FARM AND MARKET

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20513, 1 June 1938, Page 19

FARM AND MARKET

Weekly Agricultural Review (By "Stockman.'*) Items or Interest, Enquiries In regard to Shows and Sales and General Comment from Readers will be welcomed. These should be addressed to " Stockman." Waikato Times. Hamilton.

SHOWS AND SALES Hamilton Stock Sale: Every Tuesday. Morrinsvilie Stock Sale: Every Friday. Cambridge Stock Sale: Every Monday. Te Awainutu Stock Sale: Every Thursday. Store Sheep Sale, Frankton: Every Wednesday. Waikato Winter Show: June 1 to 9. I'inedale Stud Shorthorn Sale: June i Claude lands;. Morotlu Shorthorn Stud: June 3 CHorotiui STEADY MARKETS VALUES IN WAIKATO STORE CATTLE IN REQUEST FVT STOCK SELL WELL Average supplies of fat oattla •all at the same money. •tore oattla change handa at unchanged valuea. A keen trade at reoent rates Is maintained for dairy oattla. Store sheep meet with a slack demand. Late rates are usually repeated for fat sheep. Baeoners continue In request at last week's values. Porkers are firm with lighter sorts sometimes dearer. Rates for store pigs tend firmer at some centres. The weather during the past fortsight has been practically as mild as spring in many districts and In some areas there has been no apparent check to pasture growth. Stock transactions have been continued freely at all Waikato centres and the line weather has helped considerably the business connected with the yards and the many clearance sales. An active trade has been experienced with store and dairy cattle and values for these classes have been on a Arm basis. Fat stock sections have been fairly well supplied for this time of the year and no diminution in trade is reported either in the yards or paddock.

Average Supplies of Beef Full average supplies of beef continue to be the order at most saleyards with quality generally plain. Small supplies of choice beef have been eagerly competed for by butchers at the yards and top lines have often made slightly better money, althougb 39s per 1001 b has not been surpassed. Prime sorts at the central yards yesterday made from £l3 5s to £ls. but these were heavy', large framed sorts that were not as expensive as the price per head would Indicate. Activity in the paddock has continued unabated and good supplies of prime young cattle have been drawn from the Waikato for the chilled beef trade. Store cattle are still being traded readily, and, although the market has not been marked by any exceptional buoyancy, it has been steady at all centres with no recession in values. The calf market has been l>*rticulariy well supplied at the central yards during the past few weeks and butchers at other yards, too, have not been troubled on the score of supply of veal. Market for Sheep

No unusual development has taken rlace In the fat sheep market during the week and apart from minor fluctuations values have remained at substantially last week’s level. Fair been forward at Frankton but at the smaller centres entries have been meagre. Butchers, however, are apparently obtaining all they require or otherwise a sharp rise In values would have been recorded. Small supplies of southern sheep have augmented the local supply and these have generally been of good quality. No little perturbation le being felt at present in export circles by the report that sheep awaiting export are to be subject to vigorous Government inspection because of the facial eczema outbreak. This move is being apparently made to guarantee diseasefree sheep overseas for any hint of eczema infected sheep reaching England would have a very adverse effect on the export market. Store sheep at the Morrinsvtlle centre last Friday met with a disappointing reception many lines failing to realise values equivalent to vendors’ reserves. The uncertainty, prevailing in regard to the future of markets was probably responsible for the slack interest in wethers, while the lime was hardly opportune to pay substantial values for ewes.

Plga in Request With some early cows coming Into profit, butter-milk buyers are recomn»enc:ng activities in the pig sections at the yards. This has stimulated competition for lighter weight sorts which are inclined to be dearer at tlie main centres. The heavier weight sorts. t«»o, have held their own and recent sales have continued to be just as profitable to vendors. Baconers continue to sell from 00s to 88s and porkers from 30s to 03s. At several recent sales a keener interest has been shown in store pigs which have been sometimes dearer. Pedigree Bele Fixtures This week the pedigree cattle sale season will be commenced in earnest, for several important fixtures are adtry place within the next few days. The general expectation at the present time is that prices will remain substantially at last year's satisfactory level and sales that have taken place in other districts lend substance '•» *his view. Only one complete dispersal sale to date has been hei’l in the Waikato, that of tlie Almadale Stud, the total clearance of this et,, d proving *xtren>®lv satisfact«*rv with prices comparing well with previous pedigree cattle rates. However, pedigree cattle sales must be conducted on a different basis from that in the past if they are to be wholly successful, and there are indubitable signs that a change is ateadiTy taking place. Pedigree men

are rapidly coming lo realise that their market does not wholly depend on other ped gree breeders, but it depends to a certain extent on the dairy farming community. T»f course, the only way the dairy farmer can grade up his herd is by the use of pedigree sires and these he must procure at the pedigree sales. Rut he is only concerned with butlerfat <iualil>ations may be all right from the point of view of showring perrormanee. The pedigree seller now knows that butterfat records are more important from a sale point of view than a glowing story of ancestry and that the butterrat records of a bull s daughters are more likely to sell it than anythin.: else.