OVER £3 FOR MARKED CALVES

Taranaki Daily News, 15 February 1933, Page 12

OVER £3 FOR MARKED CALVES

SATISFACTORY SALE AT HAWERA. PRIZE-WINNING PEN REALISES £6. Seventy-five per cent above paddoek prices, the average realisations at the Hawera marked calf fair yesterday were very satisfactory. Tlje top price was £6 and the average £3los 6d as 'against about £2 which is the current price for unmarked calves. There was again a big bench of buyers, including several from outside districts. Last year local men bought the catalogue at prices others would not look at but this year a big percentage of the calves will leave the district Some will go even as far as Southland. A good many of the better calves ■ are going to South Taranaki herds. With local and visiting farmers’ idea of values about the dame, bidding was brisk and there were tew passings. Many of the pens passed were bid up to over £3 though others were passed at from £2. The sale was organised by the South Taranaki Herd-Testing Association and conducted by the Farmers’ Co-op. Only calves, whose dams have reached the standard of 3001 b of butter-fat are marked by the association but the dams of the 150 calves offered averaged 3601 b. Another condition of marking is that the calves shall be sired by pedigree bulls. A cup given by the Farmers’ Co-op for competition among pens on type was won by Mr. R. H. Harrison. Mr. F. Hoskin secured second place and Mr. W. Bourke third. Naturally these pens were keenly sought and the top price of £6 went to Mr. Harrison’s calves. Mr. R. J. Linn senr., New Plymouth, and Mr. F. Mills, Hawera, judged the calves. The fourth pen was entered by Mr. O. Robertson, Matapu. Mr. C. M. Hume, supervisor of the Dominion Group, Herd-Testing Federation, at the cup presentation referred to the excellent work of the associations in Taranaki and congratulated the South Taranaki ■ association on its initiative in running the fair and especially Mr. E. M. Bardsley on the excellence of all arrangements. The association was the only association in the Dominion holding such a fair. The cup was presented with a miniature to Mr. Harrison by Mr. C. Trotter, general manager of the firm donating it, who paid a tribute to the fine quality of the winning lots and to those uf the winner especially. Mr. Hume handed the association prizes to Mr. F. Hoskin and Mr. W. Bourke.

The association issued the following report yesterday:— ' - ‘-‘The catalogue offered consisted of 150 calves which were offered mostly in lots of from 5 to 10 calves. With the exception of one lot of good Friesians the whole entry was Jerseys. Good colour fawns were well in evidence with odd lots of darker colours and a sprinkling of broken colours. Most lots came forward well grown and conditioned. The recorded production of the dams of the majority of the entries extended over two and three seasons and of some over four seasons. The average production of all dams was 3631 b butter-fat in 284 days. Un the side of the sire many high c.o.r. records were shown. “There was an attendance of 200 breeders and intending purchasers, a number of the latter being from widely scattered North . Island districts and one from Southland. , “The first three lots were offered without reserve and were, those of Messrs. R. E. Harrison, F. Hoskin and W. Bourke. which had been placed in. that older of merit in the challenge cup competition for the best lot of five calves to be judged on a dairy type basis. Judging in this competition created much interest and bidding for these lots opened the fair with keen competition. The highest price was £6 for Mr. Harrison’s calves. The. 110 calves sold made an average

of £3 10s, which price shows a premium of at least £1 10s for marked as against unmarked animals. Bidding was keen for several well grown lots, realisations for these being £4 10s to £5 10s. Any lots which were at all on the small side were in no great demand notwithstanding the butter-fat backing, and realised from £3 upwards. Poorer conditioned lots brought from £2 upwards. It was apparent that operating buyers were looking 'for condition and constitution as well as butter-fat backing. Fortunately such animals were offering and the bidding was keen and high. Bids from outside buyers were well in evidence and many lots will go to help the production of herds as far away as Te Aroha and Southland.” A line of ten calves passed at £3 2s 6d was sold privately immediately after the fair.