On the eve of the annual Myrtleford Festival, Paull & Scollard held their annual feature calf sale, last Friday.
While many weekenders were arriving in Myrtleford, a large crowd gathered at Paull & Scollard’s iconic saleyard set among the old gum trees.
Well attended, but including very little northern competition, this sale was very strong.
A volume came from the Western District, and one buyer from the Mornington Peninsula, were two of the successful purchasers.
Much of the competition came from producers and agents in more local districts.
Selling the offering of around 1800 head was relatively easy, although some of the heaviest steers sold at rates slightly easier than January feature sales.
This sale can be best described as very firm with neither the very to, nor the bottom seen.
Zanotto Family Trust, Myrtleford, topped both the steer and heifer sale, selling high quality, well finished cattle. The steers sold for $1465, and the heifers $1240.
Several vendors sold steers close to the top price. PH&RI Serpell, Running Creek, sold 5 heavy Simmental steers for $1440, their lighter steers for $1190.
Only two or three pens of very young steers sold for less than $1000, making $860-$950 with most steers making between $1050 & $1385.
Only a few pens had been weighed, as Auctions Plus was not invited to be an associate agent this year.
Liveweight price equivalents were estimated to be mostly from 365-395 cents per kilogram.
W&P Maguire, Havilah, sold 69 Angus steers, Pinnacle blood, from $1250$1430. Rob Muller, Buckland valley, offered 76 steers of varying weight, and breeding. His Angus & Angus-Hereford steers were buy Alpine Angus bulls, and his Hereford steers, Rosstella bulls. Prices ranged from $1125-$1410.
Another major vendor was Doug Hamilton, Whorouly, who sold 90 Angus steers by Alpine bulls. These made from $1100 for a pen of steers that had some previous pink eye issues, to a top of $1270.
Pink eye has been a late problem this summer, but few were seen at the sale. Also missing from the sale this year was a few pens of cows with calves at foot.
Very noticeable in their lack of appearance was heifers. In particular, and very noticeable was a lack of Angus heifers, after a recent live export order was filled.
Buyers looking for younger and lighter weights steers, and heifers, were disappointed. Denise Rae, Murmungee, sold 20 Webb Black Simmental steers, 6-7 months, from $1160-$1195. Win Marley, Eurobin, who had major flood issues in early summer, sold 88 plain condition steers from $860-$1105.
Angus-Hereford and Hereford heifers made up most of the heifer yarding, and a great season closer to the hills saw many heifers in very good condition, and of heavier weights, than normal.
The sale of Angus heifers was best noted by J&B Fraser, Harrietville with 15 heifers making $1170, and P&E Roman, Carboor, 15 heifers at $1140.
Their was some processor competition for quality, younger heifers. This aided a price range for most other heifers of $1000-$1120.
Dalbosco Investments, Eurobin, sold 33 Angus-Hereford heifers from $1080-$1120, and Rob Muller, Buckland Valley, 60 Angus-Hereford heifers from $1000-$1140.
Straight-bred Hereford heifers were in short supply with many kept home for future breeders. Masterton Brothers, Buffalo River, sold 10 Hereford heifers for $1110, and their Angus-Hereford heifers made from $1000-$1080.
Colin Hall, the middle of the three generations of Hall’s selling at this sale, sold 10 Hereford heifers for $1120. These and some other heifers sold to bidding supported by breeders.
All in, this was a very good result, especially considering how much most of the north east has dried out in the past few weeks.
