APPROACH OF SPRING

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20890, 23 August 1939, Page 13

APPROACH OF SPRING

COLD SNAP LAST WEEK LAMBING AND CALVING BUOYANT STOCK MARKETS Fat cattle are usually dearer. Odd lots of store cattle sell at Arm values. Dairy cattle are in request and are unchanged. Fat sheep are fully firm Only a meagre trade is reported for store sheep. Fat pigs are dearer. Store pigs are also traded at advanced values. The approach of spring has been indicated Ibis week by warmer temperatures and lengthening days. The cold snap experienced last week, however. provided an unwelcome setback and came at a most unfortunate time. Lambing and calving was proceeding apace and a trying and anxious time was experienced by both dairy farmers and sheep farmers. Last week's weather indicated that favourable weather cannot be relied upon during August and September in the Waikato and furthermore demonstrated the very great iinportaja.ee of adequate shelter where fat lamb production is being carried on. While no reliable statistics are yet available, it has been reported that there was considerable mortality among the lambs last week. However, conditions have shown an improvement this week and producers generally are fervently hoping for at least a fortnight's fine"weather. As far as lambing percentages are concerned, many sheep men report that they show* a considerable improvement over those of last year, this in general bemg attributed to the better condition of the e'we«H this year.

Markets in the Waikato have for the most part remained buoyant. Inquiry has kept up particularly well for both fat cattle and sheep, while good dairy cattle close to profit have continued to elicit a keen demand. Fat pigs, however, after a period of unusual buoyancy, suffered a setback last week, but fully recovered at the Frankton yards yesterday. Keen Beef Market Buoyancy in the beef mark*} reached a higher pitch yesterday when a moderate supply of improved quality sold before a large bench of buyers. The market was the best experienced for beef in the Waikato this year and even rough cattle shared in the general advance. The market during the last fortnight has been an even dearer one than many considered for reports on bullocks when killed at the works have indicated that the price per IOOJb was well up to 37s as against. 34s 6d quoted when sold on the hoof at the yards. Yesterday, ox beef reached at least 3Ss per 100 lb, and it would not be surprising to learn that it had exceeded 40s in not a few cases. The feature of yesterday's Frankton sale was the animated demand for cow and heifer beef, the sale in this section proving one of the best for some years. Heavy choice cattle sold freely over £ll. with comparatively few really prime cattle selling below £9. While estimates as to the price for 1001 b can be misleading at times, the estimate of 27s to 32s for the best cow and heifer beef yesterday should be a reasonable one. It should be possible within the next week or two to form some idea of the number of prime cattle there are actually available as yesterday’s values will probably tempt many producers to unload as soon as possible. Sheep Still Buoyant

Fat sheep values continue their upward trend and apart from a possible flooding of the market there appears to be little prospect of a recession of values within the near future. Even rough sheep are now meeting with a comparatively keen market and this t**nds to indicate a shortage of prime sheep. The demand at the central yards yesterday was rather surprising for the" number and the quality of the sheep and it. was certainly a good indication of the present strength of the fat sheep market in the Waikato. Fwes. which had been fairly quiet of sale compared with wethers, now appear to have picked up. this being particularly evident at Frankton yesterday when from 27s fid to 30s was freelv given for the tops. If producers can market really prime sheep during the next few weeks they should benefit by highly satisfactory prices, in anv case, unless there is a distinct improvement in weather conditions, producers will not be anxious to hold on to stock as long as they can help for feed shortage is reported to be acute in many areas. Fat Pigs Improve Fat ri-s yesterday fully recovered the setback received at the central oards last week, the top price or ft as for baeoners beinp 7s more than the few buyers were present last week and the market recently has merely fluctuated with the number of buyers actually present. The demand for local requirements, however, seems capable of absorbing a fair number of fats, while assistance is obtained from butter-milk buyers. Values can lie expected to he fairly variable until the export season is in full swinjr. Thpre is still a keen edfre to the market for store pics and higher vaiaes have been the rule rather than the exception.