It was the biggest crowd seen at the Sharp Fullgrabe’s Hinnomunjie calf sale. Local buyers and those from interstate, feedlots and processors competed on the 1538-head yarding.
A pen of Penderscourt Poll Hereford-Shorthorn cross calves had pride of place in pen one of the sale. The 16 steers, 13-14 months, 464kg, Yavenvale and Rostulla Poll Hereford, and Royalla Poll Shorthorn bloodlines; and sold for $1570/head to Paul Pendergast.
Penderscourt’s draft sold well. Commission buyer Peter Tooey bought their next two pens – he paid $1510 for 18 Jan/March drop brothers, 419kg; and $1360 for 14 at 375kg, May/June drop.
Best presented pen was won by PJ&SM Soutter’s 24 Poll Hereford steers, which sold for $1280 to SEJ Livestock. SEJ also bought their next 27 for $1100. The Soutter family’s next 28 made $975.
BS Dyer’s top 19 Poll Herefords steers sold for $1385 to Mr Tooey, for WA-owned Harmony Farms. Their next 20 sold to SEJ Livestock for $1300 and the next 20 made $1150.
Most calves didn’t have weights displayed but estimates put steers at 365 to 410c/kg live weight, with lighter pens making more than $4/kg.
In the first run of Angus steers, CJ Pendergast & Co’s top pen of 18 Angus steers, by Ireland Angus bulls, sold for $1450 to Max O’Doherty, Landmark Tralagon. Their next 28 made $1240, 31 at $1040. Their black baldies also topped at $1450 for 19, then 22 at $1310, 18 at $1180, 19 at $1050 and 25 to $980 including to Alex Scott & Staff, Warragul, HFR Richardson, Geelong and Mr O’Doherty.
In the Euro-infused steers were Brett Lancaster’s eight Charolais-Angus cross calves topped at $1190; and their next 10 made $1050.
Mr Lancaster had the top-priced pen of heifers. These 15 Charolais-Angus cross heifers sold for $1180, and his next six were knocked down for $985 to Schuer Boers.
Other heifer highlights included RE&ME Pendergast’s 10 black baldies, $1005.
CJ Pendergast & Co also had a run of impressive Angus and Angus cross heifers. Their top pen of 20 Angus heifers made $980, the next 22 at $940; and the 82 black baldies made $800 to $970.
Commission buyer Graeme Ward was very active on the heifers and his other purchases included AL Fitzgerald’s 20 Hereford heifers at $950; T&AL Johnston’s 28 Poll Herefords at $850 and their next 23 for $840.
Another volume buyer from Tralagon bought a beautiful line of the black heifers.
Graeme Fullgrabe, Sharp Fullgrabe, said restockers were also keen to secure heifers to breed on with, so in some cases they could have been a bit dearer in terms of cents per kilogram than their brothers.
Mr Fullgrabe said he was “…very, very satisfied with the sale today.”
“Repeat buyers that bought last year came back, but got knocked off this time, so they [the calves] made more money than they thought they would make.
“Those older cattle, yes you could see the value in them, but when you got into the second or third run of cattle in the steers and the heifers, they sold very good, and if you worked them out per kilo, you'd be very happy.”
