Yea weaner prices bove expectation as State swelters

With the exception of a few of the very best pens, steers consistently sold from 310c/kg to 330c/kg, with those either side of 350kg commanding the most demand.

Unlike recent years where restocker buyers operated on a per-head budget, pushing the lighter calves to a high per kilogram rate, the dry season meant prices remained more stable throughout the sale.

The 2900 cattle were sold two and a half hours, and despite the temperature rocketing to well above 40, the calves were presented in excellent condition, helped by lower numbers in pens and every pen having access to water.

Offering the opening pen in both the Angus and Euro lanes was Webb Pastoral from Glenburn.

Their Angus steers were March-April drop, Banquet and Barwidgee blood and yard weaned, and the first pen of 406kg lots made $1280, or 315c/kg, sold to Rodwells Alexandra.

The same buyer also picked up a second pen of theirs, 390kg, at $1210, or 310c/kg, while Landmark International purchased their next two at $1140 (316c/kg) and $1110 (320c/kg).

Webb Pastoral owner Phillip Webb said it was a strong sale, with plenty of buyers around, and their good bloodlines ensured their steers stood out. 

He said while the top price hadn’t quite reached that of their best steers last year, overall their sale average would be higher then the 2018 offering.

Webb’s opening pen of Charolais-Angus steers, April-May drop and Timbo River blood, made $1145, or 311c/kg, also purchased by Landmark International.

Landmark International’s Andrew Wishart operated strongly on the medium weight lots, from 320kg to 360kg, and paying mainly from 305 to 315c/kg, and took home nearly 650 head.

In the opening lane of Angus steers, Leven Vale of Glenhope achieved a sale high per kilogram price for blacks when they sold 22 March-April drop, yard weaned and Millah Murrah and Ardrossan blood lots at $1250, equalling 349c/kg for the 358kg weaners which were picked up by Everitt Seeley and Bennett, Pakenham.

Owner John Bongiorno and manager Jim Young attended the sale, where their heaviest pen of 375kg Angus steers reached $1270 or 338c/kg, while a third pen averaging about 340kg made $1160.

Mr Young said the sale of the first two pens was terrific, with prices better then he expected given at the pre-Christmas sales nothing was making above 300c/kg.

“In early October Glenhope was awful, then we had one rain in mid-October and it turned it right around, now there is a surplus – to be able to get them to these weights considering the start of the season is a testament to the calves,” he said.

Other buying support came from lotfeeders Teys Jindalee and JBS, who operated through four different orders, as well as from the Goulburn Valley including Sam Nelson of Mulcahy Nelson Livestock, and Gippsland commission buyer Campbell Ross.

The handful of Euro and whiteface calves offered made similar money to the Angus draft, but it was one pen of Poll Hereford steers from Chartwell Farms at Romsey that topped the sale on a per kilogram basis.

Their 19 March-April drop steers weighed 336kg and fetched $1200, equalling 357c/kg, with Rodwells Kilmore signing the cheque.

The lighter run of calves below 300kg continued to trade around the 300c/kg mark with local agents picking up a majority of them.

Webb Pastoral also topped the heifer run, with their best pen of Angus bought by Robbie Patterson of Drysdale, operating through Elders Camperdown and picking up heifers to be joined, for $1250 or 315c/kg.

Apart from the Webb run however, whose first four pens of Angus heifers averaged $1122 or 309c/kg, and whose best pen of Charolais-Angus made $1055 or 295c/kg, the remainder of the heifers sold from 250 to 290c/kg.

Local agents, Gippsland and JBS where the main buyers operating in the heifer portion.