WAIROA vendors again produced some excellent cattle with 1553 on sale at the Wairoa saleyards yesterday.

They were viewed by buyers that came from many parts of the North Island.

It was not a big crowd by numbers but they were there to buy.

Over 500 head were R2 steers, with some nicely conditioned lines and a few that still looked a bit “wintery”.

The frenzied heat of the previous sale did not repeat but the demand was very steady at rates just a shade below the previous sale and this has been evident at other sales this week.

The top R2 steers made $1100-$1170, (est $2.39-$2.48/kgLW) and good medium lines traded at $1040-$1110, $2.48-$2.64/kgLW, the smaller sorts making $810-$910. A very well presented line of Charolais sold at $1100 and some big Friesians, $905. Yearling steers came out in similar numbers to their older brothers — 569 head.

This section of the market was the hot-seat of the sale and what most had come to buy.

Around $925-$960 was needed to secure the top lots and good mediums sold at $885-$922.

Most of these would have made $2.74-$2.93/kgLW (Est) and they did not get any cheaper as size and quality shrank.

Any steer over 200kg fetched $690-$787 and would have been $3.08-$3.47/kgLW. There was not a big choice of R2 heifers but they too sold very well.

Prices of $950-$1050 bought the best A and AH-cross lines, $2,54-$2.87/kgLW and some crossbred heifers made $650.

A line of VIC R2 heifers sold well at $990.

The yearling heifers also enjoyed good prices considering most were of medium and smaller frame-score.

The better lots made $600-$630, $2.62-$2.72/kgLW, the next grade down making $540-$565 and smaller again, $390-$475.

Sales included:

R2 steers: Tangihau Station 18 at $1170, 106 at $1150, 76 at $1100; Cricklewood Station 42 at $1130; Mahurangi Station 36 at $1155, 13 at $1160; Waimaha Station 45 at $1060, 43 at $1035, 35 at $1045, 9 at $950; Tironui Farm 48 at $1100, 13 at $1040; Okare Station 24 at $1110. G. King 18 at $905.

R2 heifers: Cricklewood station 45 at $1050, 20 at $1020, 12 at $915, 47 at $960 and 29 (VIC) at $990; Waiau Station 11 at $650.

Yearling steers: Cricklewood Station 21 at $950, 108 at $835, 45 at $960, 99 at $922; Te Tiki Station 14 at $890, 40 at $925, 21 at $885; Whataroa Station 26 at $930, 29 at $935; Poko Poko Station 27 at $990; Paparatu Station 35 at $787, 9 at $735; Kauhouroa Station 29 at $780, 20 at $700, 15 at $695; R. Robinson 15 at $695.

Yearling Heifers: R. Robinson 11 at $630, 19 at $600; Kauhouroa Station 16 at $580, 24 at $575; Waiau Station 30 at $565, 18 at $540, 19 at $390.