THERE were a number of reasons for the good prices paid at Sale’s store cattle market last Friday, where 526 were yarded.
Numbers were down because of the rain in the previous 24 hours – between 15 and 100mm in East Gippsland. Trucks were unable to access some farms.
Farmers who have sold in recent fat cattle markets were after replacement store steers and heifers and were prepared to outbid butchers and feedlot operators.
Prices continue to rise at Sale, breaking through the 300 cents-a-kilogram ceiling on Friday.
And some shrewd operators were looking to restock just before the end of the financial year, according to auctioneer Graeme McGillivray, Rodwells Sale.
More than one pen of grown steers skimmed just under the 300c/kg mark.
It was a pen of 11, 18-month-old Angus steers, vendor B&L Russell, Airly, that realised $1130 a head or 305c/kg.
JT&HL Nettlebeck, Maffra, sold the highest priced cattle – two pens of rising two-year-old Angus steers, 515kg, that sold to $1380, or 268c/kg.
Jim Dean, Rosedale, sold a pen of 11 Angus steers, 420kg, for $1250 each or 298c/kg. A second pen, same vendor, sold for $920.
WB&MN Hawkins, Seaspray, sold 15-16 month-old Angus steers at $1200.
Peter Johnston sent in two-year-old Angus and Hereford steers – the Angus sold to $1140, the Hereford to $990.
AD, BM&GA Condron, Stratford, sent in 16 South Devon-Red Angus steers, 14mo, 360kg, that returned $1040.
PJ Murray, Newry, sold three Shorthorn-cross steers, to $1050, average $1015.
SD&MM Miller, Nambrok, sent in nine Charolais steers, 9-10 months, that returned $970.
Don and Faye Rash, Fernbank, sold five Hereford-Freisian steers, $960; six Friesian Speckle steers, $760; and five Friesian steers, $910.
There was some well bred heifers at Sale too.
Vendor SD&MM Miller, Nambrok, sold nine Charolais heifers, to $990, av $877.
John Spencer, Stratford, sold two pens of 9-10 month-old weaner Angus heifers to a top of $910, av $830.
JH Chester, Heyfield, sent in two pens of 12 month-old Angus heifers that sold to $760, av $725.
First- and second-calving cows with calves at-foot (CAF) were a popular buy.
Jim Dean, Rosedale, sent in 10 Angus first-calvers with CAF, that sold for $1580/unit.
A springing two-year-old Angus heifer, same vendor, sold for $1250.
Gary Langshaw, Wooundellah Simmentals, Fulham, sold a pen of nine Simmental heifers with Blonde d’Aquitaine CAF at $1410.
SD&MM Miller, Nambrok, sold 14 Hereford-Shorthorn cows, joined to a Charolais bull, calving July on, $1180.