Jason Bennett
of Tuatapere, Beach Valley Dairies owner.
"It was my first sale. We had 30 yearling Jersey bulls on offer, we sold 19 and the 11 passed in were all sold the next day. We averaged $1918 with a top price of $3175. I was over the moon, being the first sale and things are only going to get bigger and better for years to come."
Robert Kane
of Tapanui, Kane Farms owner.
"We sold 45 yearling Hereford and Angus bulls and there were four left at the end of the day but we sold a few afterwards. The average was $2265 and a top price of $5000. [The prices are] well back on last year. The guys want bulls but farming is not easy and everyone is being very careful with their money."
Rodney Dobson
of Gropers Bush, Ashvale Jersey owner.
"We had a full clearance of the 49 yearling Jersey bulls on offer, which sold for an average of $2599 including a top price of $4700. I was pretty happy with the way it went. The average price was down on other years but I was expecting that with the payout predictions. I didn’t expect people to come with loads of money. It is the last sale of Ashvale Jersey but my son Mark and his wife Ashleigh have their own stud, Maple Fern Jerseys, and they’ll
probably be having a sale next year because they’ve kept bull calves so I presume they’re going to sell them. I bought my first pedigree cow in 1971, so it has been more than 50 years, a fair bit of my lifetime and I was a bit nostalgic about selling up."
Katherine McCallum
of Balfour, Rockley Angus owner.
"Twenty-six of the 29 yearling Angus bulls on offer sold for an average of $4461 including a top price of $12,000 to Tawa Hills. Buyers were more reserved this year, due to economic times, which is understandable. We were very happy with the result. The spring has made it a challenge in the area but the bulls have done well considering."
Helen Miller
of Riversdale, Pyramid Downs Polled Herefords owner.
"There were 35 (2-year-old polled Hereford bulls) catalogued and I think two came out and a replacement came in and 32 sold. Prices were back — I was hoping they wouldn’t have been but however ... people had rung who couldn’t come to the sale because they were tailing lambs. We’ve had such a lot of wet weather and you can only tail lambs when it is fine."
