THE 2021 edition of Elders Kerr & Co's Mortlake spring feature sale did not disappoint, with 2947 cattle attracting strong inquiry from near and far.
The sale featured lines with weight in both steers and heifers, with heavy steers making 470 cents a kilogram, while feeder types, 450-480kg, made mainly 580-590c/kg.
Some of the older feeder heifers, 2-2.5-years-old, were bought by major feedlots for a short-term feeding operation, making 470-520c/kg.
The genuine 16-18-month-old feeder-weight heifers made between 530-570c/kg.
Kerr & Co livestock agent and auctioneer Zac van Wegen said the sale had a reputation over 25 years for quality, and as a blue ribbon sale, many clients held their cattle for the sale.
Mr van Wegen said the season was a challenge early on but cattle were now starting to bloom.
He said a large proportion of the heavy steers at the sale would normally have been sent direct to the abattoirs or held to put on more weight, but had been sold in the store pens because of the prices and competition.
The lead pen of Cape Bridgewater steers, two years, 647kg, made 470c/kg or $3044 a head.
"Those heavy-end steers we haven't seen in the store pens, but once we got on the 500kg-plus cattle, it was 10-15c/kg better than I thought it would be," he said.
A draft of EU-accredited steers sold by Coolana, 574kg, made 562c/kg or $3234.
The grown heifer portion of the Coolana offering was a pen of 25, 527kg, that sold for 525c/kg or $2769.
Mr van Wegen said demand for the heavy end of the steers and heifers was dominated by four or five major feedlots.
Tourac offered grown steers with the heaviest pen being 17 at 502kg that made 602c/kg or $3025.
He said the spring-drop steers were a feature of the sale with most selling from 640-700c/kg and above.
A draft from Blythwood, judged best presented pen of the day, 13 to 14 months, 450kg, made 610c/kg or $2740.
The same vendor sold 24 spring-drop steers at 375kg for 668c/kg and 14 heifers at 358kg for 622c/kg.
Tops of the weaner steers on a per head basis was a pen of nine sold by Pyneyup, that were Angus and Black Baldies, 533kg, that made $2989 or 560c/kg.
At the lighter end of the steers, a draft of 22 Angus weaner steers sold by Ardonachie, 270kg, made 756c/kg, and a pen of nine, 209kg, made 675c/kg.
Of the heifer portion, a draft of 37, 234kg, made 774c/kg, 37 Angus, 261kg, sold for 738c/kg, while 19 Black Baldies, 293kg, sold for 660c/kg.
A regular feature draft from Greenhills comprising 140 Murray Greys including a pen of 26, 16-18 months, 501kg, made 574c/kg or $2877, with the best pen on a liveweight basis being 35, 435kg, that made 598c/kg.
The heifer portion included a pen of 32, 411kg, that made 546c/kg.
A draft of Hereford steers sold by Hutton Partnership saw the tops of the 38 steers, 16-18 months, 436kg, sell for 598c/kg or $2547.
The younger heifers attracted a lot of interest from local as well as interstate interest via AuctionsPlus.
Weerangourt sold 27 steers, 296kg, for 701c/kg or $2084.
Top of the grown heifers on a per head basis was a pen of 15 sold by Barwidgee that weighed 564kg and made $2878 or 510c/kg.