The Quilter family returned home to Narrandera after scoring a strong result for their draft of 134 EU-accredited steers at the annual Blue Ribbon Angus mixed sex weaner sale at Wodonga on Thursday.
The Quilter steers topped at $1255 for a pen of 30 Dinoon-blood nine to 10-month-olds weighing an average 391kg.
A pen of 53 steers, same age and breeding as the top pen but weighing an average 347kg, fetched $1160 a head.
And a third pen, weighing an average 313kg, were knocked down for $1095 a head at the Barnawartha selling complex.
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Mark Quilter, “Belalie”, Sandigo, near Narrandera, said he had been hoping to sell the weaners direct to a buyer but couldn’t get a firm price.
So he decided to sell them at Wodonga’s popular New Year premium Angus weaner sales and was pleased with the result.
“That (price) was pretty good,” he said. “It’s been a couple of years since we have been here (Wodonga),” he said.
He said their weaner draft, which included 43 heifers, had been grazing on good lucerne back home.
The Quilters run around 300 Angus breeders as well as a Dohnes Merino breeding flock, some of which are joined to White Suffolks.
They also plant winter crops on their 3000-hectare property.
Mr Quilter had plenty of family support at the Barnawartha sale with daughter, Renae, and sons, Brett and Dale, in attendance.