- Yarding: 2645
- Steers: 500-650kg $1440-$1500, av 250c/kg: 450-550kg: $1280-$1410, av 272c/kg: 360-450kg: $1025-$1330, av 298c/kg; 280-360kg: $950-$1150, av 314c/kg
- Heifers: 360-450kg: $960-$1200, av 274c/kg; 280-360kg: $920-$980, av 290c/kg
Ballarat cattle sellers were rewarded with a strong and consistent result when the central Highland’s saleyard played host to its March store sale on Friday.
Offering a quality penning of 2640 head, an eager gathering of processor and lot feeder buyers, along with two representatives from the live export trade, consumed the lion’s share of the pennings at fully firm to near-equal values.
TB White and Sons auctioneer Tom Madden said the inquiry for feeder cattle was constant in both the steer and heifer yardings.
“If the cattle were good enough – were in forward condition and offered weights suitable to feed – then they certainly generated interest,” Mr Madden said.
“And the prices paid were in keeping with last month’s annual sales.”
Several yards of heavy bullocks were penned at the head of the grown steer run.
RG Cooper sold Hereford and Hereford-Angus steers, 648 kilograms, at $1500/head.
These went to Oakdale Meat Company, along with five Angus steers, 627kg, sold by D Murphy, also at $1500.
In the opening lane J&F (Swift) Feedlots bid to $1490 for 10 Angus steers, 580kg.
These were offered by A Taylor, while Teys Charlton Feedlot, in a 300 head sweep from the market, booked 12 AD Hobbs Angus steers, 523kg, at $1410, along with 10 Angus, 462kg, sold by M.Candelero, at $1280.
Pens offered by Arrandale,15 Angus, 472kg, sold at $1370, and AJ Vallance, sold19 Angus, 445kg, at $1290, which both went on the Teys Charlton truck, along with 23 Warrenvale Angus steers, 460kg, bid to $1290.
A number of larger drafts that missed the annual February sales came under keen consideration.
Laguna Bay Pastoral sold 30 Angus steers, 383kg, at $1140, while Bowdens Point sold 15 Angus, 342kg, at $1050, with the latter secured by Hopkins River Pastoral.
At the head of the weaner run, LS Shaw, Newlyn, sold 434kg Angus steers at $1350, while AJ Vallance, Mt Prospect, also sold his yard of 411kg Angus, loaded onto the Teys Charlton truck, priced at $1210.
Rowallan Lodge, Windermere, sold Angus steers, 403kg, at $1200, H.Wade and Sons, sold 25 Angus, 399kg, at $1190, and Wolgan, Brewster, sold 36 Angus, 366kg, at $1180.
Backgrounders and speculators from a broad area of western Victoria took a stronger interest in the purchase of lighter weaner lines.
However buying in this section was more opportunistic than the sale a month earlier, given a break in the season was still to be received.
Restockers from Penshurst, Echuca-Bendigo, Geelong-Colac, Ararat, Camperdown, and Kyneton, along with the local Ballarat district, all secured pens from the market.