Track supply demand&

The mustering occurs on Otago properties that are renowned for some of the best Halfbred breeding in New Zealand and as a result these sales are keenly followed.

The top steers made $920-$1000 and most of the balance $715$890. The heifers sold over a tighter range of $500-$750. The Waipiata saleyards in Central Otago came alive on Tuesday, May 2 for the Maniototo Last Muster lamb sale. Due to popular demand, the once-yearly sale has been split in two over recent years and the two sales are aptly named the Early Muster and Last Muster.

The Last Muster is timed to meet the demand of mainly midCanterbury cropping farmers and this year there was also buying support from east and Central Otago. PGG Wrightson area livestock manager Mark Yeates said that every pen at the yards was full.

“We were working after dark to yard over 17,000 lambs the night prior.

“The popularity of this sale continues to grow and this year we had at least 20 vendors offering up lambs, some of which are annual lines. Buyers appreciate the big lines as well as the quality – some had 400-600 lambs in them.”

The lambs were predominantly Halfbred. Males made up 65-70% of the yarding and ewe lamb lines 15-20%, while the balance were mixed-sex. Yeates said it was expected to be a good sale, given the season.

“The feeling going into the sale was that prices should be pretty good, and returns were fully firm on expectations. It was a very solid market across all classes and there wasn’t much price difference between the Halfbred males and ewe lambs,” he said.

The top Halfbred wethers made $130-$150 and the balance $100-$125. Ewe lambs with good breeding potential returned $140$150 and most other pens sold at similar levels to the wether lambs. A smaller portion of the offering was terminal-cross, and the prime lines made $140-$164 and store types, $90-$135.