SEVERAL PRODUCERS from the Tonimbuk, Bunyip and Garfield areas, which were affected by the Gippsland fires, sold cattle at Pakenham, Thursday.
For some of these producers, it was a total sellout, as they now have no grass, and no fences to keep them in.
Pakenham agents offered a large, and good quality yarding of 2700 head, which included good breeding, a mixture of weights, and age, and condition.
Cattle were supplied mostly from areas closer to the Pakenham yards, but some were noted coming from the high country, central Gippsland, and places north, and north east of Melbourne.
This larger than expected offering of cattle included heavy yearling steers down to very light weight cattle, and included very good quality through to some cattle of quite plain condition.
The time it took to sell was lengthy, due in part to varying demand. Strong competition from processors buying feeder steers and heifers, and some for slaughter, and bullock fatteners, saw some of the yearling steers sell to slightly dearer trends.
Some sales of breeders steers and heifers, especially those weighing over 340 kilograms liveweight, sold at firm rates, but many of the younger, and lighter weight cattle were cheaper.
Top of the sale was G Rea, Woori Yallock, selling 26 yearling Angus steers to $1580, or 266c/kg lwt.
Plenty of the yearling steers sold between $1100 and $1460 with some equaling up to 287c/kg, and some only 244 to 265c/kg lwt. This is where differences appeared in a mixed market.
Yearling steers from some of the fire affected areas sold quite well with many purchased for grain feeding. P&L Linke, Garfield North, sold 49 Angus steers, 450 to 478kgs, from $1240 to $1310.
A&A Forte, Tonimbuk, was another producer from the fire area, and they sold a range of steers and heifers from Charolais bullocks, 601kgs, $1550, Charolais heifers, 605kgs, for $1290, to younger steers that sold from $850 to $910.
Later in the sale, several lines of good quality yearling steers sold to solid competition. K&J Damon, Bunyip North, sold 38 Angus steers from $1290 to $1350, and D&C Droppert, Sale, 75 Poll Hereford steers, from $945 to $1110.
When breeding quality was offered, demand was strong. Jarrahwood Pastoral, Yea, sold 70 Hereford, Angus and Angus-Hereford steers from $670 to $870.
Cremona Park, Molesworth, offered 27 Angus steers, that sold to $840, and 63 heifers from $465 to $685.
There was solid demand for suitable Angus heifers for a future live export order, and this saw some heifers sell better than others.
Later in the sale, there were plenty of young steers and heifers sold, ranging between $360 and $650 for most sales. Some sales of plain condition, Low Line cattle, sold from $145 to $335.
Because of the fires, several pens of cows were sold. Most of these were Angus cows in planer condition, but presenting a lot of potential for buyers.
GA Fargas, Bunyip, sold seven cows, which were in calf, for $1210, and A&K Rakip, also of Bunyip, sold 56 Angus cows, mostly from $590 to $980.
A very mixed quality selection of 97 cows and calves, sold to very mixed competition. Top of the sale was KF McRae, selling 38, mostly Angus cows with Charolais calves, from $1310 to $1590.
Several other cows and calves sold between $550 and $1280 for a very mixed selection of breeding, and condition.
