SHOWS AND SALES

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20914, 20 September 1939, Page 4

SHOWS AND SALES

Cambridge Stock Sale: Every Monday. Hamilton Stock Sale: Every Tuesday. Hamilton Store Sheep Sale; Every Wednesday. Te Awamutu Stock Sale: Every Thursday. Morrinsville Stock Sale: Every Friday Waikato Combined Bull Fair: Septem--14. ber 20, 21 and 22. Waikato Summer Show: October 27 and 28. KEEN ACTIVITY MARKETS IN WAIKATO HEAVY SUPPLIES FORWARD INQUIRY FOR DAIRY SIRES Full entries of fat cattle show little change in value. Store cattle experience a quiet demand. Dairy cattle are variable of sale. Fat sheep are often a shade lower. Store sheep meet with an Indifferent demand. Fat pigs are usually fully firm. Stare pigs are sometimes dearer. The recent spell of fine weather has stimulated activity in the stock trade and a greater volume of business will probably be handled this week. A buoyant tone has existed throughout the district’s markets and Lhe lauge supplies that have been coming forward have been well received at all centres and price changes have been only of a minor nature. Apart from the routine stock activities interest at present is being centred on bull sales. The National lfxture last week drew r a large and representative bench of buyers and although sales over the first day were conducted on a particularly satisfactory basis those of the second day were rather disappointing to most vendors. However, the market on the whole had to he accepted as satisfactory because of the general uncertainty existing because of the outbreak of war and it is possible that future hull fairs will he marked by the usual degree of contidence on the part of buyers. Another thing to he taken into consideration is the fact that not a few farmers consider the present time a little too early to commit themselves as far as the purchase of hulls is concerned. It has to be remembered that as far as war time conditions are concerned Britain will he requiring more and more produce from this Dominion and consequently dairying will have to be pushed ahead with even greater speed than ever. This emphasises the demand there is likely to he for dairy sires in the future. Values For Ox Beef There has been practically no setback in values for beef during the week and recent markets hold no promise of any early recession. Ox beef was back just a shade at the central yards yesterday, for although in several instances the prices paid per head were actually higher than the top realisations at previous Waikato auctions this year, yesterday’s cattle fetched prices ranging from £lB to £l-8 7s 6d were extra heavy sorts and not dear buying. During recent weeks some vendors have gained rather a false impression of the market because they have placed too much reliance on the price per head and have paid insufficient heed to the weight of the particular beasts they have had in mind. It is usually the lighter weight cattle that have been making the higher price per 1001 b, for, while the heavier cattle make what may be an impressive price per head, they usually cut out considerably cheaper than the lighter descriptions. At the present time no cattle are being chilled for export, but under instructions from the Home country are being frozen instead, this, it is understood, being purely a wartime measure. What effect this will have on the market it is difficult at the present lime to gauge. Slight Setback For Sheep Although fat sheep have been quoted slightly lower at some sales this cannot be taken as a general slackening in interest. At the central yards particularly heavy yardings have been offered at the last two sales and it speaks well for the strength of the market that values have not been even lower. The high standard of quality seen in some lines of wethers shown at Frankton for a few weeks has not been so evident of late and this fact, coupled with the heavy supplies forward has naturally dulled inquiry. Local demand is absorbing a large proportion of the pennings and butchers have experienced no difficulty at all in fulfilling their requirements. It is generally expected that the tone of the market will keep up and recent slight setbacks are regarded more in the light of temporary slackening of interest because of heavy supplies rather than of any definite easing of the market. Firm Pig Market Although fat pigs were just a shade easier at the Morrinsville yards on Friday, they were fully Arm at Frankton yesterday under keen competition from a representative bench of buyers. While no official move has yet been made in the matter, there is some speculation in regard to the proposals to be put forward by the Government concerning the fat pig trade because of the outbreak of war. It is thought that the Government will want dairy farmers to concentrate on bacon production rather than pay much attention to the production of porkers, while it is also expected in some quarters that the bacon weight will be brought lower than it is at the present moment..