SALE agents offered a small yarding of just 487 cattle, last Friday. While this offering was relatively small for spring, the quality was very good.
GG&EJ Bates, Maida Vale, was the major vendor, selling 138 Angus steers, and 80 heifers. Geoff Bates said “we have spent a lot of time and money improving our herd of Hazeldean bloodline females”. “We use only the best semen for AI, from Hazeldean bulls”, Geoff said. This practice was very evident in their cattle with steers and heifers displaying good shape, and forward store condition.
The Bates Angus steers weighed between 383 & 461 kilograms liveweight, and sold from $1610-$1720 to average a very healthy $1667. This equated to a liveweight price average of 400c/kg.
The sale opened with four pens of yearling steers, 0-2 teeth, from the property of K&M Lazzaro. Their 48 steers sold between $1610 and $1980, to average $1722. Being older steers their liveweight price average was 353c/kg.
Other than these two lines if steers, only a few small lines were penned. These steers varied in weight and age, selling from 1130-$1560. G&L King sold 12 Angus steers for an average of $1550. BJ Lees sold 12 Angus steers, 298kgs, for $1150, followed by 10 Angus-Hereford steers of F Van Doeselaar, that made $1130.
Only three sales of small and crossbred steers sold below $1000, such was the need for grass eaters.
Geoff & Elizabeth Bates, Maida Vale, sold 80 Angus & Angus-Hereford heifers to complete their day. These very good quality heifers sold from $1260-$1420, to average a very solid $1330. Many of these heifers were purchased for grain feeding, and averaged 389c/kg lwt.
KD Stothers offered 8 Angus & 15 Charolais yearling heifers, which sold from $1090-$1095. There was hardly a heifer that sold under $1000, which saw prices equal 363-411c/kg lwt.
A&J Greaves sold 12 Angus heifers for $1110, K Oliver, 21 Angus-Hereford heifers from $1000-$1140, and G&L King, 9 Angus heifers for $1090.
To complete the sale, S&D Walker sold 4 Poll Hereford heifers and calves for $1840, and Perkins & Stothers 5 Angus cows PTIC to Angus, for $1540.