Many of the 1135 cattle penned at the regular Pakenham store cattle sale on Thursday, August 30, were in winter condition, although most were of good breeding.
The cold weather encouraged many spectators to the market with actual competition in reasonable numbers. However, if you wanted Angus steers weighing over 320 kilograms liveweight, you had to beat feedlots, especially Thomas Foods (TFI).
Only the brave took them on, although given the current rise in fat cattle prices, paying up to $1650 was acceptable. B&D Waterfall, Lang Lang, sold 45 Angus and Angus-Hereford steers, almost in prime condition, from $1480 to $1650, and all were purchased by TFI. Many steers sold over $1000 with liveweight prices ranging from 306-345 cents/kg lwt.
Blackdayle Pastoral, Larpent, sold 61 Angus steers, 318-407kg, from $1080-$1350, J&LN Tribuzi, The Gurdies, offered 28 Angus and Angus-Hereford steers making to $1500, to average $1485, and S&E Bruzzese, Foster North, 30 Angus steers from $1235-$1520.
There was many quotable steers in the higher weight and price range, but as usual some of the younger and lightweight steers sold very well.
G&K Morrison, Shady Creek, sold 24 Angus steers for $970, and Netherwood Pastoral, San Remo, 22 small Angus steers for $955. These sales equalled 340c/kg and 367c/kg lwt, such was the strength of the sale when people are buying to price only.
However, it was not only Angus steers that sold very well. T&R Waterfall, Balnarring, sold 31 Charolais and Angus steers from $885-$1195. Pepperhill Trading, Willow Grove, sold 18 Angus-Limousin steers for $920, and AJ&WJ Bailey, Nar Nar Goon, 11 Hereford steers for $1190. Yarra Park, Gruyere, sold 47 Hereford steers from $995-$1165, and all were very good sales.
Few sales were noted below $700, and these calves were very young and of very light weights. Carson Angus, Pakenham, sold a large draft of Angus and Angus-Hereford steers that ranged from very young to yearling steers. The price range of these covered most of the mornings sales, making from $600-$1350.
The same vendor featured very well in heifer sale selling 57 Angus heifers between $500-$1000. Most heifers sold for more than $600, unless they were very young, and many sold from $700-$895 with two heifers of questionable age selling over $1000.
Pepperhill Trading, Willow Grove sold 28 Angus heifers to $740, av $737, and HD Middleton, Mt McDonald, Trafalgar, sold 23 Angus heifers, Innesdale blood, from $675-$895.
It has taken a while, but cows and calves showed some improvement, although some were still purchased for slaughter. East Gippsland Resources sold 20 Angus cows with Shorthorn calf at-foot, to 4 months, from $1540-$1700 with most others making from $1230-$1630. Dennis Stoll, Buln Buln, sold 7 Angus-Friesian heifers PTIC to Limousin bulls for $1360.
