Welcome to you all for this our 24^th Annual Bull Sale on farm here at Merchiston.

As I write this, I can reflect on stating last year that this was my final time writing the welcome for this sale. Still life in this old dog yet with a busy next generation doing their own thing now.

How quickly times change with the outlook looking ok this time last year and now with sheep and beef farmers facing a difficult time financially over the next year at least. How could we predict that the sheep price would fall to historically 1980 levels in real terms so quickly. With interest rates high and an unprecedented level of cost increases being forced upon us one must question everything we do, or in fact can’t do, in the immediate future.

The one strong point from all this though is that the US market is holding due mainly to historically low inventories of beef. That is to our benefit in the short term at least so is this the time, if possible, to increase the cattle to sheep ratio on your farm? A question worth asking if your body gets as tired as mine as I approach my 7^th.

Last year’s bull sale was historically one of the best in our history with the 18 Goalkeeper sons totally dominating the sale. 4 stud bulls sold with a top of $41,000 to the Kenhardt stud at Nuhaka. These Goalkeeper cattle are setting the pace both with bulls and his daughters as well with their performance, phenotype and an amazing docility. The next sire to fill the void is difficult to find but it won’t stop us trying to find him.

Once again in the weaner fairs of late it has been a real thrill to see Merchiston bred cattle dominating the sale prices up to $1390 for 296kg steers presented by Port Farming up the Pohongina Valley. Our attempt to buy some of these cattle becomes harder every year as the word gets out and the auctioneers cry out “another pen of Merchiston bred steers here”. Well done to you all and it would be great if we could buy them all back!

This year’s team bulls are dominated again by Goalkeeper and the first crop of Hallmark Stirling bulls all out of first calving yearling heifers mainly because we have sold all the older more tested cows off Merchiston a lot of the bulls come from these yearling heifers so don’t have the power that you would normally see in this sale. The Glencorran matrons are stepping up as we need them to be, but we are down in numbers a bit this year.

It has been predominantly a dry summer right from Dec 23 with some crop failures etc and a lack of grass to finish both lambs, bulls, and steers alike. However, the genetics behind them remains the same and as we get some late autumn growth hopefully some late growth.

I can’t thank Mike & Kate at Glencorran enough for what they do for us with the satellite herd, if this wasn’t in place we would have been history by now. It is encouraging to see the next group of 60 bulls arrive a week ago having the top weaning weights up to 380kgs!

If we can be of any assistance at all to anyone with bull purchases or payments please contact us prior to the sale, not on the sale day, and we will see what we can arrange.

Also, a huge thanks to the crew, Lloyd, Nick, Willie and Steve for your support but especially Vicki who sorts out all these senior moments with the computer and keeps us all fed on the day.

Love to see you at the sale even if it is just a day off the farm.

Sincerely yours,

The extended Rowe family.

SALE DAY – WEDNESDAY 5TH JUNE 2024 – 2.30PM SHARP

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