EITHER COMMON SENSE PREVAILED, or supply is running out, but numbers were heavily reduced to 1900 head at Pakenham, Thursday.
It was more of a typical Pakenham yarding with good quality, well bred cattle penned, plus crossbred and dairy steers, and plain condition to boot.
Pakenham agents do things differently than everywhere else, with each agent selling steers and heifers, then this is followed by small, and young cattle in the calf pens, followed by cows and calves, etc.
On a day such as Thursday, when it was hot and humid, and there was a lot of paint too, the whole sale slows down, which can affect prices.
There was some competition for yearling steers to grain feed, but there was fewer producers buying, and prices were cheaper.
Bellakama Pty Ltd, Cape Schanck, sold 21 prime Angus steers from $1500 to $1610, or 265 cents per kilogram liveweight.
Most other heavier steers sold between $1050 and $1460, or 245 to 256c/kg lwt. F&C Marshall, Newry, sold 22 Hereford and Angus-Hereford steers, 457 to 516kgs, from $1000 to $1250.
Younger yearling steers of good quality sold to reasonable demand, one vendor, Parklea P/L, Cardinia, selling 24 Charolais steers, 388 to 441kgs, sold from $1100 to $1250.
Numerous sales of yearling steers were noted making between $800 and $1000, equaling 245 to 265c/kg lwt.
R&A Stephens, Allambee South, sold 36 Angus steers, 340 to 404kgs, from $780 to $1030.
One line of Angus steers that stood out was 128 head offered by Makana Farm,Lang Lang. These steers, by Anvil bulls, sold between $770 and $1030, equaling 275 to 286c, to average around 283c/kg lwt.
Better weighted heifers, which were mostly yearlings, weighing between 320 and 410kgs, sold to the best competition, which included feedlot buyers.
Selling mostly between $800 and $1010, these heifers equaled 245 to 260c/kg lwt, which was only marginally cheaper.
However, there was not a lot of love for other heifers, which saw many sell from $450 to $700, equaling anywhere between 175 and 230c/kg lwt.
A small selection of joined females, and those with calves at foot sold reasonably well, but it took auctioneers a while to get to the end price.
Top of this list was RF Bianchin, Belgrave South, selling 3 Hereford-Friesian cows with high quality calves to 7 months old. These made $1640, after a low start of $1300 per head.
Plainer condition cows and calves sold upward of $700 to $1000.
The best of the joined females was Bloye Construcitons, Warragul, selling seven large frame, good quality Angus heifers, PTIC to Son of TeMania Berkley, for $1300.
