Good prices in Dannevirke for top calves, others 'just given away'

Top price of $240 was paid for this bull calf at Monday's New Zealand Farmers Livestock's feeder calf sale in Dannevirke. The price was later equalled by another outstanding calf.

A small pure-bred Friesian bull calf failed to attract any bids at the start of the New Zealand Farmers Livestock feeder calf sale in Dannevirke on Monday, despite a plea from auctioneer's assistant Bill Rendle, that "we were all small once".

The small bull was the only one passed in at the sale, which provided reasonable returns for the vendors of the rest of the 125 stock yarded.

From the top price of $240 paid for a single calf and another pen of three, the biggest calf in the sale made $190, along with three other very healthy stock.

Angus calves made between $150 a head to $125 to $115. A smaller Angus sold for $75, while a single Murray Grey went for $150.

Charolais bull calves out of Jersey and Friesian cows sold for $180 and $100, a steal, auctioneer Cameron Smith said.

"This is just giving them away."

An Angus from a Shorthorn and Ayrshire cow made $156, with Smith making the unprecedented move to take bids in $2 increments to get the price of the calf up for the vendor.

The lowest prices in the bull section were $65 a head for two belted Galloway calves and $50 for two Hereford cross calves.

With Clint Worthington stepping up as auctioneer for the first time, selling the heifer calves, the first pen of two went for $200. But as the heifer sales continued, buyers drifted away and prices ranged from $40 to $155 a head, with a Murray Grey going for $60 and two Angus making just $40.

This was a healthy sale with more than $16,000 changing hands for the 125 lots.

Today will be the last Thursday sale for New Zealand Farmers Livestock in Dannevirke, but their Monday sales will continue for the next three or four weeks, depending on yardings.

Carrfields continue to hold their feeder calf sale on Wednesdays.