Dannevirke: Ewe sales start year sheepishly

Dannevirke's George Crosse casts an expert eye over a lot.

There were mixed fortunes for vendors as more than 22,000 ewes went under the hammer at last week's two-day combined Dannevirke/Wimbledon ewe fair.

With their farm leased to Grant and Brenda Massie, Kath and Mark Redward had capital stock for sale, described by auctioneers as "beautiful stock with impeccable breeding".

However, not even some of their top stock appealed to buyers on day one of the sale. The Redwards had success with just half their offering, with one pen fetching $124.50 a head, the other half went back home on the truck.

"It wasn't a good sale," Mrs Redward said. "We were speaking to someone who had sold stock the day before at Stortford Lodge in Hastings and they said they'd been disappointed too. I think it might not be as good a season as some think."

Mrs Redward admitted she and husband Mark had been disappointed to bring half their stock home again, but she was philosophical.

"That's the way it goes. You can't get too upset about it, others had to take stock home too," she said.

After 45 years' farming in the district - 35 at Birch Rd North and the rest at Weber - Prue and Richard Haldane have sold their property and their capital stock went under the auctioneer's hammer on day two of the sale, making the top price of $153 for 203 four-tooth romney ewes, while a pen of 483 six-tooths made the same.

"I was absolutely rapt," Mr Haldane told the Dannevirke News. "Very pleased indeed because it's been quite stressful. We've sold our farm and had budgeted a price for our stock back last August and were pretty conservative, but the market hasn't been great lately."

Mr Haldane said his de Latour sheep have performed very well in the past.

"They've fantastic genetic potential and have been docking around 150 per cent in the last four to five years," he said. "They even did well after last year's drought."

However, Mr Haldane said, like many farmers, he's concerned with what is happening in the sheep industry.

"It's shocking, diabolical, something needs to happen," he said. "I thought there was a shortage of sheep, but even with a lot of grass around, the market isn't good. I don't know what's happening and I think prices such as we saw at the sale are an indication something needs to be done about this industry."

The new owners of the Haldane farm, the Hales, have purchased all the young sheep and Mr Haldane has just a few more stock to sell next week.

"With the sale of our capital stock and being in the middle of building a new home at Haumoana in the Hawke's Bay, life had been pretty stressful," he said.

"I'm 66 and it's time to move on. I won't be leaving farm work behind altogether, I've two son-in-laws in the Hawke's Bay who might need a bit of labour now and then. And with nine grandchildren, it's now time for Prue and I to stand by and smell the roses. It'll be hard leaving Weber. We just love this community, but it's time for the young ones out here now and they're a great bunch."