- Yarded – 760
- Steers: 360-450kg, $980-$1290, av 284c; 280-360kg: $860-$1140, av 311c/kg
- Heifers: 360-450kg, $1050-$1200, av 265c/kg; 280-360kg: $790-$1000, av 258c/kg
A LIVE export order was a welcome addition to the buying gallery at the Colac store sale on Friday.
Vying for a mixed-quality yarding of 760 head, the sale offered a large percentage of smaller “clean-up” lots, following the district's annual January weaner sales, as local producers await an autumn break.
Stewart-Dove P/L auctioneer Phil Douglas said local producers were generally playing a wait and see game.
Water and feed had rapidly disappeared from local paddocks, especially over the past month, and many would-be restockers were awaiting the outcome of the weather in the lead-up to Easter.
“The springs are running everywhere,” Mr Douglas announced before the sale.
“It’s sign a change in the weather is on the way, and the cattle market will turn when it arrives.”
Opening the sale, the three yards of two and four-tooth Angus steers appeared good buying.
Sold on account of Lauderdale, these made $1180 for 427 kilograms, $1130 for 476kg, and $1300/head for 516kg cattle.
J&N Cornish sold yards of Charolais/Angus, 490kg and 438kg, at a bid of $1290/head for the lot.
A feature line of Geoff Coverdale’s Angus steers, South Purrumbete, were eagerly sought by local interests, with the tops weighing 350kg, and selling at $1200, while a second yard, 321kg, made $1140.
The live export order, supplied by Landmark International, booked almost 100 head.
It bid on yards of all breeds, while two Ballarat opportunity feeder orders focused mostly on Euro-breeds.
However most of these purchases were taken from yards containing mostly less than 10 head.
Some of the better sales included a pen of 12 Angus, 317kg, that made $1000 for A McDonald while W&L Johns sold seven Angus, 351kg, also at $1000.
D Erwin sold nine Angus and Murray Grey steers, 331kg, at $870, and R&T Armistead sold seven Red Angus steers, 324kg, at $960.
In the heifer pens, RJ Goodall gained a solid result with the sale of seven Angus, 445kg, at $1200.
A Barber sold Angus heifers, 465kg and 426kg, at $1140 and $1160.
M Curtis cleared nine Angus heifers, 378kg, at $1050.
Most other heifer sales were made upwards of $790, and included South Purrumbete Angus heifers, 321kg, which sold at $910.
Quality lots of cows and calves drew good interest.
Roftel P/L sold 17 large-framed Charolais-Angus, with fourth Charolais calves to four weeks at foot.
Unmated, these made $2140, while Warravale also sold Charolais-Angus cows- third calvers, with young calves, for $2000 per outfit.
