SEJ LEONGATHA held their annual summer sale, Friday, on a very big day for Gippsland with Bairnsdale agents selling 3500 head too.
The Bairnsdale sale took nothing away from this Leongatha sale with the car park at over capacity. This sale included the largest and best quality offering of yearling steers seen for many months with at least 40 pens of Angus and Hereford steers, weighing over 450 kilograms liveweight, being offered.
This large offering of yearlings attracted tow export processors who purchased hundreds of steers between them to feed for up to 100 days. This saw a top price paid of $1880 with many selling from $1600 and over.
Large lines of cattle helped make the sale. Adval P/L, Anderson, sold 232 mostly Angus and Hereford steers from $1500-$1880 to average $1750.
Equal to this was the 309 head offered by Spectrum Finance Services P/L, which sold to $1820, av $1711. Shellcot Partnership, Foster, sold 89 Angus steers to $1840, av $1677. These three major lines totalling over 600 head equalled in liveweight price terms, 303-335c/kg for the heavier end, and up to 350c/kg for lighter weight yearlings.
There were many good sales among the penning of weaned steer calves, which were mostly 8-11 months of age. Again here, larger drafts of steers best emphasise the strength of the sale. Greenwald Pastoral Co, foster, sold 383, predominantly Angus steer calves, making to $1440, to average $1244.
A popular favourite among the crowd was the 138 Angus steer calves of Pilkington & Toohey, Sandy Point. Selling to numerous repeat buyers, they made to $1500 for a single, but averaged $1232 for 273-350kg steers.
Another crowd favourite was K&E Heegan, Binginwarri, selling 103 Red Angus steers to $1500, av $1368.
There was other buyers present purchasing feeder steers, although much of the competition for steer calves came from local Gippsland producers. Prices for younger steers sold from a base of $1010 to $1150.
Some Friesian steers were offered, ranging from calves just off the bucket at $610-$665, while older steers sold to $980.
Short and sweet best describes the small offering of just 500 heifers. A few pens of Angus heifers were penned suiting breeders, which sold to a top of $1365. KR Hendrick, Inverloch, sold 29 Angus heifers from $1195-$1355. Other more mature heifer calves sold from $1230-$1295.
Younger heifer calves sold very well with very young heifers making $850 with others up to $1130. J Tuffin, Toora, sold 73 Angus-Hereford & Hereford heifers from $1165-$1275. Pilkington & Toohey Angus heifers sold from $1060-$1160. These very well heifers, by Yancowinna Angus bulls, equalled liveweight prices from 383-409c/kg.
Snow Rural, Bengworden, East Gippsland, sold a large run of 123 Angus heifers from $675-$1200 with liveweights displayed up to 288kgs.
