Pakenham store cattle prices remain solid in winter yarding

Agents yarded about 2200 at the Victorian Livestock Exchange.

Nutrien Delaney Livestock auctioneer Anthony Delaney said numbers were down slightly on previous sales, although it was still a very good yarding for winter.

"Every agent yarded a good run of older steers for your top end of the calves, however once you got off them, 15 or 20 pens of each, you got down pretty small and pretty bits and pieces pretty quick," he said.

"What we're starting to see though, I'd say the market was fully firm on last sale yet quality might have eased off a bit and was making the same money."

The bidding began with J & R D'Angelo, Tooradin, with a pen of 13 steers weighing 638kg that made $2960 a head or 463c/kg.

D & S Hickmott, Longwarry North, sold 16, 608kg, for $2850 or 468c/kg.

V Hodge, Koo Wee Rup, sold 10 Herefords, 663kg, for $2840 or 428c/kg and a pen of nine, 610kg, for $2640 or 432c/kg.

Cascade Park, Neerim, sold 18, 445kg, for $2370 or 532c/kg, 14 weighing 368kg for $1900 or 516c/kg anf seven, 325kg, for $1730 or 532c/kg.

The same vendor also sold nine heifers, 382kg, for $1600 or 418c/kg.

Kingston Park, Merrick, sold several pens, including 12, 340kg, for $1790 or 526c/kg, and 18 heifers, 275kg, for $1550 or 563c/kg.

M Anderson, Yarra Glen, sold 10, 562kg, for $2660 or 473c/kg, while Eddies Run, Cape Schank, sold a pen of 20, 555kg, for $2760 or 497c/kg.

K W Gray sold eight, 660kg, for $2850 or 431c/kg.

Geoff Murray, Nar Nar Good, sold five weighing 636kg for $2920 or 459c/kg and 10, 530kg, for $2450 or 462c/kg.

Grenfeld Holdings sold 18, 519kg, for $2730 or 526c/kg and pen of 23, 470kg, for $2550 or 542c/kg.

Trafalgar Village Farm sold four, 590kg, for $2620 or 444c/kg, seven weighing 605kg for $2590 or 428c/kg, and two, 565kg, for $2360 or 417c/kg.

Ameo Park, Flinders, sold 58 over three pens, average weight 562kg, for $2710 or 482c/kg, along with a pen of 14, 539kg, for $2300 or 426c/kg.

D Nixon, Launching Place, sold eight, 511kg, for $2600 or 508c/kg.

Boundary Road Investments, Dromana, sold 26 weighing 428kg for $2320 or 542c/kg, 15 weighing 438kg for $2440 or 557c/kg and nine, 445kg, for $1950 or 438c/kg.

Lou Seuven, Fish Creek, sold a pen of 13 steers, 322kg, for $1760 or 546c/kg and 15 heifers, 287kg, for $1590 or 554c/kg.

Omauru Park, Sunbury, sold 18, 395kg, for $2180 or 551c/kg and 13 heifers, 383kg, for $1870 or 488c/kg.

Patterson & Hutchinson, Clyde North, sold a pen of 28 steers, 354kg, for $1970 or 556c/kg, 20 heifers weighing 355kg for $1760 or 495c/kg, seven steers, 311kg, for $1770 or 569c/kg, and 15 heifers, 290kg, for $1490 or 513c/kg.

The same vendor also sold six steers weighing 333kg for $1740 or 522c/kg and eight heifers, 309kg, for $1490 or 482c/kg.

Mr Delaney expected the large yardings to continue, with demand still strong for store cattle.

Unweighed pens of of calves were also selling very well and would comfortably be making over 600c/kg, he said

JP Brewer, Greta, sold 16 weighing 297kg for $1900 or 639c/kg.

Pepperhill Trading, Willow Grove, sold 20, 281kg, for $1840 or 654c/kg, a pen of 22, 265kg, for $1750 or 660c/kg, and 12, 260kg, for $1620 or 623c/kg.

A & J Willoughby, Bayles, sold 19 steers, 289kg, for $1690 or 584c/kg, while Katelea Pastoral, Dalyston, sold 11, 279kg, for $1730 or 620c/kg.

P & J Hendricksen, Darraweit Gum, sold 26, 295kg, for $1800 or 610c/kg.

Sandbach, Welshpool, sold several unweighed pens along with 14, 275kg, for $1710 or 621c/kg.

AI & AM Forte, Tonimbuk, sold 19, 309kg, for $1680 or 543c/kg and 20, 265kg, for $1600 or 603c/kg.

Elders Pakenham auctioneer Michael Robertson said the cattle had more weight than the previous sale, which was reflected in the prices.

Feedlot competition was very strong on the heavy end, he said.

"You've got heavier cattle in between 470 to 600kg making 500c/kg so everyone's pretty happy," he said.

"Every single one's going to a feedlot and it seems the heavier the better."

Alex Scott & Staff auctioneer David Setches said there was a good line up in the heavy steers and the sale was fully firm to dear on a fortnight ago.

"Quite a few more of those cattle from 240 to 320kg have come forward, those young spring drop calves, and they sold very well - anything between 600 to 650c/kg as they get down in weight," he said.

He agreed it was a large yarding for a winter sale.

"We all sort of keep waiting for the numbers to run out but the prices of them is so good that it just keeps pulling cattle out of the paddock," he said.

"We're all bracing ourselves for a shortage of weaners in our spring weaner sales.

"A lot of my calves have been sold over the last two months... clients are opting to make the money and give the calves a bit of a break."

There was competition for the better bred heifers to go back to the paddock, he said.

Woodlands, Drouin, sold 13 heifers, 517kg, for $2290 or 442c/kg and 16 heifers, 491kg, for $2160 or 439c/kg.

KV Rienets, Moe, sold 10 heifers, 280kg, for $1480 or 528c/kg, while

JP Brewer, Greta, sold 16 weighing 280kg for $1570 or 560c/kg and 16, 252kg, for $1460 or 579c/kg.

Arko Farms, Koo Wee Rup, sold 13, 265kg, for $1390 or 524c/kg, while BN & LK Rayner sold 15, 261kg, for $1420 or 544c/kg.

Mr Setches said it was good to see more farmers at the sales again after the pandemic uncertainty.