Pakenham agents offered a little more than 1500 cattle last Thursday, to a large and enthusiastic crowd.
However, the supply of cattle from much of Gippsland and north of Melbourne were very mixed for age, weight, breeding and quality.
This led to a softening in price for some of the steers, while heifers and cows with calves sold very well. Demand did improve later in the sale to see some prices hold at recent levels.
Pakenham agents pen differently to all other selling complexes, which can be confronting for buyers only wanting to purchase steers. This does create an ebb and flow in competition throughout the day.
Strong demand for yearling steers to carry on to bullocks, saw numerous sales from $1550-$1790.
S&J Falcone, Bunyip, sold 25 Charolais steers from $1450-$1790, the heavier steers equalling 363c, and the lighter weights 405c/kg.
Such was the demand for these older steers that it creating a reasonable fluctuation of prices, against weight and breeding. AL&AJ Bullen, Lang Lang, sold 41 Angus steers from $1590-$1750, which was over 375c/kg lwt.
In such markets, demand for different breeds affects price averages, and it is fair to say that the Angus breed can dominate a market.
However, when the spring grass is growing and prices are very good at physical sales, a lot of this goes out the door. Oaks Pty Ltd, Glenfern, sold yearling Hereford steers for $1585, or 373c/kg lwt, which was similar to most Angus yearlings.
There was an opportunity to measure this sale against other Pakenham sales of two and four weeks ago, with the same producers selling their cattle.
D&C Droppert, Fulham, sold 35 Hereford steers from $1505-$1550, which was equal in liveweight prices to their previous sales over the past month.
K&K Anderson, The Avenues, Flynn, sold 22 Angus steers for $1305, which was 25c/kg lwt average lower than four weeks previous.
Clover Cottage, French Island, sold 12 Speckle Park steers for $1010, which when compared pound for pound was unchanged.
Typical of all sales, the younger and lighter weight steers sold to very strong competition, and while some sales were unchanged, some were at weaker rates.
Some examples are, RG Bailey, Glen Forbes, selling 23 Angus and Angus-Hereford steers from $1060-$1180.
Chester Smith, Bega Valley, sent 33 Angus steers to Pakenham, which sold for $950-$1100. Wanneroo Angus, Yarra Valley, sold 33 Angus steers from $1020-$1090.
For a change of breed, Maybrook Pastoral Co, Woodfield, sold 16 younger Charolais steers from $1060-$1120. All of the above mentioned sales were over 400c/kg, and up to 435c/kg lwt.
As dairy farmers lock up paddocks for hay or silage, more Friesian steers are offered, These sold very well making mostly from $750-$1070.
Heifers sold very well with some solid competition trying to make purchases. However, again the price trends varied, due to age, weight and condition.
Basil Byrne, Black Wattle Angus, Birregurra, sold 19 Angus heifers from $1280-$1450, while most of the heifers sold between $880 & $1270. The Firs, White Creek, sold 35 Angus heifers from $1050-$1270.
Maybrook Pastoral Co.’s Charolais heifers sold from $980-$1010. Lightweight heifers sold well too. G&J Mason, Longwarry North, sold 11 Hereford heifers for $1000, and D&S Grant, Wyndham, 37 Angus-Friesian and Hereford-Friesian,heifers from $600-$900, which were of very light weight.
R&J Harris offered a mixed line of 23 cows and calves, making from $1720-$2420, but it was the six stud Angus cows with older calves that made the sale, making $3000.
