THE second of Tasmania’s weaner sales found willing buyers hard to find at Powranna yesterday.
With buying orders from the mainland limited to one, prices achieved for steers drifted 20-25c/kg live weight while heifers overall averaged 5-10c/kg live weight easier.
Steers at the Elders conducted sale of 2300 head generally made 220- 260c/kg lwt on a top price of $910 a head (407kg) while heifers topped at $800 (381kg) to realize 170- 200c.
Local buyers from the northwest and east coast were the most active on the day however, the lack of genuine depth in the buying field saw prices fluctuate frequently especially on the lighter drafts of steers and also throughout the heifer sale.
Quality was considered of a higher standard than the previous week’s market although large lines of breeders’ black cattle not as prevalent as in recent years.
Elders auctioneer Alan Perry said local buying contained limited force.
“The market struggled for buyers especially on its mixed vendor lots” he said.
“But on the straighter and larger lines there was some good head-to-head bidding but not to the extent normally expected.”
Mr Perry said light and young heifers also “took selling” because the season is very dry through Tasmania.
The light steers also looked exceptionally good buying at $550-$600 a head and a level of prices that has been missing for some time he added.
The market’s top price of $910 a head was secured by Swinbrook, Westbury.
Its pen of 11 Angus steers weighed 407kg while vendor Glenmore sold 14 Angus steers, 400kg, at $905.
These two yards along with pens sold by Fairbanks (13 Angus, 381kg at $870), Riversdale (16 Angus, 378kg at $855) and Mt Stuart (11 Angus, 369kg at $805) were all purchased by the Johnston family, Gawler.
Bracknell backgrounders Gary and Barb Lindsay were active on the mid-drafts of Angus steers. They purchased at $830, 18 Angus, 340kg offered by The Rock, a second pen of 20 Angus, 332kg offered by The Rock at $790 and 16 Angus, 306kg sold by Strathroy at $765.
Winston Archer, Effingham sold a Sept/Oct-drop of Angus steers, 241kg at $560 to northwest backgrounder John Dart of Wynyard while Glenburn cleared 40 Angus 245kg at $600 also to Mr Dart’s 280-head steer haul at a cost average of $565.
The arrival of light rain during the heifer sale failed to inspire buyer demand.
Stoney Croft sold a pen of seven Angus-cross heifers, 381kg at $800 while the next priced was a yard of seven heifers, 372kg, sold by Ravenworth at $780 a head.
Both pens were snapped up by east-coast finisher Fingal Pastoral Fingal who secured 436 heifers across the day at a cost of $630
The best priced Hereford –cross heifers, 325kg, made $705 while straight-bred Angus heifers, 316kg, sold by The Rock made to $650.
A second pen of The Rock Angus heifers (formerly offered as Dunedin by ST Scott & Son, St Leonards) 298kg, was secured by the same buyer at $620.