Store lambs and weaner sales going well as weather, feed and schedules keep farmer optimism high.

Agreeable climatic conditions, a promising feed outlook in most regions, and stable schedules are all encouraging buyer confidence, making for positive early autumn livestock markets.

In the North Island, plenty of store lambs are still on the move from the breeding regions, transacted at solid values through both auction and paddock sales. In the South Island most the season’s calendared store lamb sales have been completed, with keen demand remaining right to the end of the selling season.

Likewise, strong demand is evident for beef weaner calves throughout all North Island regions, resulting in values reaching yet another level as weaner fairs commence. The quality of weaners coming forward is a credit to vendors’ breeding and feeding programmes. 

Picking up on the North Island weaner fairs, South Island calf sales began in mid-March. Strong demand is evident, and initial indications are that this will remain. At the first sales, in Brightwater, Blenheim, Glen Lyon and Cheviot, vendors were largely met with local support and keen repeat buyers, alongside some North Island farmers coming south to buy calves. 

As in the North Island, following such a good spring and early summer, South Island calves are coming through heavier and healthier than normal. Good traditional well-bred cattle are always well sought after, and with plenty of autumn feed in all regions, aside from Marlborough, values are up on last year by around $150 to $200 per head. April, the big month for South Island calf sales, will likely see activity levels lift further.

North of the Cook Strait, despite the dry in some areas the quality of older cattle coming to market through auction and in the paddock has been superb. Values of these cattle continue to be driven by supply and strong demand, which will only increase with the addition of some moisture during the autumn growth period.

Several clearing sales occurred in March, mostly in Southland. Steady demand for ewes meant most of the stock offered at these events sold. Local interest tended to characterise the buying pool at these sales.
 

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