BEEF VALUES STEADY

Taranaki Daily News, 1 December 1934, Page 11

BEEF VALUES STEADY

WOOL SALE NOT ENCOURAGING. PIGS SELLING VERY WELL. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company Limited reports that in the fat sheep section during, the. week odd sales of fat ewes have been made at up to 15s for prime stuff for butchers’ requirements, but this price is not general, schedule values at the works being slightly lower. Hoggets and wethers are in fair demand, but very few are offering just now. The weather experienced during the last two or three weeks has been ideal for sheep, particularly for fat lambs, and drafting will be in full swing very shortly. There has been practically no alteration in beef values since the last report. Owing to the harvesting, yardings of cull cows ex the dairies are very light, and will in all probability continue so until after the holidays. Good competition is evident for good meaty Jersey and Jersey cross cows, butchers bidding very freely on them in preference to the regular beef breeds. A good demand exists for all classes of store sheep, but there is not a great amount of business passing. During, the week sales have been made of mixed sex white-face lambs, two-tooth wethers and Southdown and Romney rams. Dealings in forward sales of breeding ewes are not very considerable, an element of uncertainty having been caused by the result of the Auckland wool sale, which was not very encouraging to sheep men. However, it is to be sincerely hoped that the later sales will show an improvement. For dairy heifers and cows, as far as South Taranaki is concerned, the selling season has definitely closed. Pigs are selling very well at prices comparable with last week s report. Prices for baconers and porkers appear to be stable, and this fact is responsible for good yardings, with keen competition. . , . Owing to most farmers being very busy with their harvesting, very little interest is taken in any horse, sales advertised. Private sales are being made, but the demand i& principally for aged horses suitable for Spare part work on the farms. , . . The principal work on the dairy farms just now is ensilage and haymaking. Very large areas are. being turned into silage, and the farmers have had ideal conditions to work under. Pastures in South Taranaki are now in want of rain to freshen things up, as the milk yield in some districts is. dropping. Shearing ■is nearly completed, and most sheep men report fair clips, with the wool in most cases in very fair order. dearth of quotations TURNOVER SLACKENS THIS WEEK. MAINTENANCE OF SHEEP VALUES. Newton King Ltd. reports a slackening in turnover during the past. week. This is due principally to the dearth of quotations. The market is actually quite firm for all classes except 15-month dairy heifers. The restricted nature, of sheep quotations has been a peculiarity during the past few months as compared with the same period previously, and can only be attributed to the recovery experienced in sheep values last season, which ;has been maintained, and the consequent desire of graziers/ to farm- their sheep through-so as to" secure the full measure of grazing • profit. . \ , .. ~ This has 'beem particularly- noticeable in regard to ewes with lambs at foot. There seems some likelihood of supply and demand playing an important part in future sheep values. Up till now, sheep business on a forward delivery basis has been in keeping with the general outlook and of a restricted nature accordingly. It is difficult to , forecast whether there will be a quantity improvement wider this heading. The freezing companies.’ schedule, of 7d for lamb, approximately 23s for wethers and 14s for ewes, seems to have settled down on an even keel, and may pfove a basis for future sheep values, although the results of the; recent. Auckland wool sale are a factor giving some uncertainty. The general tone in eyi- . dence at Auckland, as compared with markets in Australia and England, was disappointing, and & hard, to follow, even when due allowance is. made for the classes of wool offered at the respective centres. It can only be hoped that New Zealand wool values, will appreciate as the sale series advances.

Freezing companies are absorbing available supplies at schedule, but the season, generally speaking, is late. Freezing values have, however, kept those for butchers’ requirements on a firm basis, and truck lots of prime wethers cannot be secured under 24s to 255, and ewes from 15s to 17s. Store sheep are in exceptionally keen demand, two-tooth wethers as usual being required in huge numbers for the back country, and for good sheep 19s to 21s is a range of the prices being paid. Although there is a good demand for two-tooth ewes, vendors, . generally speaking, are pricing their lines fairly high, and as a result there is not the business being done that otherwise would be. The yardings at regular cattle sales are, as is usual at this period of the year, becoming smaller, and until the bulk of the harvesting is put through yardings will be small. Unfortunately there is not yet a schedule for boneless meat, and the future of this class is shrouded in uncertainty. Young cows, irrespective of colour, are, however, coming in for keen demand from grazieis, due ■to the limited supplies of station cattle available. Freezing companies announce a schedule of 18s to 20s for ox beef, according to weight, .and although quantities are limited, this announcement will have the effect of giving confidence and keeping station-bred store cattle firm in values. There is no alteration to. record in values for butchers’ cattle. There is. a selection of cows ex dairy herds available at the saleyards which is supplemented by truck lots of well-bred cattle from South Taranaki, quotations for the latter being from £5 10s to £6, whilst lighter saleyard cows are making from £3 to £4 10s. The market for dairy cattie is now of little account, although good quality cows and heifers close to profit are finding ready 'buyers' at'from £3 10s to £5. Of the yearling heifers, the hold-over classes continue to find most favour, but supplies both in the saleyards and by private treaty are diminishing . The Urenui sale on Monday drew an average yarding of all classes of cattle, and several pens of sheep, and a complete clearance was effected as follows: M.A. ewes with lambs at foot, 35s lOd; f.m. ewes with lambs, 24s 7d; 15-months Jersey .heifers, £2; dairy cows in niilk and close up, £3 15s to £4 2s 6d;, light fat cows, £3 18s, £3 12s 6d, down to £3; store Shorthorn cows, £3; store and forward cows, from £1 10s to £2 15s; cows with calves, £3 6s. The Stratford sale on Tuesday drew a small yarding, which was disposed of as follows: Boner cows, 8s 6d to Ils; paddock cows, £1 10s to £1 15s; forward cows, up to £2 10s; yearling dairy bulls, from £2 to £3. 3s; springing cows, up to £3’ 12s 63,

At Inglewood on Wednesday there was a moderate yarding of all classes, which sold particularly well with the exception of. yearling heifers. Th© sale was opened with a special entry of horses on behalf of various clients, and a particularly good sale and clearance resulted.. A bid of £5O was obtained tor a four-year-old gelding, and light-weight utility sorts came in tor steady competition, sales being recorded as follows: £25, £24 10s, £23, £1.9 10s,'£17 10s, down "to 10 guineas for hack and light harness sorts. A particularly good half to three-quarter draught yearling filly made £23. Hacks made from £4 15s up to £5 15s. In th© sheep section there were two pens yarded, one of fat hoggets making 24s .6d and shorn two-tooth wethers 20s 4d. A steady demand was in evidence for dairy cattle of good quality and close to profit, the best making from £2- 10s to £4 15s. Light fat cows made £3 to £4 Is, store Jersey cows from £1 5$ to £1 15s, forward cows from. £2 to £2 15s, dairy bulls from £2 to £4 4s. At the - Rahotu sale on Thursday a moderate yarding of all classes was disposed of under steady to keen competition, rates being on a par with other centres; Several pens of yearling heifers T.w.b. realised £2 2$ to £2 2s 6d; Light fat heifers made from £3 Is to £3 14s, fat cows from. £3. to £4 2s, forward cows from £2 to £.2 9s, dairy cows in milk qnd springing £2 17s 6d to £4 10s, dairy bulls up to SignsYardings of pigs are showing signs, of diminishing, but values for all classes remain firm.' The New Plymouth haymarket yesterday drew a yarding of approximately 150 pigs,, the bulk of which comprised weaners, and slips and these, as has been the case for some weeks past, made much more, in proportion, to. the medium and large stores. The range of realisations is- as follows: Small and poor weaners, 10s to 12s; medium, 14s to 16s 6d;' extra good, 18s to 21s; average slips, 14s to 18s; extra good up to. 21s 6d; small stores, 21s to 235; medium to light porkers, 30s. to 345; sow> in farrow, £2 15s,