Quality of stores lifts at Matawhero

GOOD STOCK: These 189 healthy, freshly shorn, store male lambs sold in the weekly sheep sale at the Matawhero saleyards yesterday for $128. They were able to be trucked directly down SH35 from Ruatoria to Matawhero, a welcome relief for East Coast farmers. Picture by Trevor Brown

The quality of the 2226 store lambs was better this week at the Matawhero sheep sale.

Farmers on the Poverty Bay flats are well stocked and buyer demand is steady, in spite of a rising meat schedule.

The average price paid rose $18 to $123.

The Piritaha P/S, at Ngatapa, sold two pens of store male lambs for $140, while the Shannon P/S, at Ohuka, sold 70 store ewe lambs for $121.

The 44 prime sheep sold to recent levels. The best price for prime ewes was $114 for a pen of four.

A pen of seven store ewes, run with the ram, sold for $130.

Best prices —

Store male lambs: Piritaha P/S, 86, $140, 82, $140, 27, $119; Shannon P/S, 150, $132, 63, $115; Pakihiroa Farms Ltd, 189, $128, 630, $126, 73, $113; Tarere 2 Trust, 36, $128, 177, $121.50, 166, $118, 15, $95.

Store ewe lambs: Shannon P/S, 70, $121, 137, $118, 8, $100, 8, $75; Piritaha P/S, 67, $116, 8, $111; Pakihiroa Farms Ltd, 40, $111; Whareopaia Station Ltd, 88, $110, 13, $90; Lavenham Road P/S, 9, $100.

Store mixed-sex lambs: LC & CA Mason, 56, $130, 21, $100.