Big Demand For Two-Tooth Sheep

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 16, Issue 21, 17 November 1950, Page 7

Big Demand For Two-Tooth Sheep

With eager Waikato farmers in the market and repeating their orders of last season, sales of young sheep from the Gisborne and East Coast have not been checked by a decided increase on 1949 prices. Almost the whole of the season’s surplus two-tooth ewes and two and four-tooth wethers are disposed of already, according to men in close touch with the stock trade. These sales have been made on a forward basis, off the shears, and the only impediment encountered by sellers to date has been the difficulty of getting through shearing and making delivery of the stock. Buyers Clamour for Delivery Shearing has been set back at least three weeks and buyers are clamouring for delivery. Meat values have little effect upon the forward market in the trade. It is an axiom that sheep are now being sold for the wool they grow—and when sales are made off the shears it is next season’s wool market that carries the gamble. Buyers are not deterred by any prospects of an early decline in the wool market. Bidding for station lines on the part of Waikato farmers started at £3 for two-tooth ewes this season, and there were few sellers at that level. When the price advanced to £3 10s, however, the market began to show real activity and most sales to date have been made on that basis, with some going to £3 15s, and a few choice lines to £4. Repeats On Last Season These sales are mostly repeats on last year’s orders, and it is stated that hardly one ’ Waikato farmer who bought in Gisborne in 1949 has failed to come back this season. Two-tooth ewes sold up to £2 5s in 1949 in station lines, with a few select lines making £2 6s 6d; but these prices were exceeded at the ewe fairs whn up to £2 15s was paid for really top lots. Two-tooth wethers opened this year at £2, but again the breeders of the district were not much interested. They have sold most of the season’s surplus at £2 ss, with one top making £2 7s 6d, and fourtooths have made 50s. The offshears price last year was 34s for two-tooths ’ and 38s for four-tooths. Five-year ewes this season have sold forward at 355, this price- being only slightly above last year’s 30s and 32s for exactly similar lines from standard flocks. Sales From Top of Coast It is extremely difficult to estimate the number of stock comprising the annual transfers from Gisborne and the East Coast to the Waikato. There was a time when the annual stock exodus was estimated at 250,000 sheep, but sales then included many thousands shipped to the South Island. Gisborne no longer supplies the south with station lines, • partly owing to the lack of shipping space. An obstacle to reliable calculations from the point of view of Gisborne agents is that an unknown number of sales are made from the top end of the East Coast through Bay of Plenty agencies. Today the figure of 200,000 is regarded as being too optimistic by a good margin; but the nearest any stock man will go to making an estimate is to say that the volume of sales through Gisborne is at least as high as last season’s.