News

Good year to sell bulls, even better for buyers This year’s two year old bull sales season started in May Overall it has been a good year to sell bulls, though an even better season for buyers. PGG Wrightson Livestock conducted 110 bull sales in 2022, and the quality of this year’s offering...

Vendors and purchasers urged to plan now, or miss out later Early July signals the first in-milk cows coming to the market. Based on projections for the dairy payout, demand for quality cows is trending to the positive. However, farmers looking to increase herd size in the spring need to realise...

Rearers need on-sell commitment now on probable margins before taking calves to carry through to 100 kilograms Northern feeder calf sales started relatively well in early July, and will progress through the rest of the country to reach Southland by mid-August. While the early well-bred calves will...

The closest job to farming Ever since he was a young lad Shaun Rowe has been a farmer. “At the age of six I started my own flock of half a dozen ewes, taking the lambs to the Stratford saleyards,” he says. Shaun’s parents have a 10 hectare Stratford lifestyle block where they graze dairy heifers. “I...

Setting your own style and being confident in yourself Ben McKerchar grew up on a Winton sheep and beef farm, while his father Ross was a well-known Southland livestock agent. From as far back as he can remember, Ben was constantly in and around the saleyards, developing a strong interest in the...

Scheme has put 1.9 million lambs and 270,000 cattle onto New Zealand farms since 2016 Inverness is a 1600 hectare extensive sheep and beef property on the rolling Cheviot hills. Carrying 9300 stock units, Inverness uses Go-Stock, an innovative solution for the on-farm cash flow challenges that can...

Purchasers react favourably after Covid-related capacity shortfalls overcome North Island livestock sales through April remained at exceptional levels. Earlier concern around stocking rates potentially under pressure due to a backlog of prime stock still on farm, delayed with processors beset by...

Potential $9 schedule keeps buyer interest steady, though stags more popular than hinds April’s weaner deer sales showed renewed confidence in venison after two challenging years brought low returns for breeders and finishers. At the only North Island weaner sale, the Taihape Weaner Fair in Waiouru...

Waikato breeder’s dispersal sale attracts huge interest to break 50 year record An April dairy herd dispersal sale for a Waikato breeder toppled a record that has stood for 50 years when a rising three-year-old in-calf Jersey sold for $55,000 to become New Zealand’s highest priced single dairy cow...

Demand strong throughout the island, though Southland dry mutes enthusiasm Through April calf sales took place somewhere in the South Island approximately every second day. While the region’s drought hampered enthusiasm in the Southland market, elsewhere plenty of feed provided strong motivation for...

Breeders raising the bar on data, expression and integrity of this year’s bull offering This year’s bull sale season starts in mid-May in the North Island, running throughout the country to the end of June, including a wide selection offered on bidr. Bulls this year are of exceptional quality. Most...

Sixty five year legacy of Glengarry Poll Dorset, New Zealand’s number one Poll Dorset stud, to be offered A major dispersal this winter will make available a legacy of the country’s foremost sheep genetics at a scale rarely offered. Held by the Pratt family, which has been farming at Apiti, Manawatu...

Venison is good news for deer farmers this year with the schedule sitting around $8 per kilogram. Following better than expected demand during the chilled venison season confidence is returning to the sector, demand is gradually building in existing and new developing markets, and prices are 50 per...

One of New Zealand’s most enduring charitable relationships – 40 years, $40 million and still going strong This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the IHC Calf and Rural Scheme, which has raised some $40 million in that time. PGG Wrightson Livestock has been a principal sponsor since the...

Merchiston Angus offering 170 mixed age cattle with genetics established over 66 years A major dispersal sale at Merchiston Angus, north east of Marton, on 28 March will offer approximately 170 mixed age cattle, comprising the entire Merchiston-based cow herd. Merchiston was founded in 1955 on a...

PGG Wrightson Wool representative leads successful fund-raiser Otago based PGG Wrightson Wool representative Jared Manihera brought off an enormous mission last month, organising a 24-hour shearathon that raised over $200,000, for the Southland Charity Hospital. Four shearers, Eru Weeds, Cole Wells...

I was always going to be in agriculture Growing up on his parents’ sheep and beef finishing unit in Strath Taieri south of Dunedin, James Holland was never in doubt about the type of work he would go into. “I was always going to be in agriculture. After finishing school in 2016, I went to Massey...

Sometimes it’s more than buying or selling livestock PGG Wrightson National Dairy Genetics Co-Ordinator Andrew Reyland has always been an animal person. As a third-generation dairy farmer, which he did before shifting to a livestock role, he was in his natural element. Andrew says his father, Basil...