Prices for Angus grown steers scratched out a meager sale top of $1220 a head at Colac store cattle sale on Friday where a mixed and plain quality yarding of 630 was penned.
Restocker and opportunity feeder buyers from the local district supplied the bulk of the competition and retained a large portion of the yarding to within 100 kilometres of the southwest selling centre.
An overnight fall of 25 to 40 millimetres of rain across the Colac Otway and Southwest districts was comforting relief for local area producers boosting the prospects for the upcoming spring.
Colac Stock Agents’ president, Phillip Douglas, said that some areas in the Colac region were in need of rain before the overnight.
“It will place the minds of those needing rain at rest for awhile but there are other areas in our district that are reasonably well off for moisture at the moment,” he said.
Across the penning heavy steers weighed at 360 to 450kg made $1090 to $1220 a head and averaged 275 cents a kilogram liveweight. Steers, 280-360kg, made $840 to $1100, average 298c/kg while lighter (unweighed) steers made $500 to $910 and were sold for an estimated 278c/kg average.
Some of the better sales included a yard of seven Angus steers, 430kg sold by P&J Rohan at the market top of $1220 while P Arundell sold 8 Angus, 423kg at $1200.
Clever Enterprise sold a yard of 12 Angus steers, 387kg at $1100 while G&D Beggs sold 12 Angus steers, 296kg at $950.
The demand for unjoined heifers was dull. A yard of two Angus heifers, 400kg, made the top money of $1000 a head while most other sales were made between $500 and $800 a head trading in a range from 180- 250c/kg.
A small selection of Friesian steers weighed at 315-424kg made $540 to $750 a head while two yards of Friesian bull calves – bucket reared – made $200 to $320.
The modest selection of cows and calves also held few highlights, making $620 to $1200. Several yards of joined females met limited interest to make $600 to $1100 with the best priced for a yard of large-framed heavy Black baldy mixed aged cows joined for a 12-week August to October calving.
