Shian Angus
The Shian Angus sale on 1 June was an early season success, with the Sherson family selling 33 bulls out of 35 with an average of $11,333, well up from last season’s average of $7378.
Lot 3 was the top price, Shian 22-T635 was bought for $75,000 by Tangihau Angus, Gisborne. T635 was sired by Taimate Mako out of one of Shian’s best breeding cows and has excellent scanning results for eye muscle area, fat cover and intramuscular fat.
Lot 1 also sold to a stud for $18,000 going to Ratanui Angus.
Taimate Angus, Ward
Taimate Stud, run by the Hickman family at Ward held a very successful sale on 19 June with a 100% clearance selling 88 out of 88 bulls offered. The average reached $11,062 and the top price was $70,000, paid for Lot 28 by Ratanaui and Kaharau studs.
Stud stock agents very happy with season
Simon Eddington, PGG Wrightsons Genetics rep for the Upper South Island reflected that despite the very dry conditions in many parts of the upper South Island, the Angus bull sale season went very well, and while the averages were back a little in some cases, clearance rates were very high.
“The bulls were presented in a very good condition and not impacted by the dry conditions, but it was pleasing to see that dry conditions at home didn’t put commercial farmers off securing their genetics for the next season.
It shows the strength of the beef market and an indication that if ewes numbers drop a little with the lamb prices down, that farmers will replace them with more cows and appreciate the lighter workload that will mean.”
“We had a bit of apprehension going into the season but we have been very happy with the way bulls were selling and that farmers came along well schooled in what they were looking for – scouring the catalogues well in advance and then sorting through for the type they wanted when they got to the sale.”
“Beef farmers are still chasing good genetics and happy to pay well for them, ”he added.
Neville Clark, Carrfields stud stock agent for North Island agreed, saying that the market held up very well, and above expectations to some degree.
“I guess we went in the sale season a wee bit on edge, but the sales have shown that those who have stayed with their cows are serious players, they know the job that the cows do on the farm and how they have to perform, and the type of bull that makes that happen.”
The averages have been great and he said the Tangihau sale, with its record prices and so many early lots going for stud transfers, was a career highlight for him.
“That was a good indication that if you can get the numbers right on the page and present the type of cattle that are going to deliver a profitable cow herd operation, then the demand will always be there.”
“We have to be a bit careful because some high-figured cattle don’t always deliver – they dont always suit our hill country systems – we have to be wary of having too many feedlot type cattle, that’s not how the most of our industry is set up.”
He said he felt for the last few sales vendors, being subjected to really bad weather and having to postpone, but both Kenhardt Angus and Turiroa Angus from Wairoa had very successful sales and between them, $7,500 was donated to the Wairoa Mayoral Relief Fund, $4,000 from the Crawshaw family and $3,500 from the Powdrell family as each stud donated half of the sales proceeds of one lot each.