YEA, FRIDAY was the last store sale for the year, here, and agents offered 2050 cattle.
With the first two weeks of January offering quality young cattle at Yea, in the annual calf sales, this market appeared to offer many of the bits and pieces, prior to those annual sales.
Don’t get me wrong, there were some good quality cattle penned, and these sold quite well. However, without lines of breeders cattle, it was hard to put a truck together.
Competition came from far and wide with Gippsland buyers competing with many of the usual locals, and one strong order from Coonamble in New South Wales.
The opening few pens of Hereford bullocks were purchased by processors with the top pen making $1510.
Yearling steers and bullocks weighing over 500 kilograms liveweight, sold from $1120 to $1510, and included Hereford, Angus-Hereford and Charolais cross steers. Local bullock fatteners were among the buyers.
Steers weighing over 400, but under 500kgs, sold mostly between $1185 and $1350. Prices for most of these yearling steers were firm on the previous sale at Yea.
At the top end of these steers was 20 Angus steers of HM Hearn, Homewood, that weighed 412kgs. these sold for $1330, or 322c/kg lwt.
Most of the younger, lighter weight steers, sold between $700 and $1090, in what was a very mixed sale. only a few steers sold lower than $700 with the exception of some very young steers late in the sale.
The yarding of heifers was mostly of good quality, and included a good number of yearling heifers.
Feedlot competition was strong for many of these, especially the Charolais heifers. Murramong Charolais sold 8 heifers for $1180, and Hazelglen Partnership, 10 Charolais heifers, 19-20 months for $1150.
Other yearling heifers, Angus, Hereford and Murray Grey heifers sold between $690 and $1100 creating mixed results.
Most of the younger heifers sold from $630 to $970, which was a good result for most producers.
I thought cows and calves suffered from poor competition. Only the top two pens of L Brennan, which were good quality, large frame Angus cows with 7-8 month old calves, sold okay. Cows with the bull calves sold for $1870 and the ones with heifers made $1700.
Other than these, prices ranged between $950 for Shorthorn cows and calves, to $1400 for 24 Angus cows with 25 calves, of Timber Market Holding, Yarck.
C&S Snook, Mansfield, sold 12 Angus heifers, 2.5 years, PTIC to Angus bulls, for $1340, after solid competition.
