Agsafe Weekly Rural Report

Finance:  The NZ dollar remained steady against the major trading currencies which is good news for the exporters.    Brent Crude is up on last week to $US87.50/barrel.  We are still waiting for the petrol wars!!.

Wool:  Wool prices remain in the doldrums.  

Beef, Sheep & Venison schedules: the schedules are mostly up across all categories of sheep and cattle however the lamb prices are a disaster!! There are good grass covers across the central north island and farmers have options to keep or sell stock.

Dairy Prices  The g/DT fell 6.9% at the latest auction which was a surprise to many.  It is not a disaster as it is still above the same time last year.  The sales are for the peak production period this season.  WMP dropped 4.3% to $US3218 & SMP was down 6.1%