Bairnsdale opening spring cattle sale attracts impressive prices

The annual special store market featured 2200 yearling and grown cattle, with buyers from South and West Gippsland taking home a bulk of the yarding.

The sale included 1600 steers and 590 heifers from across East Gippsland including Dargo, Buchan, Gelantipy, Omeo and the Bairnsdale district.

Bill Wyndham & Co livestock manager Colin Jones said he was blown away by the competition from return buyers on the "outstanding" yarding of cattle.

"We haven't probably sold as many older cattle compared to previous years and that reflects how well the heavier cattle are selling in the store sales," Mr Jones said.

"A feature of the sale was the Buchan Station heifers and steers and they get a very good following every year, even though they didn't have their Sunday clothes on."

Buchan Station consigned 178 Angus cattle, mostly 12 months old, including 102 steers and 76 heifers.

The draft featured two older pens of 15-month-old heifers including one pen of 12 heifers, 339kg, for $2010 or 592 cents a kilogram.

The entire draft of cattle averaged $1814.

Buchan Station manager Richard McAuliffe said the older cattle were lighter compared to previous years and believed the lighter weights were a result of the Black Summer bushfires.

Mr Jones agreed and said even though the cattle had been extremely well looked after, they had done it tough after being born only months after the fires destroyed the entirety of the station's feed in early 2020.

Buchan Station's top pen of 25 steers, 312kg, made $2200 or 705c/kg, followed by 26 steers, 281kg, which made $1970 or 701c/kg.

The sale started with two rising two-year-old Hereford steer pens offered by GW & LM Johnston, Walpa, including 12 steers, 655kg, which made $2990 or 456c/kg.

A few feedlotters were active and bought several pens of the older cattle, while only a few local restockers were actively bidding for cattle during the annual sale.

"On paper, South Gippslanders bought over 50 per cent of the yarding and there weren't a lot of cattle that stayed locally today so many of them went south and west," Mr Jones said.

Another feature of the sale was 137 Angus steers consigned by the Hurley family of Dargo.

The steers were aged 10-12 months and sold to a top of $2290 for 16 steers, 398kg, which made 575c/kg for account Hurley Family Angus.

The second pen of 10 steers, 378kg, made $2240 or 592c/kg and the lightest pen of 14 steers, 305kg, made $2070 or 678c/kg.

KP Hurley, Dargo, sold 20 steers, 337kg, for $2170 or 643c/kg.

Meanwhile, Joe and Trudy Connley, trading as WG & PM Connley, Benambra, sold 80 Hereford steers, 10 months, including a top pen of 18, 396kg, for $2060 or 520c/kg.

The same vendor also sold 21 steers, 374kg, for $2020 or 540c/kg.

CC & MP Wheeler, Buchan South, sold a draft of 242 Angus and Hereford cattle including 26 Angus steers, 364kg, for $2250 or 618c/kg and 29 Angus steers, 337kg, for $2100 or 623c/kg.

The Wheelers also sold 22 Hereford steers, 355kg, for $2050 or 577c/kg and 18 steers, 322kg, for $1930 or 599c/kg.

Omeo Pastoral sold 18 steers, 311kg, for $1880 or 604c/kg and 20 steers, 289kg, for $1820 or 629c/kg.

Mr Jones said a portion of the yarding lacked the bloom they had featured in previous years, but noted return buyers who had previously purchased the cattle were well aware of their potential.

He also acknowledged there was a premium paid for black cattle at the sale.

"The same people are coming back year after year after year and you have to really thank them for their support," Mr Jones said.

"You look at the Hurley family's cattle and the cattle from Buchan Station, those black cattle received a premium today and most of the cattle went back to repeat buyers.

"Only a very small percentage of female cattle will be retained for breeding and that's a real shame because they also have lots of potential."

P, P & K Park sold three steers, 676kg, for $3070 or 454c/kg and eight steers, 637kg, for $2900 or 455c/kg.

H & S Regan sold 15 steers, 551kg, for $2570 or 466c/kg.

H & E Smith sold five steers, 502kg, for $2440 or 486c/kg.

WC & TL Warren sold 14 steers, 438kg, for $2300 or 525c/kg.

Peter Hopkins sold 10 steers, 388kg, for $2210 or 569c/kg.

PA Smith sold 12 steers, 427kg, for $2300 or 538c/kg and 14 steers, 402kg, for $2200 or 547c/kg.

P & K Geehman sold 15 steers, 416kg, for $2250 or 540c/kg.

LJ Dignan sold 30 steers, 288kg, for $1810 or 628c/kg.

Glenshiel Pastoral sold 20 steers, 349kg, for $2040 or 584c/kg.

GD Simpson sold 22 steers, 277kg, for $1750 or 631c/kg.

SE & DE Calvert sold 14 steers, 299kg, for $1880 or 628c/kg and 18 steers, 264kg, for $1690 or 640c/kg.

M Overy sold 10 steers, 215kg, for $1660 or 772c/kg.

Future Plains sold 11 steers, 207kg, for $1580 or 763c/kg.

WC & TL Warren sold 12 heifers, 366kg, for $1850 or 505c/kg.

JR & JE Coates sold 10 heifers, 327kg, for $1840 or 562c/kg.

R & S Reynolds sold 12 heifers, 331kg, for $1830 or 552c/kg.

PJ & RL Sandy sold 14 heifers, 305kg, for $1800 or 590c/kg.

SJ Lanteri sold 10 heifers, 314kg, for $1610 or 512c/kg.

Heath Taylor sold 10 heifers, 272kg, for $1640 or 602c/kg.

Omeo Pastoral sold 22 heifers, 245kg, for $1530 or 624c/kg.