FARM INTERESTS TEMUKA SALE FENCING COSTS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21554, 17 January 1940, Page 3

FARM INTERESTS TEMUKA SALE FENCING COSTS

FAT CATTLE DEARER About 90 head of fat cattle were offered at Temuka yesterday. Prices appreciated to the extent of £1 a head on the fat and store cattle offered, and up to 30/- on the prime heavy beef. An average yarding of fat sheep met with a dull sale, with the exception of fats, which were keenly sought after. A small penning of fat lambs sold to schedule rates. Pigs, with the exception of the better weaners, were hard to sell. Values were— Fat Cattle

BIG ITEM ON FARM One of the main essentials of efficient farming in all its stages is sub-divisional fencing. Costs of fencing have increased materially in common with other costs in which the farmer has had to face an increase in recent seasons. Good timber posts are getting scarcer each season and shortage of supply always has the same effect upon price. Where concrete can be utilised, it makes the best and most lasting job possible and farmers cannot do better than use concrete posts in their fencing operations, but there are steep hill country properties where the weight of these posts makes transport a difficult feature. So far as wire is concerned, figures recently supplied to the Assessment Court show that it has increased in cost by approximately 50 per cent, in the last four years. English wire selling at £lB a ton in 1936 was sold in March, 1939, at £27; Australian wire had risen from £l4 to £2O a ton; and posts listed at £l4 per 100 in 1936 had been quoted last March at £l7/5/-.

Prime heavy steers 12 17 6 to 15 17 6 Prime 9 17 6 to 11 7 6 Prime cows .. .. 8 17 6 to 10 2 6 Medium 6 17 6 to 8 2 6 Prime heifers .. 7 17 6 to 9 17 6 Medium 6 2 6 to 7 2 6 Vealers 1 15 Oto 2 10 0 Store Cattle Bulls 4 17 6 to 10 5 0 Springers .. .. 6 2 6 to 7 0 0 Fat Lambs and heep Lambs 20 6 to 27 4 Prime wethers .. .. to 26 10 Light to medium .. 17/1 to 20/1 Prime heavy ewes .. to 21 1 Medium do. ewes .. 16/1 to 18/1 Light 13 1 to 14/10 Store Sheep 2-tooth wethers .. .. to 17/3 Pigs Best weaners .. .. 22 to 27,'Medium 17/to 20/Small to 16/Store .. to 30/Light porkers .. .. 40/ot 47/6 Light baconers .. .. to 55/6