Cyclone Pam delivers damp delight for Bay

Warm, easterly rain has brought a green tinge to pasture.

Rain in Hawke's Bay last month brought to an end a sustained dry spell that was causing concern and suppressing stock prices at Stortford Lodge.

Cyclone Pam spread warm, easterly rain around Hawke's Bay, bringing a green tinge to pasture. However, the news is not all good yet. More follow-up rain is needed to get the grass growth really moving before winter arrives.

Farmers are preparing for a winter feed shortage by offloading as much surplus trading stock as they can to focus on flushing ewes for the ram and keeping condition on in-calf cows.

At the saleyards weaner cattle sold exceptionally well considering the feed conditions.

PGG Wrightson livestock manager Vern Wiggins said weaners were $80 to $140 up on last year as a shortage caused by the 2013 drought cow-kill bites. He said exotic breed heifers sold particularly well.

"In fact, cattle prices generally held up last month."

Prime cattle prices firmed at around the $2.80/kg mark, down from the highs of January/ February but up on early March.

Mr Wiggins said a huge shortage of prime cattle was helping. The shortage has been caused by farmers killing stock earlier in the year when prices were touching $3/kg and more.

The first of the in-calf cows are coming on the market and have sold well up to works value. Their market will be properly tested in the next two or three weeks.

In the sheep pens, the Chinese demand for mutton has gone off the boil which has resulted in a steady easing of prime ewe prices. Top ewes have settled around $75 to $85 mark.

The prime lamb schedules are rising slowly but yardings have remained small. Smaller store lambs have been harder to sell in the face of static schedules and a shortage of good grass. However, prices did rise after the rain and are likely to take off when follow-up rain arrives. Yardings have been growing steadily since the rain.

Mr Wiggins said finishers could struggle to meet contracts because he believes there is a shortage of lambs this year.