Leongatha
Total yarding 1600
Steers to $1850
Heifers to $1270
Cows & calves to $1590
Leongatha store cattle sale yesterday yarded 1600 head, where Thomas Foods International and Teys (as Charlton feedlot) competed strongly against butchers and local farmers.
Prices were firm on heifers, with a quality yarding of steers selling dearer and cows and calves selling to their quality and strong demand.
Teys buyer Geoff Swayne was at Wednesday’s fat cattle sale and was looking to complete his consignment at Thursday’s store sale. Feedlot enquiry underpinned the sale, but local farmers were keen to restock following recent heavy rain filling dry dams and giving grass an impetus to grow.
Young steers sold to an average of 451c/kg, for a run of 89, 9-10-month-old Angus and Black Baldy steers, Dunoon bloodline. The steers ranged from $1010-$720.
Vendor John Gillian, ‘Ashdale’, Dumbalk, was very happy with his return, when this year’s annual draft were lighter than average because of the dry conditions.
Among the grown steers, D&T Foat, Woodside, topped the market with 13 Angus males, 498kg, $1850.
N Roberts, Berry’s Creek, sold 16 Angus steers, 545kg, $1805.
Malcolm Donaldson, Berry’s Creek, sold 10 Angus steers, 497kg, $1800.
A line of 59 Angus steers, Allan and Paula Brown, Bridgewater Park, Wattlebank, sold to $1765, for a pen of 10, average liveweight 476kg. The line averaged $1716.
‘Adval’, Anderson, sold Angus steers, 422kg, $1600; Hereford steers, 478kg, $1510. A second pen of Herefords, 455kg, sold at $1450.
Tallangatta’s O2 Trust sold Angus steers to $1635 for a pen average liveweight 463kg; the lighter second pen, 385kg, sold at $1440.
Lighter steers also returned good prices with the floor price averaging $1000/head.
M Sellings, Yarram, sold Angus steers, 362kg, to $1300, from a base of $790.
Traralgon’s Rivernook Pastoral sold Charolais steers, 338kg, at $1110.
DG McKeown, Stony Creek, sold Angus steers in their winter coats, 303kg, to $1110.
LM Peters, Mirboo, received $860 for Angus F1 steers, 300kg.
Rivernook Pastoral, Traralgon, sold 16 Black Baldy heifers, 353kg, at $1270.
David Harris, Tarwin Lower, sold 12 Charolais heifers, 362kg, $1240.
A Frost, Corinella, sold Black Baldy and Hereford heifers, 355kg, for $1235. A line of Angus heifers, same vendor, sold to $1200, average $1019.
Toora’s PA&LJ Taylor sold Black Baldy heifers, 324kg, for $1100.
The Firs, White Creek, sold 10 Angus heifers, 312kg, at $1050; their 12 sisters, 296kg, sold at $955.
SR, MK & JR Greaves, Nerrena, sold 14mo Angus F1 heifers, McIndoe bloodline, $760; bought by a local vealer breeder.
There was strong competition for very plain cows with calves-at-foot (CAF).
T&P Dessant, Foster, sold four Angus units for $1590. A Hereford pair, same vendor, sold at $1560.
CJ&D Hales, Narracan, sold five Red Angus pairs at $1560.
Allambee Reserve’s P&F Cartwright sold Angus and Black Baldy cows with CAF to $1400.
Toora’s Padulla & Allott sent in six Tiger cows with Black Baldy calves-at-foot, depastured to an Angus bull, that sold to a top of $1270.
RJ McKenzie, Walkerville, sent in a pen of 15 Hereford heifers and second-calvers, pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) to a stud Hereford bull, that returned $1200.
AD Smith sold several pens of Charolais and Hereford cows PTIC to an Angus bull, to a top of $1300, twice, average $1150.
The cattle sale was supported by a large contingent of quality cattle put together by SEJ Livestock. Auctioneer James Kyle said older cattle were snapped up by TFI and Teys.
“Yearling steers and cattle under 300kg were mostly bought by local competition,” he said.
“The sale was a lot dearer than the last sale but with a better quality run of cattle. Prices have been steadily increasing in line with the fat market.”
