The final Tasmanian autumn weaner sale for 2017 held no surprises with prices virtually unchanged and no interstate interest expressed.
Buyers primarily from the northwest and northeast coasts along with some feedlot interest secured the majority of the cattle that were sourced mainly from the Northern Midland and the northeast coast.
According to NLRS reporter Richard Bailey, the market was typical for an “end-of-season” sale.
“There were more small pen-lots but the better lines of well-bred cattle met very strong competition,” he said.
The sale, which was a combined Elders and Roberts Limited market of 1645 head, sold best pens of heavy steers from $1180- $1550, medium weights from $1070 to $1250 and light steers from $880 to $1180 a head.
Mr Bailey’s NLRS report noted that heavy and medium weight steers worked out between 350-390c/kg while light calves averaged around 435c/kg liveweight.
Nick Towns, Roberts agreed the market was consistent on previous sales but said few good quality lines were penned. Among the Roberts sellers: AS McShane, Avoca sold 12 Lochaber Angus steers, 487kg at $1550, Weld River Farm, Welborough sold 90 Angus (heaviest 387kg) to $1400, average $1286 a head while Mrs FM Grose, Hobart sold yards of Brooklyne Angus steers, 324kg, at $1250 and a 273kg pen at $1170.
In the Elders yards: M Wright, Sunset Ridge sold Angus steers to $1600, Happy Valley Pastoral sold Angus steers to $1410, B A Dalco, Fairlands sold Angus steers to $1300 while S Griggs, Rosemount sold 49 steers to average $1127 a head.
Major buyers included: Dart Cattle Company, Wynyard – 100 steers to $1120, G & N Crole, Trowutta- 76 heifers to $980, PG Young and Sons, Lileah – 61 steers to $1380 and G&B Lindsay, Bracknall – 49 to $1250.
In the heifer run heaviest heifers made $1000-$1270, medium weights $930-$1030 and light heifers, $770-$990 a head.
Compared to steers, heifers sold very well with most averages around 355c/kg Mr Bailey claimed.
A pen of Hiawatha Farms, Angus cows with Angus calves at foot made to $1700.