THE Angus breed kicked off 2018 in style, with strong prices for Angus and Angus-cross cattle in the New Year weaner sales in southern NSW and Victoria.
The top result for weaner steers over the three sales at Wodonga in the first week of January was $1410 a head for 19 Angus steers from the Macaulay family, Huon. Yearling steers reached $1495 for 52 Angus steers from Merrangull, Violet Town.
At Yea, Vic, on January 5, Philip Webb, Glenburn, sold 20 Angus steers for $1330, and steers from Murray and Anne Howard, Beeac, topped the January 8 Colac sale, making $1360.
Heathdale, Stewarts Range, sold 23 steers for $1380 at Naracoorte on January 4, and at Hamilton, Angus yearling steers from Corra, Penshurst, made $1458, topping the two days of Angus sales on January 8 and 9.
Angus Australia president Libby Creek, Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, said the weaner sales had been a great start to the year.
“While weaner sales in general have been reported as back by 60 cents a kilogram to 70c/kg on last year’s record prices, there have still been wonderful results in the recent weaner sales for many Angus breeders,” Mrs Creek said.
Last year was an outstanding year for the breed, with a record price for an Angus female – $190,000 – achieved for Millah Murrah Prue M4, and the implementation of the the single step Angus Breedplan analysis in November,
“The Angus breed continues to go from strength to strength with more than 118,000 cows recorded on the Angus female inventory – a record number and an increase of 10 per cent on the previous year,” Mrs Creek said.
Mrs Creek said she expected 2018 to be another big year, with the breed introducing the new Angus GeneSeek product earlier this month, as well as a holding a successful Angus Youth Roundup, which included 150 participants, in January.
“Angus Australia continues to expand the Angus brand verification services and incorporation into Angus Australia’s commercial supply chain, along with a focus of innovation and research through projects such as the Angus Sire Benchmarking Project and the many collaborative add-on projects involving other research organisations,” she said.