Prices up at Pakenham

Most of Gippsland is having a magnificent spring, and many of the local, and west and south Gippsland producers have plenty of grass.

These conditions, plus dearer trends at recent prime cattle sales led to better competition for most classes of cattle.

The total yarding of 1103 head included nearly 200 cows and calves.

While Gippsland is having a good season, not all cattle came from the area, and not all cattle were in good condition.

This allowed competition from a broad spectrum of buyers, and the Pakenham agents quoted a dearer sale compared to the previous one.

Potential buyers had only a few small drafts of better bred steers and heifers to bid for, which made it difficult to put together bigger lines of cattle.

Feedlot competition was solid, and numerous producers with smaller properties benefited from the select lines available.

Grown and yearling steers sold to fair completion from bullock fatteners with R Connell & Sons, Swanpool, selling 14 Angus bullocks for $1030.

B Phillips, Darraweit Guim, sold 24 yearling Angus steers to two-years from $870-$935, to average $898.

Most of these older Angus steers sold at the equivalent of 180-192 cents a kilogram.

Agents said with younger steers selling for the equivalent of 185-210c/kg, with prices were up to $50 dearer.

G Lizza & Sons, Lysterfeld, sold 18 Angus steers to $850, av $775, or 200c/kg.

Buneep Pastoral Co, Bunyip, sold 30 Angus steers, Leawood-blood, to $780, av $769, while Sirrah, Korumburra, offered 16 Charolais-ross steers selling to $740, av $701.

Pens of vendor bred steers of lighter weight sold well.

DG&EJ Douglas, Woodstock, sold 20 Angus steers, Ardrossan-bld, to $695, av $677, and Black Forrest Past Co, sold 16 Angus steers to $670, av $650.

Granton Park, Marysville, offered 20 younger Charolais steers, which sold to $560, av $540. St Fillan Agriculture Co, Narbethong, sold 23 Red Angus steers of mixed-ages to $760, av $658.

Crossbred steers sold equal to their weight and age, making mostly from $450-$870.

R&E Forrest, Heath Hill, sold two Limousin-cross steers for $870, and G&N Parke, Ellinbank, offered 42 bucket-reared Friesian-Simmental steers to $700 to av $665.

The offering of heifers was mixed for age, weight, condition and breeding, and most sold fairly well. A&L Griffin, Monomeith, sold six yearling Limousin heifers for the sales top-price of $780.

Most heifers sold between $420 and $680, and to best judge the better results, liveweight prices were mostly from 160-180c/kg.

Only a few reasonable lines of heifers were sold.

DG&EJ Douglas, Woodstock, sold 20 yearling Angus heifers, Ardrossan-bld, at $590, while Kajac, Craigieburn, sold a larger line of 45 Angus heifers to $600, av $522. Westley, Phillip Island, sent 20 Angus heifers to Pakenham for sale that made to $565, av $532.

The large penning of cows and calves were mixed in condition, and although selling to reasonable competition, beauty was in the eye of the beholder. Some sales of better bred cows in store condition with good calves at-foot (CAF) sold from $790-$1000.

Brian Cantwell Livestock, Stony Creek, sold 28 Charolais cross cows with Charolais CAF from $950-$1135.

Better condition outfits sold to $1210, which was for 10 Angus-Friesian heifers with Limousin CAF and re-joined to the same bulls. Europa Cheese, Pakenham, sold 23 Angus and Hereford cows and calves from $730-$1090.