Quality plus competition equaled a dearer market at Leongatha.
Agents offered 2250 cattle, Thursday, but Landmark were the leading agents offering close to 70 per cent of the yarding.
Prices were generally $50-$100 a head dearer for all steers, but female cattle were generally a little cheaper, especially some of the lighter weight heifers.
From the very first pen, it was very apparent that competition would be solid for steers.
Opening sales were dearer, but sales were mostly in smaller lots, or single owner pens.
RJ Holcombe, Turton’s Creek, sold 19 Angus steer calves, 298 kilograms liveweight, for $1000, or 336 cents a kilogram.
There was some apprehension on steers weighing below 300kg, but competition did vary here too.
Malanda Pastoral Co, Stradbroke, sold 26 Angus steers from $840-$870, averaging around 323c/kg lwt.
Many people commented on the quality of the yearling steers offered by Landmark. There were five lanes of Angus, Hereford, and their crosses, and Charolais steers in this line up.
Weights were displayed from 420 to over 600kgs, and the very strong demand from feedlots saw most sell from $1300-$1650, with some restocker competition for the heaviest steers, which sold to $1710.
To best measure the result, some steers sold for the equivalent of under 300c/kg, but most sold between 300-324c/kg lwt.
Two large drafts of yearling steers tell the best story.
B&A Garrett, Woodstock, Upper Flynn, sold 98 steers from $1400-$1650, for an average liveweight price of just under 300c/kg.
The other was Ranleigh Downs, Walkerville, who sold 192 steers from $1240-$1660, and the liveweight price average here was around 312c/kg. Most of these steers were purchased for grain feeding.
“Wallenbeen”, Walkerville, sold 90 steer calves from $830-$1030, mostly 324-351c/kg lwt.
“Mirrabooka”, Walkerville, sold 73 steer calves from $790-$930, and all the way from Cathcart, NSW, was Lowanna Properties selling 112 steers. These Monaro-bred steers sold very well, making between $860-$1190.
There were numerous pens of Charolais and Charolais-cross steers yarded, ranging from $790 for young calves, to $1600 for solid yearling steers. Most of these were purchased for grain feeding.
Crossbred steers sold to restricted competition, as did Friesians
J&J Sutherland, Strzelecki, sold 36 steers from $610-$1150 for 300-490kg of weight.
Most of the Friesian steers sold between $320-$660, with odd sales of heavier, older steers to $770.
While one of the best sales was 13 Hereford steers (328kg) of G Langshaw, Sale, which made $1160, some bucket-reared Angus-Friesian calves of J&J Gaudion, Driffield, made from $320-$410, and pound for pound, these were the dearest steers.
The same story could not be told in the heifer market, with most selling cheaper.
Some sales of yearling heifers were reasonable, equaling 252-272c/kg lwt, but lighter, younger heifers were cheaper.
“Warrigal Creek” sold 42 yearling Angus heifers from $770-$910, and only a couple of single sales to $1150 topped these prices.
Most of the younger heifers sold between $420-$700, many equaling just 200-245c/kg lwt.
Powell River Downs, Wonthaggi, sold a run of Hereford heifers from their breeding herd at Heyfield.
These store condition heifers sold at rates between $515-$750.
Cows and calves were scarce, but this helped little in the end result.
McKenzie-Smith, Mountain View, sold three good quality Angus cows with young calves for $1330, and Lowanna Properties, Cathcart, sold seven Angus-Hereford heifers with CAF, 2-3 months, for $1280.