LOCAL STOCK SALES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 3 December 1927, Page 12

LOCAL STOCK SALES

(By

“Sundowner.”)

The week has seen a fairly big entry of both cattle and sheep at Waipukurau, and a big entry of noth fat and store cattle at Stortford Lodge, with there a small entry of sheep. Prices for cat cattle, in spite of the considerable entries, have continued to harden until now we are getting from local butchers well over 30/- per hundred for ox beef and cow beef also in keen demand. Prices realised for beef cattle at Stortford Lodge ranged from £7 15/to £9 5/- for prime cows, £6 to £7 4/- for medium and £5 to £6 for light. The bulk of the entry was in the “light’’ class, nevertheless there were quite a number of entries that would do credit to any market. One or two lots of prime heavy bullocks were yarded which tempted buyers to £l2 10/- to £l4 2/6, while lightei prime bullocks sold at £lO 4/- to £l2 9/- and medium £9 to £9 17/6. Four or five pens of light fats—small framed animals—sold at very much the same as good store prices, butchers and freezing works getting these at £8 to £8 12/6. There was a fair entry of fat heifers, but many of these lacked finish, the best of them selling at £8 or thereabouts, medium about 20/cheaper and light from £5 to £6. STORE CATTLE. There were some excellent lines oi store cattle offered at Stortford. and all of these were in respectably good store condition. Judging by the com petition for both steers and heifers, there a,re many who badly need cattle to keep their pastures in order, and judging by the prices realised there will be no great margin for rhe grazier when they are ultimately fattened, unless the beef market shows an entirely unexpected hardening in the future. For instance, a line of small, forward conditioned Herefords reached £9 4/-. while bigger framed medium fat bullocks were sold at from £9 2/6 to £9 1/76. Other fairly good sales indicative of the value of store steers were 22 3year Polled Angus which reached £7 10/- and 11 good 2-year-olds of the same breed £7, while a small line of seven forward and light fat 3-year-olds brought £8 12/-: 18 well-bred but small 2-year Pollen Angus steers from Poporangi Station looked to be reasonable at £5 6/-, when it is remembered that calving is later in me Kereni district, and the cattle are suited to go on to any class of conn try and thrive. A sizeable line oi heifer* of the same age and breed were also sold on account of Popo rangi Station, these bringing £5 2/to £5 7/6 and well worth the money. Lines of heifers showing mixed ancestry were not wall sought after, two-year-olds of this Quality fetching £3 13/-. EAT SHEEP, A little over one race of fat sheep was oifefed, and these, with the exception of one or two pens, were very good quality. Prime shorn ewes, as usual, comprised the bulk of the offering, these bringing from 19/3 to 20/9, while others of medium finish sold at from 17/9 to 18/9. With the wool on, one pen of prime heavy ewes were passed m a.t 28/6. the owner wanting 30/- while prune woollys sold at 25/-, medium at 23/6 and light at 22/6. One pen of good B.D. cross hoggets (unshorn), brought 29/4 which would leave them at about 20/- out of the wool. One or two pens of lambs were well bid for by both freezing works and butchers, prices for these prime, well-grown lots ranging from 23/6 to 24/9. Three pens only of shor n fat wethers were offered the best of these selling for 26/10. STORE SHEEP. It was hard to estimate the trend of the market for store wethers on those offered at Stortford on Wed nesday. as the lots offered, though fair, were nothing like as good as tne lines put up last week, llie best on Wednesday was a pen of 67 smallish but forward, conditioned 2-tooths which sold at the good figure of 23/6. Another line of 303, also 2-tooths m the small side but in fresh and forward condition were retained by rhe owner at 22/6. If there was any fluctuation in the store wether market, it was slightly easier than a week ago. JNo sizeable lines of ewes, on which a comparison of prices could be made, were offered.

The practice of cutting np small lines of store cattle and offering them in ones and twos absorbs a great deal of time at our local sales. We know, where a peA is comprised of cattle offered on behalf of different owners, that separate offerings cannot be avoided, but where the cattle, though mixed in size and breed are from one owner, it would probably be to everyone’s interest to sell them as a line. The ultimate value received would be the same, and a great deal of valuable time would bo saved. Jt might also be a good idea to consider the advisability of selling single beasts, m store and dairy sorts, either before or after the regular sale hours so that their sale would not dash with the offering of fat and store sheep as it does at present.