Dannevirke: Outstanding stock leads to good prices

Te Rehunga dairy farmers Don Stephenson, left, and son Barry at the first Dannevirke/Pahiatua dairy beef sale at the Dannevirke saleyards on Tuesday. Photo / Christine McKay

There were some outstanding stock at the first of the Dannevirke/Pahiatua dairy beef sale at the saleyards on Tuesday.

"The vendors have done an exceptional job, with the majority of these calves home-grown," auctioneer Bjorn Anderson said.

Auctioneer Bjorn Anderson knocks down the first of the dairy beef calves at last Tuesday's Dannevirke/Pahiatua sale.

Three generations of the Stephenson family from Mountain View Farm, Don, his son Barry and his son Andrew, were at the sale to see how a line of 25 calves fared.

"These are the first cut of our bulls and I'm keen to see how they go," Barry told the Dannevirke News.

This pen of three autumn-born bulls from the Glen Fergus property went for $510 a head. The first calves of the sale were also from the same property and made $660 a head.

Autumn-born calves were first up with the top price $665 a head, with spring-born Friesian bulls selling between $430 and $500 a head.

Top price for spring-born calves went to Norsewood's Brendon O'Neill, with his calves reaching $500.

Auctioneer Bjorn Anderson knocks down the first of the dairy beef calves at last Tuesday's Dannevirke/Pahiatua sale.

More than 800 calves were up for sale and Anderson said he was pleased with the sale prices which were well ahead of the Taranaki sale a week earlier.

The next dairy beef sale at the Dannevirke Saleyards will be held on November 17.