Rains in recent weeks in the State’s north-east saw the number of cattle yarded at today’s Shepparton store sale decrease to about 600 head from the 1000 advertised.
There was good competition from the crowd of mostly local restockers, which drove strong prices, agent Peter Stevenson, with Robson Donaldson, said.
“The competition was very strong and the prices were good especially for steers and the good beef heifers,” Mr Stevenson said.
He estimated the better end of heavier steer weaners made 215 cents a kilogram to 225c/kg live weight, and lighter beef steers made 225-250c/kg, which he said were on par with the prices achieved at recent store sales held at nearby yards.
The first pen of steers, which was 10 Angus steers, 12-months-old, Banquet blood, consigned by Hilloaks achieved the sale’s top price of $705/head.
The second pen, consigned by M&F Leydon, of 14 Angus cross steers made $700.
Violet Town Pastoral Company consigned 53 Hereford and Hereford/Shorthorn mixed sex weaners, 10-12 months. Its 20 steers topped at $660 for a pen of 11 Hereford/Shorthorn Malton bld, which was sold to commission buyer Slade Hall, Pine Lodge. Mr Hall also bought the second pen of 10 steers of the same breeding and as they were a bit smaller, he paid $630. The third pen of steers consigned by Violet Town Pastoral that were nine pure Herefords, Howquadale bld also made $630.
Violet Town Pastoral also offered 23 heifer weaners, also Hereford/Shorthorn Malton bld. The larger 13 heifers made $520 and the other 10 made $475.
Another volume vendor was Welsby Park whose draft of 42 Hereford and Hereford/Simmental weaner steers, 10-12 months, sold from $550-$650. Its 37 heifers of same age and breeding made $355-$475.
The top-price pend of heifers was for seven Charolais that made $625, closely followed by 12 Angus, Banquet bld, consigned by Hilloaks that made $620.
Cows and calves, on the other hand, were a little bit reserved, according to Mr Stevenson, but were “on or above their split value”.
A lot of the units consigned were crossbreds and varied in condition.
The first pen of cows and calves, a pen of three Hereford-cross heifers with Charolais calves at-foot (CAF) that had been depastured to a Speckle Park bull fetched $1200. A handful of pens exceeded $1000 per unit, including a single Angus cow with a Charolais CAF consigned by GM&KM Wilson that made $1040, and two Limousin-cross cows each with a Red Angus CAF offered by account Warrego that made $1140/unit.
The strong prices, particularly for the younger cattle was thanks to a couple of rains in the past week or two that had “driven the beef job up a bit”, Mr Stevenson said, as producers became more optimistic that they would be able to feed and grow stock during spring.
“The season was looking down the barrel because we had no rain in August.”
