Consignment places read like a road map of Victoria and New South Wales, when reading the pen cards at Wodonga agents’ Barnawartha store cattle market, Thursday.
Sellers came from Broken Hill, NSW, to Bindi in the mountains, and from Broadford, just north of Melbourne, to Jindabyne, with many districts in between.
Agents offered 2057 cattle, 500 more than advertised, and there were few large lines of cattle, although some very good quality, well bred steers and heifers were penned.
P&M Ranson, Benalla, sold three Charolais heifers and calves for $1860 per head, topping the sale of 39 cows and calves.
S O’Donnell, Yea, sold 6 Angus cows with young calves at foot to $1780. Others sold between $1120-$1760.
AW Logie have sold “Rivergold” at Howlong, and offered 37 mixed-age cows, which were on the point of calving to Limousin bulls. These sold from $1200-$1650.
A rarity here, and at other store sales, was the lack of heavier yearling steers.
M Palmer, Sandy Creek, sold 19 Santa Gertrudis steers, 489 kilograms liveweight, which made $1370, otherwise the heaviest steers were 418kgs.
Two pens of steers sold for the next highest price of $1200, a pen of Angus steers, offered by J Dalton, Warranbayne, and JC&JM Maddock, also with a pen of Angus steers.
It is not fair to say there were bargains in the steer sale with many selling for the equivalent liveweight price range of 288-330c/kg.
Whitsed & Colbert sold Charolais steers to $1095, Kendsal Green Beef, Bungowannah, sold 45 Angus steers from $845-$1025, and Murraka Pastoral Co, Bethanga, sold one Angus and seven Angus-Hereford steers from $785-$990.
There was limited feedlot competition with a larger, annual calf sale being held at Adelong on the same day.
Also stopping feedlot competition was the lack of yearling steers of any weight.
Teys-Charlton feedlot did buy the heaviest pens of European-bred steers, and some local opportunity feeders made purchases.
Local and district producers showed more confidence after a good lift in fat cattle prices this week.
It was obvious that it has been very dry around Broken Hill, as DM McKenzie sent 141 steers and 80 heifers to Barnawartha, in a nine-hour journey. These cattle were in plain condition, and of lighter weights.
Selling to strong competition, pound for pound, these cattle sold very well. The Angus, and Charolais steers sold from $400-$865. Care and attention will be needed in the early stages, to improve these cattle.
Most cattle had been weighed, but sold open auction.
EJ Gates, Bindi, sold 22 young Hereford steers, $700-$715, equaling 319 and 368c/kg lwt respectively.
Brewer Past Co, Koetong, sold 33 young Angus calves, 161-206kgs, from $585-$650.
Heifers sold to mixed competition, some selling well, some not so.
Scott’s Angus, Henty, sold 49 yearling Angus heifers, which created strong demand. Very good breeding counted, and weighing between 379-458kg, they sold from $1080-$1280.
Charolais heifers sold to $935, and Whitsed&Colbert sold 18 Charolais heifers to $885.
C&E Williams sold 49 Angus heifer calves from $605-$940.
The heifers from Broken Hill sold between $545-$715, a good result for their size and quality.
