Leongatha calves pass 800c/kg as restockers regain momentum

Agents yarded about 3300 cattle at the Victorian Livestock Exchange for the fortnightly store market where feedlotters were also out in force chasing lighter than usual pens of cattle.

Buyers described it as a typical winter yarding, with many drafts showing signs of a wet season.

Nutrien Leongatha livestock manager Brian McCormack said store cattle prices continued to gain traction as the region experienced a growth in pasture and some warm weather predicted in the next fortnight.

"Heavy steers made $3000 a head or 500c/kg and weighed 550-600 kilos and once you came back below 550kg you started seeing heavy cattle sold in the mid-550c/kg range," Mr McCormack said.

"Graziers tried to buy but you could also note than some of the feeder blokes were buying lighter calves, like Elders Deniliquin, NSW, which were buying Angus/Simmental-cross calves, 391kg and 358kg, paying out to 630c/kg for those steers which are only 12 and 14 months old."

Those pens, consigned by Nethercote Trading, Rosedale, included 21 steers, 391kg, which made $2280 or 583c/kg and 21 steers, 358kg, which made $2260 or 631c/kg, with the lightest pen making 649c/kg.

The Nethercotes also sold a pen of nine heavier steers in their consignment of 65 cattle, 450kg, for $2300.

High Voltage Consultancy, Flynn, sold 13 steers, 310kg, for $2140 or 690c/kg and 13 steers, 262kg, for $2140 or 816c/kg.

Regular feedlot and commission buyers were actively chasing cattle, while closer to home bullock fatteners like Milton Heywood, Sandy Point, were buying steers.

In Mr Heywood's case, he bought 64 steers at Leongatha to a top price of $2650.

"Once you got back to your 400-kilo steers, they sold incredibly well, for instance, with Stackhouse Pastoral's steers from Yarram weighing 484 kilos and making $2900 or 600c/kg."

SEJ Leongatha livestock manager James Kyle noted an increase in prices, driven mainly by restockers.

"Cattle that only two weeks ago were making $1800 are now making $2000 and $2100," he said.

"Grass fever is driving that and spring is here."

Despite the keen interest among restockers, many went home without a pen to their name.

"People sold cattle today for $2800 or $2900 and they had to have $2100 to get back in and while there's still a $500 difference ... we're playing with more money now," Mr Kyle said.

"We had cattle at 350 kilos making $2100 and then you turned the corner on the Couper calves and they were only 307 kilos and they dropped 40-odd kilos and still made $2100."

Sue and Gordon Couper, Mardan, sold 16 Angus steers, 307kg, for $2100 or 684c/kg.

Kevin and Maree Opray, Hedley, sold 115 Angus, Black Baldy and Hereford steers, 11-13 months, including 17 steers, 405kg, for $2340 or 577c/kg and 16 steers, 374kg, for $2260 or 604c/kg.

Elders Leongatha and Korumburra livestock manager Rohan McRae said the mixed sale featured good pens of well-bred cattle, Friesians and some crossbreds which all sold to promising competition.

"Feedlots were operating on the heavier end with a little bit of grazier competition with restockers stepping in anywhere from 400 kilograms down," Mr McRae said.

"We had Copperleaf cattle which were 350 kilos and made $2480 which looked like a really good sale and they were very quiet and had been well-bred."

Copperleaf Pty Ltd, San Remo, sold 15 vendor-bred steers, 343kg, for $2480 or 723c/kg.

"Our heavy cattle sold up to the mark compared to previous sales," Mr McRae said.

"We had a good run of 70 heavy Friesian steers, two years old, consigned by Staley Farms from Yarram which sold up to $2170."

Staley Farms sold 19 steers, 563kg, for $2170 or 385c/kg and 15 steers, 520kg, for $2050 or 394c/kg.

SL Murphy, Leongatha, sold 75 steers including 10 steers, 609kg, for $2980 or 489c/kg and another pen of steers, 597kg, for $2990 or 541c/kg.

Melaleuca Pastoral, Ruby, sold 16 steers, 625kg, for $3140 or 502c/kg.

Von Pace Pastoral Pty Ltd, Giffard, sold 10 steers, 470kg, for $2250 or 478c/kg and 20 steers, 539kg, for $2920 or 541c/kg.

Von Pace also sold a draft of 150 heifers with the tops of the draft, a pen of 22 Angus heifers, 487kg, going under the hammer $2420 or 496c/kg, then 46 heifers, 461kg, made $2530 or 548c/kg.

Forty-three heifers by the same vendor, 447kg, made $2470 or 552c/kg, with all pens destined for feedlots.

KRG Ross, Delburn, sold nine heifers, 425kg, for $2320 or 545c/kg.

Mount Angus Stud, Morwell, sold 21 heifers, 410kg, for $2280 or 556c/kg and 21 heifers, 363kg, made $2040 or 561c/kg.

W & T Warren sold 11 Friesian steers, 632kg, for $2310 or 365c/kg.

C & K Worthy, Korumburra, sold 14 steers, 348kg, for $2190 or 629c/kg.

P Kelly sold seven steers, 549kg, for $2820 or 513c/kg.

M Collier sold 16 steers, 521kg, for $2600 or 499c/kg.

M Dean, Rosedale, sold 14 steers, 368kg, 14 months, for $2340 or 635c/kg.

JWG Dean, Rosedale, sold 11 steers, 330kg, for $2700 or 666c/kg.

Telegraph Pastoral sold nine steers, 289kg, for $1880 or 650c/kg.

G Hoekstra, Sale, sold 20 steers, 274kg, for $2020 or 737c/kg.

G & A Thorson, Dumbalk, sold 18 steers, 530kg, for $2560 or 483c/kg.

A & L Sage, Leongatha, sold 10 steers, 563kg, for $2740 or 486c/kg.

A & T Derham sikd 18 steers, 418kg, for $2520 or 602c/kg and 21 steers, 229kg, for $2220 or 742c/kg.

D & H Campbell, Mardan, sold 18 steers, 322kg, for $2280 or 708c/kg and 16, 298kg, for $2160 or 724c/kg.

B Dungey, Carrajung, sold 17 steers, 250kg, for $1800 or 720c/kg.

D Hall, Foster, sold 10 steers, 305kg, for $2040 or 668c/kg.