YEARLING STEERS SELL READILY AT FEILDING

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 October 1946, Page 6

YEARLING STEERS SELL READILY AT FEILDING

(P.A.) Palmerston N., Oct. 4. Yearling steers sold readily at the cattle fair at Feilding, but prices were lower than those obtaining at last year’s fair. This is attributed to lack of condition and growth, due to the adverse weather conditions. Female cattle, which made up the remainder oi the offerings, sold quite well, but again values did not come up to expectations, and the buoyancy that prevailed for male cattie last week was not sustained. Fat sheep and fat cattle sold well at late rates, under good competition. Station cattle, female cattle and yearling steers came forward well up to advertised numbers lo complete the second phase of this season’s cattle fair, the offering being accorded a large attendance. The market was not as easy as anticipated, selling

proving uneven and suggestive o. caution on the part of buyers, a condition not so conspicuous, but whatever discount was conceded here the buyers had knowledge of a higher schedule as well as the quality of the bulk of the pons. Due to the season setbacks many of the well-known lines did not come forward in as bright a condition as the vendors would have wished, and buyers would have liked but, with breeding sustained, it was considered operators had little to fear. However, as selling proceeded it was evident that values were down on last year’s sale, and the buoyancy associated with the sale of male cattle last week was not sustained.

A.A. heifers, which last yeur realised £9 10s, sold for £9 Is, while yearling A.A. steers sold for £8 Is against £8 17s 6d last year. These quotations were for well-bred cattle and illustrate the point that the tone was not so strong, notwithstanding the higher schedule for beef and apparent shortage of good cattle. Selling opened with one pen of well-grown 3-yeai A.A. heifers, which realised £lO 6s. A line of 45 A.A. Hereford empty cows, lacking condition, realised £8 10s. Two-year A.A. heifers, numbering 40, sold £9 Is, followed by an offering of 30 2-year A.A. heifers, which made £7 6s. A line of 35 3-year A.A. Hereford heifers in medium forward order, sold for £9 3s, and a pen of 68 i 2-year A.A. heifers made £7 16s. I Three-year A.A. heifers, ex-Hawkes j Bay, big, good-framed cattle, but down in condition, sold at £7 19s ana | £7 18s. A nice pen of 2-year white-1 laced heifers, in nice condition, made £9 for an offering of 31. Fat Cattle.—Beef prices were well i sustained, despite the larger offering I which included some 50 head of prime ■ bullocks, as well as female station | cattle. Realisations represented 1 close upon £3 per lOOlbs., although in I cases there were purchases at sngh. ly over 50s per lOOlbs. The top price was £24 17s 6d, paid for four big S.H. bullocks, carrying age and actually too big for the butchers. Truck lots sold from £l9 2s 6d to £2l 7s 6d.