Agsafe Weekly Rural Report
Finance: The NZ dollar eased slightly through the week finishing below the levels of last week. Brent Crude remains steady below $US80 per barrel.
Wool: Wool prices remain in the doldrums but some people are still positive it can change. Any uses must ensure that the farmers receive a reasonable return and can afford to shear the sheep.
Beef, Sheep & Venison schedules: The sheep and beef schedules are mostly steady across the country. Venison prices have eased from the pre-Christmas levels but are still good.
Dairy Prices: The g/DT (16th Jan) lifted 2.3% with WMP up 1.7% to $US3352/tn. SMP lifted 1.2% & cheddar was up 1.0%. There are signs that the payout may be closer to $8, with one bank lifting its forecast to $7.85 during the week.
Autumn calving cows should be drying off over the next 2-weeks to allow them the minimum 6-week dry time. If you are spring and autumn calving ensure that any autumn calvers that have been treated with “Dry-Cow” threatments cannot get mixed back into the milking herd. Some sort of identification is recommended from tags to leg-bands or tail markers.