MIXED quality and breeding was noticeable in a smaller offering of 1200 cattle at Pakenham, Thursday.
Fewer cattle were consigned from the other side of Melbourne with most coming from west and south Gippsland.
If not for two commission buyers, who had several orders each, the market result could have been worse, as local producers ponder a cold winter with minimal feed.
Cattle offered varied from bullocks to young and very light steers and heifers, and their quality was very mixed too.
It was one of those Pakenham yardings where every agent had pens with paint marks, and very few drafts larger than two or three pens.
For a potential buyer looking to put a line of cattle together, it proved very difficult. With most areas of Gippsland needing the forecast rain this coming weekend, demand was not up to the standard of the previous sale here, two weeks ago.
Numerous pens of yearling and older steers were penned, weighing from 420-653 kilograms liveweight. These sold anywhere between 288&345c/kg, averaging around 321c/kg, a reduction of 12c/kg lwt. Of course, this market is an open auction sale, and weights are a guide only.
Blue Dog Ridge Pastoral, Boolara, sold 16 steers and bullocks from $1550-$1880, Gippsland Valley Farms, Ranceby, 26 steers from $1370-$1520, and L&I Stephonson, Bayles, 10 Hereford steers, 560kgs, selling for $1660.
A couple of other examples of note are, RJ&CD Davis, selling 19 Angus steers, 0 teeth, 458-488kgs, from $1510-$1570. MJS Pastoral, Garfield, 29 Angus steers, Wattlewood blood, from $1405-$1550.
Steers of mid weight ranges sold to reasonable condition for better bred steers. Robinson grazing, Tomuc Valley, sold 23 Angus steers, Leawood & Welcome swallow blood, from $1195-$1370.
The sale opened with three pens of young Friesian steers. These sold from $365-$465, and during the course of the sale, older, and better quality steers sold to $990.
The small number of pens of younger steers sold mostly between $900&$1200 with a few weighing up to 370kgs making to $1350.
The very best of the breeders steers sold well on the day. G Murray, Nar Nar Goon, sold 13 Angus steers for $1080, or 383c/kg, and L Lupton, Bonnie Doon, 10 Charolais steers, for $1200, also equaling 383c/kg lwt.
Yearling heifers sold to varying competition with some purchased for breeding, some for grain feeding, and many just to return to the paddock. Yearling heifers sold mostly from $1000-$1500 with MJS Pastoral, Garfield, selling 11 Angus heifers for $1405, and D Simposn, Cardinia, 6 Angus heifers for the top price.
Many heifers sold from $700-$980 with some of the best competition seen for young, lightweight heifers. Kettle Cattle Co, Bangholme, sold 22 Angus & Hereford heifers from $770-$800.
JK Tanner, Tyers, sold 8 Simmental cross heifers from $810-$1100 with their mothers to be sold later in the market.
Competition for the 43 young Hereford heifers of Clayton Hill P/L, Drouin East, was strong. these young heifers sold from $680-$855, averaging just over $800 per head.
Cows and calves were few, A&L griffin, Warragul South, sold 2 Limousin heifers and calves for $2200 7 $2825. G Bekiri, Skye, sold 4 Hereford cows with their 1st & 2nd Charolais calves, for $2325, and Dunsyre Investments, 9 Angus cows with CAF, 6-8 months, for $2600.
The 16 Simmental cross cows of JK Tanner, Tyers, were PTIC to a Limousin bull for September calving, and these sold from $1300-$1640.
Prices for steers and heifers sold mostly from $30-$50 cheaper, and now, some could return to fat sales.