Year-old heifer calves sell to 625c/kg at Leongatha store sale

Agents yarded just under 2000 cattle for the fortnightly store market in a yarding that largely lacked annual drafts and well-conditioned cattle, agents said.

The plainer offering, however, sold to firm demand with both light-weight weaner steers and heifers passing 600 cents a kilogram.

Feedlotters were active but restockers dominated the grass-driven market with Alex Scott & Staff livestock manager Rob Ould estimating more than 90 per cent of the yarding would stay local.

"The job held up pretty well and people jumped on board and decided that they needed cattle and bought them today," Mr Ould said.

"It started off slow but the sale gathered momentum as it went along."

All eyes were on a draft of 11-to-12-month-old calves offered by Buneep Park Pastoral, Bunyip North, with both steers and heifers selling to strong demand.

The first pen of 21 steers, 220kg, made $1400 or 636c/kg, and 22 steers, 185kg, sold for $1200 or 648c/kg.

The same account sold a draft of heifers including 20, 217kg, for $1220 or 562c/kg, 25 heifers, 195kg, for $1220 or 625kg, and 24 heifers, 165kg, for $1000 or 606c/kg.

While low-lying areas across South Gippsland remain under water after heavy rainfall, restockers made the most of the broad selection of cattle on offer.

Elders Leongatha auctioneer Rohan McRae said the sale was firm-to-dearer compared to a fortnight ago, despite a dip in quality and vendor-bred calves.

"It was very mixed and the sale had no feature runs of annual drafts," Mr McRae said.

"There wasn't a lot of female cattle here that had the quality to be retained for breeding so a lot of them went to graziers to fatten."

A Pocklington, Mirboo, sold 12 steers, 290kg, for $1460 or 503c/kg and 12 steers, 260kg, for $1450 or 557c/kg.

E Mitterer, Korumburra, sold 10 steers, 235kg, for $1260 or 536c/kg, and Walkerville Farm sold 12 steers, 230kg, for $1300 or 565c/kg.

JJ Killian, Glen Forbes, sold 11 steers, 308kg, for $1570 or 509c/kg, while A Smolcic, Yinnar,sold 15 steers, 294kg, for $1490 or 506c/kg.

Nutrien Leongatha auctioneer Brian McCormack said prices for all lines of cattle were "solid" on a fortnight ago.

"Quality was nowhere near as good but it goes to show you people are wanting to buy numbers and paying good prices for those numbers," Mr McCormack said.

"We had a few feedlots but we had a lot of local blokes, graziers, who are buying cattle because there is going to be a heap of feed in the coming months."

GJ Williamson, Athlone, sold the first pen of 12 steers, 599kg, which made $2170 or 362c/kg.

DG Simms sold 10 steers, 500kg, for $2140 or 428c/kg.

DB & JA Finlay, Yinnar, sold 11 steers, 535kg, for $2050 or 427c/kg.

C Berkery, Trida, sold five steers, 459kg, for $1930 or 420c/kg.

A & S Turton, Korumburra, sold nine steers, 362kg, for $1660 or 458c/kg.

J Leslie sold seven steers, 339kg, for $1580 or 466c/kg.

BF, DE & MA Calder, Dumbalk, sold nine steers, 557kg, for $2160 or 387c/kg.

R & J Franklin, Yinnar, sold eight steers, 454kg, for $1920 or 422c/kg.

Arndt & Potter, Mirboo North, sold five steers, 458kg, for $1900 or 414c/kg.

SJ & LJ Campbell sold 24 steers, 359kg, for $1700 or 473c/kg.

E Opray, Dumbalk, sold four steers, 563kg, for $2270 or 403c/kg.

D Jerram, Leongatha South, sold seven steers, 390kg, for $1820 or 466c/kg.

O'Loughlin Farms, Tarwin Lower, sold 15 steers, 378kg, for $1690 or 447c/kg, and another 15, 344kg, for $1660 or 482c/kg.

Clark Cattle Co, Mirboo, sold 18 steers, 314kg, for $1610 or 512c/kg.

K Chipperfield sold the first pen of five heifers, 490kg, for $1800 or 360c/kg.

Ezori Park, Lang Lang, sold three heifers, 400kg, for $1650 or 412c/kg.

MC & WR Russell sold six heifers, 466kg, for $1970 or 422c/kg.

A Pocklington sold two heifers, 433kg, for $1790 or 413c/kg.

W Bullock, Meeniyan, sold six heifers, 443kg, for $1870 or 422c/kg.

T Letliott, Mirboo North, sold eight heifers, 415kg, for $1700 or 409c/kg.

Davies & Thompson, Carrajung, sold 13 cows with calves at foot for $2800.

B Stewart, Kernot, sold 11 Angus cows with calves at foot for $2560.

J & E Keogh, Stony Creek, sold 12 Angus Friesian-cross heifers joined to Limousin bulls for $2480, and another 12 for $2360.

Sirrah Pty Ltd, Korumburra, sold five cows with calves at foot for $2380, three cows with calves at foot for $2520 and one cow with a calf at foot for $2320.

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