Benambra
Yarding 1581
1002 steers to $1300, av $942
579 Heifers to $1200, av $840
QUALITY excelled at the Benambra Hereford sale, Tuesday afternoon with an excellent penning of quality Hereford steers, especially in the first two lanes of cattle.
The very good season in and around Benambra over an extended period saw a lot of good quality steers penned, displaying good weight. This aided strong competition with the two top prices bettering the Angus sale earlier in the day at Omeo.
Honours for top price was shared equally between a pen of Hereford steers offered by KW&JA Pendergast, who sold 15 steers for $1300, and BA&JB Carroll for a fine pen of Charolais cross steers selling for the same money. Although the breed of Mr Carroll’s steers was different to most in the sale, his farm is opposite the yard. He also sold Herefords.
There was a decline in age, and therefore weight, during the sale, which did create an average that did belie the look of the yarding.
RK&SK Cornell sold 82 steers from $790-$1290, the top steers estimated to weigh 400kg, therefore equalling 323c/kg lwt. Solid competition from one prominent Gippsland steer fattener aided a strong sale, for the heavier end of the yarding.
CE&DG Anderson sold 92 steers from $940-$1200, this top price being $60 higher than their Angus steers sold at Omeo in the morning sale.
This was a familiar trend here, thanks in part to the quality and also people’s love for Herefords. AG&SM Pendergast sold 85 steers from $920-$1190, and RG&AH Faithfull, 88 steers from $835-$1170.
Younger, lighter steers sold fairly well. Beloka Pastoral Co sold 74 steers for $790-$960, and LH&SE Pendergast’s 41 steers made $850-$940.
Many people present thought this heifer sale had more competition than earlier in the day. The heifer sale opened to strong feedlot competition with the first few pens of heavier heifers purchased for Kilara Feedlot in southern Queensland. Prices were between $925&$990.
However, it was the 18 Charolais of BJ&JB Carroll that stole the show early, selling for $1140. Later in the sale, two producers vying for breeding heifers that saw a pen of Herefords of KW&JA Pendergast sell for $1200.
LH&SE Pendergast sold 33 heifers from $720-$990, and CE&DG Anderson, 67 heifers between $695&$950. A good number of the younger heifers sold to a South Australian feedlot operator to background for future feeding from $695-$790.
WA Pendergast & Sons sold 56 heifers from $795-$855, and BR&LE Pendergast, 35 heifers from $690-$925.
