Sheep and beef farming is an agricultural staple in New Zealand and livestock selling centres play a pivotal part in ensuring farmers’ livestock needs are met.
But just as all breeds aren’t equal, not all sale yards are equal as well, with some key locations pulling in buyers and sellers from across the country.
Here’s a list of NZ’s most significant livestock selling centres on both islands.
North Island
Feilding, Manawatū
Drawing from a large catchment area covering most of the lower North Island and even the top of South Island sometimes, and offering a large mix of dairy and beef-bred cattle, the Feilding sale yards had the largest throughput nationwide to year end May 20, trading 32,200 cattle and 314,500 sheep. The five-year average is 35,000 cattle and 354,200 sheep.
The most significant sales are held on Fridays for store cattle and sheep. Current lamb tallies around 12,000-16,000 a week and cattle is at 1000-1200.
Large weaner fairs are held from March-May and ewe fairs are held in January and July-August.
Stortford Lodge, Hawke’s Bay
Stortford Lodge is the second-largest North Island selling centre for combined sheep and cattle. It mainly trades beef-bred stock, but limited dairy stock is sold as well, drawing stock from as far north as Gisborne and Taupō. Its 2021-22 tallies include 10,900 cattle and 125,420 sheep, with a five-year average 12,400 cattle and 117,800 sheep. Store sales are held on Wednesdays and a prime sheep-only sale is held on Mondays.
Frankton, Waikato
Frankton sale yards will predominantly attract buyers and sellers in the dairy industry, and pen very few sheep.
The total cattle throughput to year ending May 20 was 16,250, with a five-year average 18,413.
Other popular locations on the North Island include the Tuakau and Te Kuiti sale yards.
South Island
Coalgate, North Canterbury
Run solely by livestock company Hazlett, the Coalgate sale yards cattle tallies to year end May 20 is 8600 and 59,500 sheep. The five-year average for cattle is 8100 and 79,100 sheep. The drop in pen traffic is due more sales being held on-farm.
Sales are only held on Thursdays, with the exception of special sale days.
Canterbury Park, Christchurch
Designed by stock agents, Canterbury Park’s purpose-built, fully undercover complex is the only one of its kind in NZ.
Sales to year end May 20 tallied 9200 cattle and 60,000 sheep, with a five-year average of 9900 cattle and 80,400 sheep.
The main sale day is Tuesday, with an occasional store cattle sale on Wednesdays. The facility also accommodates the iconic Canterbury A&P Show.
Temuka, South Canterbury
Operating under a board structure (TESSCO), Temuka is home to South Island’s largest selling centre and can draw stock from as far south as Southland.
Cattle sales to year end May 20 totals 31,500, while sheep sales ended at 122, 300 for the same period. The five-year average sits at 31,100 for cattle and 149,500 sheep.
It’s also the largest selling centre nationwide for cull dairy cows (boners).
Currently at peak trading, it set a new record of 1125 cull dairy cows sold this week. Prime and boner cattle and sheep are sold on Mondays, with store cattle sold fortnightly on Thursdays.
The data in this article was provided by AgriHQ analyst Suz Bremner. Suz leads the AgriHQ LivestockEye team, including data collectors who are tasked with being on the ground at sale yards throughout the country. Read more about the yards AgriHQ covers in their LivestockEye reports here.
