The various sections of yesterday's Feilding Prime Stock Sale moved in different directions, with the prime hoggets backing off from last week's strong levels at similar numbers; the few ewes available lifted; and, even though there were many more cows offered this week, their prices also rose.
There is a supplementary hogget fair scheduled for this coming Wednesday and, even though entries will not be large, the prospect of that may have hung over yesterday's hogget market a little, or perhaps last week's strong lift in the market meant the buyers did not have quite as much enthusiasm this week.
For whatever the reason, the sale - beginning with the heavy male hoggets as usual - immediately started with a softer tone, and this continued when the medium weight hoggets were offered. Prices by no means eased to any great extent, but probably dropped back $3-4/head, which is where they were a fortnight ago.
Entries were only slightly less than last week, so that will not have affected prices. Top price yesterday was exactly the same at $190, this time for 20 massive hoggets from the J Gibbes Family Trust but, in keeping with the soft tone, these hoggets were definitely heavier than last week's tops.
Store hogget numbers were much reduced and prices were reasonably steady, but a good argument could have been made to grade some of the lighter prime hoggets as forward stores and some may be farmed on.