On Monday April 15, Wellsford held a supplementary weaner steer & bull fair. The fantastic results from their first weaner sale in March reflected the strength in demand for weaner calves this season so the follow-up sale this month came with high expectations for success.
Wellsford and its surrounding areas have been one of the better parts of the North Island for feed cover, making for a lot of local competition at this sale.
However, the dryness prevailing over much of the east coast, Northland and the Wellington region has dampened the general appetite for young cattle. Many buyers from the King Country have been busy absorbing the large supply of weaners hailing from these drier regions, forcing some downward pressure on prices.
Weaner traditional steers were mostly Angus, and were lighter than the traditional steers offered at last month’s steer and bull fair. The top cut of weaner Angus steers, 276-334kg, made $860-$1040. On average, the traditional steers weighed 230kg and made $770 or $3.34/kg.
Weaner Dairy-beef steers close to 170kg returned $770 last month; at this sale these types eased 45c/kg and returned a per head price of $705. Purebred weaner Hereford bulls, 226-236kg, made $756-$770 or $3.26-$3.38/kg. Weaner Friesian bulls, 152-164kg, made $670-$710. This has eased since last month by $30-$40 per head.
This article was written by AgriHQ analyst Alex Coddington. Subscribe to AgriHQ reports here.
