RAIN and record prices at physical cattle sales created much stronger competition from producers who competed toe-to-toe with feedlot buyers at the Barnawartha store sale on Thursday.
The yarding offered many well bred cattle, although many were lean, and displayed their winter coats.
The agents, Paull & Scollard, Peter Ruaro Livestock, Ray White Schubert Boers, and BUR Livestock, all sold to a large field of buyers.
There were more pens of yearling steers offered that suited feedlot buyers, but they didn't have the offering all to themselves this time.
Opening the sale were a few pens of steers with two, four and six teeth, and the older steers made from $1280-$1510.
Yearling steers, 0-2 teeth, sold to the best demand making from $1350-$1550, or 305-340 cents a kilogram liveweight.
MR Bell, Bonnie Doon, sold 12 Hereford steers, four teeth, at $1380.
P&D Nankervis, Corryong, sold 44 Angus steers, two teeth, from $1350-$1550, feedlots being the successful purchasers.
Cheshire Partnership, Burrowye, sold 42 Angus steers, by The Glen Angus bulls, from $1430-$1475, or 314-340c/kg.
GJ Hore, Wymah, sold 30 Hereford steers, Rotherfield blood, from $1030-$1250, or 316-318c/kg.
Younger steers weighing more than 300kg sold to both feedlot and producer competition, making some excellent sales, which agents were quoting $100 higher than their previous sale one month ago.
Even though all sales were good, buyers appeared to fill orders and were keen for larger lines.
It took a long time before steers sold below $800, and when they did the steers were young and of light weights.
KA&JB Klemm, Eumana, Londrigan, sold 54 Angus steers, Rennylea and Glenruben blood, from $830-$1040.
Bayrhyll, Tallangatta, sold 29 Angus steers from $700-$810, and LC Adams, Burrakool, Wakool, offered 34 Angus steers, Jarobee-blood, from $650-$915.
Other sales saw D Howie & Son, Mansfield, sell 38 Charolais-cross steers from $820-$910, and Cottonwood, Tallangatta, 17 Charolais-cross steers for $840.
One agent commented that the European breeds sold a lot better than the previous sale.
It is not very often you see Friesian steers penned at Barnawartha, but Sandy Creek Partnership, Sandy Creek, offered 58 steers from $795-$830, or 240-245c/kg.
Demand for female cattle was equally as strong, and this created some of the best improvement in prices.
The sale opened with two pens of Angus heifers, 2.5 years, with young calves at-foot (CAF), by Rennylea bulls. Buyers had the option of one or two pens, and the very strong price of $1825 was given for both pens.
Prewson, Benalla, sent in 49 Angus heifers, Banquet-blood, 2.5 years, and pregnancy tested in-calf (PTIC) to Pathfinder bulls. These sold very well making from $1460-$1540.
Toward the end of the sale some buyers had not purchased and this left heifers selling to very strong demand.
Corryong Essential Oils, sold 14 Angus heifers, 398kg, for $1100 with TFI the successful bidder.
Killenen, Corowa, sold 13 Angus heifers, Orlanga bld for $1080, and these were purchased by a processor.
From there on most heifers were younger and lighter and most sold between $630 and $870, which equated to 270-310c/kg.
WH&AJ Whitehead, Upper Toowong, sold 99 Angus heifers, Glen Rubin-blood, from $630-$840.
FE&JF McCormack, Bullioh, sold 30 Hereford heifers, 10-11 months, from $680-4825, and D Howie & Son, 27 Charolais-cross heifers for $755. Marcket Station, Talmalmo, sold 75 oung Angus heifers from $570-$645.
Quite often at this market, not all of the lighter weight cattle are weighed, but there were numerous exceptions this sale. One was Old Cobran Pastoral, Humula, selling 67 Angus and Hereford heifers, 189-208kg, from $540-$645.
