Dannevirke store cattle sale has steady prices

Good hill country pasture meant very good quality Angus steers like these averaging $1421/head.

The PGG Wrightson’s Dannevirke sale of store cattle earlier this month reflected the recent rains and reasonable pasture conditions on the hill country where they are bred and fattened.

Top Dannevirke Store Cattle price of $1540/head went to these Angus steers from GB and RL McClelland.

The sale offered 338 15-month mostly Angus cattle, 285 of them steers and the balance heifers. Only five were Hereford – the yard was “a sea of black”.

The numbers reflected the prevalence of good local pasture, one livestock agent saying farmers were probably holding back to control their feed situation.

Another said he thought the number of farms converting to planting pines was already starting to impact the sales.

Top price for Angus heifers of $1185 went to Waitio Farms Ltd.

On the other hand, buyers were looking for steers because of the abundance of grass, particularly in Hawke’s Bay. However, there were only five buyers active, one of them saying he bought 105 at pretty fair prices and would have paid more for the best had he needed to.

The average steer price was $1421/head while heifers averaged $1153/head.

Dave Murdoch is a part-time photojournalist based in Dannevirke. For the last 10 years he has covered any community story telling good news about the district.