A FAVOURABLE season meant cattle offered at Yea on Friday were heavier than agents had expected.
Elders, Landmark and Rodwells offered 1600 steers, heifers, joined females, and cows and calves, 100-head more than originally advertised, at Yea’s monthly store cattle sale.
Rodwells Yea branch manager and auctioneer Adam Mountjoy said the cattle on offer, which were of a range of British and European breeds, were in “good condition, better than expected”.
“The season’s been favourable, but we were probably expecting a few lighter cattle, but cattle were better than expected, so we were pleasantly surprised,” Mr Mountjoy said.
The tops of the steers made $1360/head, which were 15 ‘Kakariki’ Angus steers, out of Seymour.
Mr Mountjoy said the lighter steers got dearer, with the balance of the steer weaners making 300-320 cents per kilogram.
He said the first of the European-cross calves were sold by ‘Narlga Downs’, Deniliquin, New South Wales, which for a pen of 20 8-10 month-old calves, topped at $1185/head.
“Strong processor competition and feedlot competition was evident on the European-cross cattle, with the remainder of the British-bred steers secured by Gippsland and north-east Victorian buyers,” he said.
He said joined females sold particularly well.
“The first joined Angus heifers topped at $1920/head, and heifers also sold to strong demand, with quite a lot of processor interest and feedlot interest on the heavier lines,” he said.
“Our best heifers topped at $1180/head, for 44 Angus heifers, by the Griffiths family, ‘Northwood’, Seymour.”
He said the remaining lighter-weight weaner heifers, at 7-9 months, sold from $800-$850/head.
Vendors came from the local area, being Yea, Alexandra, Mansfield, Yarck, Merton, Buxton, and Kilmore, with the exception of the single line from Deniliquin, New South Wales.
Mr Mountjoy said every now and again, cattle do come from the north.
“It’s not uncommon to get a line from New South Wales, we do sell one from there every couple of months,” he said.
Processors and feedlotters were highly active at the store cattle sale, as well as local buyers, and those from Gippsland and the north-east of Victoria.
The next store cattle sale at the Yea Selling Complex will be conducted on Friday, March 9, with Rodwells, Landmark and Elders to be the selling agents.