COMMERCIAL

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 82, 16 March 1931, Page 8

COMMERCIAL

FARMERS’ CO-OP, REPORT The Farmers’ Co-op. Organisation Society of N.Z., Ltd., report as follows:—The interest in ewes has dwindled somewhat, most farmers having their rams out by now, nevertheless quite a few have yet to fill their requirements and are finding it difficult to procure suitable ewes at prices in keeping with their ideas, consequently all lines of good 4 and 5-year ewes have hardened somewhat in price, while hold-over 2tooths, which have been imported in larger numbers than usual, have also become harder to secure. Attention is now being directed toward 2-tooth wethers, and the prices asked seem ridiculous in view of the fat prices offering. A good line of 2-tooth wethers working out at between 8s 9d to 9s 3d in the works and stores are selling freely at between 8s and 9s for the best, with supplies short. Supplies of fat ewes are shorter and the price here has firmed, best ewes making 5s 6d to 7s. The cattle market is slow. Attention is being paid to weaner heifers and a number of them have changed hands this week. The best calves from good herds with butterfat backing are making from £2 to £2 2s 6d, with ordinary coloured heifers selling from 25s to 355. Some sales have been made of in-calf heifers at from £5 to £7, but purchasers are holding oft ahd much interest centres in the offering at Hawora sale on March 26 of the annual draft of 200 in-calf heifers °h account of Mr. B. C. Lysaght, when we will have some idea of how the market is going to be.

Store Sheep.—Breeding ewes are harder to procure, the same applying to hold-over 2-tooth ewes and 2-tooth wethers. Rest 4-year ewes, to 11s; 4 and B-year ewes, 6s 6d to 8s 6d; 5year ewes, 6s to Ss; sound-mouth ewes, 3s to 6s; failing-mouth ewes, Is 6d to 4s 6d; 2-tooth wethers, best 8s to 9s; medium, 6s 6d to 7s 9d; 2-tooth ewes, good, 14s to 16s 6d; hold-over, 8s 6d to 10s 6d. Lambs are harder to procure: ewe lambs in demand, but supply short; good m.s. lambs, '6s 6d to 8s; good ewe lambs, 7s to 9s; medium m.s. lambs, 5s to 6s Gd; cull lambs, 3s 6d to 4s 6d. Fat tSheep.—Primest wethers, 9s to 10s; ewes, best to 7s 6d; good, 5s 6d to 6s 6d. i?'at Cattle.—Market still dull with no immediate prospect of a lift. Supplies ample; good fat bullocks to (£7 10s; medium, £5 15s to £6 10s. Cows and Heifers. —Good, £4 15s to £5 ss; fat cows, £3 15s to £4 ros. Store Cattle.—Paddock cows, 35s to 50s; boners, 25s to 325; other sorts not quoting. Dairy Cattle. —Two and 3-year T.C. heifers, very few selling. Sales made to between £5 to £7. Weaner heifers, best sorts to 455; medium, 30s to 37s 6d; small bad-colour heifers, £1 to £1 ss. » Pigs.—Very fair yardings coming forward. Demand easing slightly. Good store, 25s to 30s; weaner pigs, 6s to 15s. NEWTON KING’S REPORT A steady volume of stock business has beeh done throughout last week, report Messrs. Newton King, Ltd., and the markets, generally speaking, have maintained the previous week’s values. The larger back-country sheep sales are becoming few in number, and only one has been conducted during the week, at Kohuratahi. Reports from other centres indicate there has been a hardening of sheep values, accountable no doubt through the better tone of the wool sales. This improvement has not yet spread to Taranaki, although a more confident tone exists. Unfortunately the freezing works schedule has not shown any alteration during the week in favour Of producers, blit lamb has slipped back a farthing. With the domihishing supplies this setback is of no great consequence.

The offerings of cattle at the various fortnightly sales sefem to have increased during the week, and especially for the classes absorbed by the freezing companies there has been better competition in spite of no actual increase of schedule being reported. The interest of works buyers, combined with the general saleyard competition, is no doubt accountable for this.

Station cattle are very dull of sale and it looks as though the 3nly factor that will assist the market in an early recovery will be a decided increase in the works schedule for cow and ox beef. There is no prospect of this at present. A little more interest is being taken in dairy cattle, both weaners and in-calf heifers, and during the next few weeks steady business should be done under these headings. The following is a summary:—

The freezing Works schedule for beef is: Prime ox, 18s; second, 14s; prime cow, 12s Gd. There has been a considerable quantity absorbed at these fixtures. Butchers’ requirements are filled, without difficulty, at rates slightly in advance of the above.

With the exception of lamb, last week's schedule for fat sheep remains, and in South Taranaki an improved demand for fat ewes is resulting in a slight hardening of values. There are still large quantities of both ewe and wether mutton available, anil the freezing works scedule under these headings is; Woolly lambs, 4id up to 30’s; shorn, 4d; wethers, 8s Gd to !>d. Butchers have been fulfilling requirements as follow; -Ewes, Gs to 8s; wethers, 9s Gd to 10s Gd.

The sequence of store sheep sales during the week has been as follow’s: Urenui, Stratford, Inglewood and Kohuratahi. At ail sales there has been a good entry. At Urenui the market was a dragging one, due mostly to the reason that a large percentage of the yarding consisted of old ewes, for which there was very little demand. The younger and better classes of sheep made late rates, quotations being: Two-tooth wethers, 7s Bd, 6s 9d; cull two-tooth ewes, 6s Id; f.m. ewes, Gs, 5s Gd, ss; cull ewes, Is lOd; medium mixed-sex lambs, 5s Gd; small lambs, shorn, 4s Gd, 2s lOd. Stratford drew an entry of over 1,000 sheep, comprising ewes and lambs. Several pens of extra good lambs ready to kill made from

12s to 13s 4d; good mixed-sex lambs, Gs 7d to Vs; small llambs; 2s 7d to 4s Gd. The ewes comprised mostly old sorts and sold up to 4s 4d. At Inglewood 2,000 shep were yarded, the greater portion of which were sold. Four to six-year-old ewes made ,Bs, 6s, 5s 9d, 5s Id;; full and fail-ing-mouthed ewes, 3s to 4s 10d; best wether lambs, 7s Id; woolly wether lambs, 5s 5d to 6s 3d; medium mix-ed-sex shorn lambs, 5s to 5s 9d; small lambs, 3s <JG to 4s Gd; fat wethers, 9s 2d; two-tooth wethers, 7s 9d to 8s 9d. A line of stud Southdown ewes made 38s. At- Kohuratahi on the same day an entry of 2,500 sheep was submitted, and almost a full clearance effected. Prices were well up to late rates as follow: Four and five-year ewes, 5s 9d to 7s; twotooth ewes, 9s 8d to 12s; wether lambs, 4s Gd to ss; medium mixedsex, 5s to 5s Sd; two-tooth wethers, 7s to 7s 9d; one and two-shear Romney rams, 11 to 2J guineas. More store cows are coming forward and better competition has been in evidence. Prices have been; ■Heavy boners, £2 7s Gd to £3; medium, £1 17s Gd tb £2 ss; light, £1 10s to £1 15s. At Kohutatahi sale there was a large entry of bullocks, but only a few, the best conditioned cattle, were sold and were absorbed by the freezing works. weaner steers are coming forward more plentifully and for well-done cattle 20s to 27s Gd are the best offers. At all sales more weaner heifers are coming forward. Best fawncoloured Jerseys, well done, realised £2 to £2 10s; heifers, 'just as well done, but more mixed in colour, £1 10s to £2; well-done Friesian heifers, £1 10s to £1 15s; mediumsized heifers, mixed in colour, £1 to *£l 7s Gd. Private treaty requirements were for cattle of only the very best quality. Prices have ranged between £2 5s and £2 15s, and a shade more for several extra choice lines with butterfat backing. Farmers holding in-calf heifers and not desirous of wintering them are eager to effect disposals, and many attractive linos have been sold in the vicinity of £7 for May delivery. There has not been any great volume of business as yet, and the volume may depend to some extent upon tlfg quotations presented. At the New Plymouth Haymarket on Friday there was an entry of 130 pigs, which were disposed of under steady competition. The entry comprised mostly weaners, the best of which made from 9s to 11s Gd. Small weaners made from 7s Gd to 8s Gd; slips, 10s Gd to 13s Gd; stores, 19s Gd to 20s Gd. Compared with the last sale of any consequence in these . yards two weeks ago weaners show an advance of 2s to 3s. |