Last Thursday there were no other store markets, except for Warrnambool. This saw an extra commission buyer attend the fortnightly Pakenham market.
While this competition was very welcome, and it did lift the competition on numerous lines of cattle, prices were firm at best, and cheaper at times.
The yarding of 1045 head did include a good supply of well-bred cattle, but equally there were numerous crossbred and poorly bred cattle penned too.
Two pens of heavier yearling steers both topped the market at $1500.
Glendaolch Farms, Glenburn, sold 10 Angus steers, as part of 21 head that sold upward of $1000, and F&T Regan, Bunyip selling 11 Angus steers.
Numerous pens of steers sold between $1200&$1440. G&L Bone, Darnum, sold 28 Red Angus steers to $1440, and A Grove, Flinders, 15 Angus steers for the same money.
Steve Bassie, Greystokes Pastoral Co, Boisdale, is a very passionate, and good farmer.
However, His area has had very little rain, and many heavy frosts.
Steve made the decision to sell some of his Charolais steers, and save hay for later on.
His 24 Charolais steers (340-386kgs) sold from $1200-$1270, or 329-352c/kg lwt, which was well above Monday’s fat cattle sale.
Strong local competition, some being small farms, competed well for the younger, well bred steers, which created some excellent sales.
M Bollen, Myrtlebank, sold 53 Angus steers, Table Top blood, from $1040-$1230, or 350-372c/kg lwt. Marajon Pastoral Co, Glen Forbes, sold 27 Charolais, and Santa-Angus steers, from $1040-$1270.
Tallanbar Past Co, Yanakie, potentially had the sale of the day., selling 43 Angus steers, TeMania & Banquet blood, from $880-$1030.
These young calves were only light weights, and were estimated to equal 385-400c/kg lwt.
M Pozzenbon, Vesper, sold 14 young Angus steers from $890-$950, and B Reid, Heyfield, 17 Angus & Angus-Hereford steers from $1040-$1090.
Toward the end of the sale was a line of Friesian yearling steers, offered by Wilderben Farm, Giffard West.
Their 64 steers, spread over 5 pens, sold from $720-$980, and estimated to be 220-233c/kg lwt.
A couple of pens of Friesian bull calves sold from $400-$490.
Heifers, although cheaper, sold reasonably well. Greystokes Past Co, Boisdale, sold 16 Charolais heifers for $1150.
Many sales of good quality, well bred heifers, sold over $1000. PM&CA Buckland, Yellingbo, sold 11 Angus heifers for $1180, and Sausevlix P/L, Noojee, 11 Angus heifers for $1140.
G&P Briggs, Toolangi, sold 6 Charolais heifers for $1040, and S&D Chapman, Woodend, 5 Charolais heifers for $1000. M Bollen, Myrtlebank, sold their 34 Angus heifers from $800-$1010.
A mixed, but generally good selection of cows and calves finished off the day.
Olympus Arch, Pakneham, sold Limousin cows and calves, which had the opportunity back to the same bull.
A smaller cow sold for $1180, but 6 outfits sold from $1700-$2350. They also sold some PTIC cows from $1100-$2000.
J&R Farming, Darnum, sold 18 Hereford-Friesian cows with their 2nd calf at foot to a top of $2040.
Not all cows were in their Sunday best clothes, but sold very well, including the cows above. Mitchell Hill sold 10 Angus Friesian cows with their 3rd, 7 4th Limousin CAF, from $1920-$2000, and 9 PTIC cows for $1400.
J&K Ainsworth, Stradbroke West, sold 8 Angus cows and calves for $1700. Considering the current state of the fat cattle sales, all of the cows and calves presented for sole sold quite well.