Strong Dairy Beef Sale in Dannevirke to start season

A large crowd watched the sale from above the pens.

More than 700 head of dairy weaners were offered at the PGG Wrightson's Dairy Beef Sale on Tuesday, November 9, and prices auger well for the season - the average price being $521/head for the 600 weaner bulls.

Two-thirds of those were Friesian bulls with the price ranging between the top of $600/per head from Sinclair Bros in Pahiatua to the lighter calves around 100kg at $490/head.

Matt Harvey, a major buyer for a Hawke's Bay client, said the price for the best calves was slightly down on Feilding last week, but the sale was "very good buying".

Dairy Beef agent for PGG Wrightson Cam Smith said "he was stoked" adding "any Friesian weaner bull selling at over $500 was well up on last season and the one pen at $600 was a rarity."

Top price in the sale went to these Autumn-born Speckled Park bulls at $800/head.

He said with the beef schedule high and recent rain boosting pasture growth just in time for the weaner sales especially in Hawkes Bay prospects look good.

There was not much difference in price for Friesian crosses, there being only a limited offering, Hereford crosses selling slightly above Angus crosses Elmwood Dairying getting a good price of $585/head for the former and Brendon O'Neil $545/head for the latter

The 80 heifers on sale were $20 down on bulls, Stantiall Dairying achieving the top price of $525/head.

Big money changed hands on autumn-born bulls - nine Friesian bulls in excess of 200kg from Wai Hiwi Farms opening the sale at $760/head with the average being about $600/head.

Some sales were for charities with IHC benefitting from the sale of five calves and Gumboot Friday from the sale of one.