to the industry, as well as to animal research workers and veterinary authorities. The returns from the six herd improvement associations now operating in New Zealand showed that excellent work was being done, said Mr. Ward. Difficulty was being experienced in maintaining the male herd-testing staffs, but this problem was being met by the training of women testers. Already 170 women had been trained, and GO had been given employment. With one or two exceptions, (ho work of these women had been excellent. . •>"*

Choice and prime 40/37/- to 40/ox . . . . 37/- to Choice arid prime 31/- to 35/cow and heifer 31/- to 35/Boncr and rough 23/- to 27/23/- to 27/SHEEP (per head)— Prime wethers 29/- to 39/6 27/6 to 37/3 Unfin. wethers 25/- to 27/6 24/6 to 26/Prime ewes . 20/- t-o 31/6 IS/- to 25/3 Unfinished ewes 2/- to 19/5/- to 17/Prime lambs . 22/- to 33/6 22/- to 34/Unfin. lambs . 17/- to 21/14/- to 21/CALVES (per head)— Runners .. 100/- to 242/6 100/- to 236/Vealers .. 3/- to 160/4/- to 157/PIGS (per head)— Baconers f>o/- to 81/70/- to 88/Porkers .. 35/- to 02/36/- to 64/Weaners .. 81- to 1S I10/- to 20/Slips .. . . 20/- to 25/22/- to 27/Large stores . 2S/- to 3-1/-30/- to 36/ -