The prices at Yea’s blue ribbon weaner sale today exceeded expectations, with steers selling to a top of $1050.
The top price was knocked down to the first pen of the sale, which had 20 Angus steers, average weight 455 kilograms. These February/March-drop Connamara blood steers were consigned by volume vendors Michael and Sue Spagnolo, Box Hill Pastoral, Yea, and purchased by Jindalee Feedlot.
Box Hill Pastoral’s 105 Angus steers av $983.
Elders Yea agent Jim Hutchinson said the sale went “unbelievably well” across the 3280 head yarded.
“Steers sold the 220 to 250 cents/kg and the odd sale was even better than that and heifers were well over 200c/kg,” Mr Hutchinson said.
“All cattle, of every sizes, sex and breed was up on last year; there’d be cattle that were $200 (a head) dearer today than at last year’s sale and most were at least $100 dearer.
“It sounds as though our heavier cattle were a bit dearer than at Wodonga yesterday, but once you get out of the very heavy steers, the rest were comparable; and they were appreciatively dearer than at the Western District sales earlier in the week.”
He said factors had combined in vendors’ favour, including the improvement of the season in northern NSW and Queensland and lotfeeders’ urgency to secure appropriate cattle.
Click on image for slide show.
Competition was strongest for Angus and Euro-cross types.
“There are big contracts for feeder weight cattle and I think the operators are getting pretty nervous about getting enough cattle. There is a huge demand for red meat, which is driven by exports,” Mr Hutchinson said.
At least three major feedlots were active at today’s sale, as were a few processors – who concentrated their bidding on heifers suitable for slaughter - and restockers and fatteners from Gippsland and central and northern Victoria.