PAKENHAM agents offered a smaller yarding of 1320 cattle, Thursday, but overall the quality was better with more beef bred cattle penned. However, there were few heavier cattle penned with the yarding predominantly 200-400 kilograms liveweight.
Many of the older and heavier cattle have already been sold off, and now Gippsland producers are exiting their young cattle to make way for winter with next to no grass.
Having said this, some good falls of rain over the weekend assisted in steady demand from Gippsland producers. While their bidding was quite strong, solid numbers of steers and heifers were purchased for grain feeding.
A few bullock fatteners were looking for yearling steers with a bit of weight, but there was few of these offered. F Cockle, Narracan, sold 6 Angus steers (468kg) for $1460 to top the steer section, and H Gable, Skye, 8 Hereford steers (488kg) for $1430.
These were the only two pens of heavier steers offered. Visser & Anderson, Koo Wee Rup, sold 20 Angus-Hereford yearling steers (412kg) for $1305, and BK&EN Towt, Garfield North, 9 Angus yearling steers (407kg) for $1305.
Other yearling steers were penned but most weighed from 320-390 kgs lwt. SARS Investment, Ferntree Gully, sold 16 Angus steers for $1150, and D Smith, Bunyip, 27 Angus steers for $1180.
One sale of younger Angus steers (340kg) sold to Hopkins River feedlot for $1130, or 332c/kg lwt. These were the perfect article for grain feeding.
G Danks, Vesper, sold 18 Angus steers from $1040-$1140, T&M Dunn, North Blackwood, 22 Shorthorn steers from $870-$1060.
K&F Whelan, Outtrim, sold 7 Charolais steers for $1050, and F Hughes, Coldstream, 10 Charolais steers for $960.
As most of the steers were in light store condition, most sold between $650&$960. Malanik Farm, Trafalgar South, sold 24 Murray Grey steers from $720-$960, and H Armstrong, Bona Vista, 19 Hereford steers from $840-$965. A pen of 12 Speckle Park steers from Clover Cottage, French Island, sold for $935.
Esterville Nominees, Werribee, sold 67 very light Angus steers, which made from $580-$820. Similar in weight was 41 steers of Lojosa Springs, Glenburn, that sold from $650-$865.
A single pen of yearling Stud Limousin offered by J Britt, Lillico,heifers topped the heifer sale making $1240, which was 314c/kg lwt.
Numerous pens of yearling heifers were penned, and these sold to strong feedlot competition. CB&J Gardener, Moorooduc, sold 12 Angus heifers from $920-$1200, and K&F Whelan, 13 Charolais heifers, and G Davies, Vesper, 18 Angus heifers both sold for $1010.
Two weeks ago, Eyton on Yarra, Healesville, sold their weaned steers, and this week, they sold 66 Angus heifers, Dueran & Buchan Station blood, again because of the very dry conditions. These sold from $900-$1060, and all were purchased by the Sofra family, Whispering Pines, Clyde North, for future breeders.
Smiths Lane Pastoral, Clyde, sold 38 Angus heifers from $560-$675. Sassafras Creek, Buln Buln East, sell their milk to Murray Goulburn, and after the announced drop in milk price, the Cutler family decided to sell future milking heifers to make way for the winter. Their 22 Dairy Shorthorn heifers sold from $360, for 6 months old calves, to $680 for older heifers.
Joined females solf from $890 for Angus cows in store condition, to $1125 for Shorthorn heifers, the later purchased for slaughter.
The competition for cows and calves was better than the previous sale, and the offering was quite good. AEEK Partnership, Corinella. offered 4 Registered Limousin heifers and calves, which sold for $2350, and 2nd & 3rd calving cows for $1920.
I&R Awty, Narracan, sold 5 1st cross cows with CAF by Belgium Blue bulls from $1640-$1980. Main South Farm, Poowong East, sold quality Charolais cows with CAF by Hereford bulls from $1680-$1780. Last, but not least, was Argee Nominees, Caldermeade, selling 16 Angus cows with their 3rd Limousin calf at foot, for $1600.
