Cattle Pens Empty At The Sale Yards In Feilding On Sale Day

Wanganui Chronicle, 8 May 1948, Page 6

Cattle Pens Empty At The Sale Yards In Feilding On Sale Day

(P.A.) Palmerston N., May 7. Empty cattle pens greeted visitors to the Feilding live stock sale, an unusual experience attributed to the influence of the long dry spe.l on the movement of cattle. No station or fat cattle were yarded and this fact gives point to the view that the country is to experience a shortage of beef as the result of the dry weather, which forced breeders and graziers to send so many young cattle to the works Actually the bovijje species was represented by a few pens of boner cows, two mature dairy beasts and a couple of weaner heifers. Sheep were generally cf poor quality, with mated ewes predominating. In the fat sheep condition was only fair to medium, and the entry was generally speaking, down in quality, although good prices were realised under active competition. Taking into account the drop in overall quality of the 600 odd fat sheep yardea, the market was very fair, and values were indicative of a shortage of mutton. Big meaty sheep of real quality were few and far between, the yarding being mostly of light sorts and by no means as attractive as usual. Sales: Maiden ewes, 32s lOd; Down-cross 2th, 35s lOd to 48s lOd; wethers, 38s 7d to 48s Id; lambs, 25s 4d to 43\ 10d; ewes, 22s 4d to 43s lOd. Store sheep totalling about 7000 were of mixed quality, ringing from 13s 3d to 31s 9d. A light offering of boners made from 25s tu £7 7k 6d. Two mature dairy' cows offered in the dairy section failed to find a buyer. The remaining offerings. comprising a couple of weaner heifers, sold at £3 8s tc £4