Bairnsdale cows and calves to $4650 as restockers re-enter sale

Fewer pens of quality vendor-bred cattle had little effect on the outcome of the sale as agents described the yarding as "a bit of a clean up" of cattle from across the district.

Agents yarded about 1000 cattle for the fortnightly store sale, as wild weather and gale force winds prevented and delayed some prospective buyers from attending the sale.

Support from South Gippsland bullock fatteners and grass fatteners, as well as interest from north-east Victoria kept prices at fully firm rates, in comparison with previous sales, agents said.

Sharp Fullgrabe director Graeme Fullgrabe said female cattle were the highlight of his sale.

"A lot of our females were bought by breeders which is a very promising sign," he said.

"We found some people went off steers because they were too dear and bought heifers to fatten instead."

Penderscourt, Benambra, topped the cow and calf section of the sale with 10 first-calving cows with four-week-old calves at foot selling for a top price of $4650 to a breeder from central Gippsland.

The same vendor also sold three cows with calves at foot for $3290.

"The Penderscourt result was $100 dearer at the top end and that shows how much confidence is in the job," Mr Fullgrabe said.

D & H Wigg sold seven cows with calves at foot for $3920, as well as 66 preg-tested-in-calf heifers to a top price of $2860.

Thirty-three PTIC heifers were bought by an agent for Myrtlebank, while the remainder went home with an agent from South Gippsland.

Elders Bairnsdale livestock manager Morgan Davies said new restocker competition was a theme of the sale.

"A few guys who haven't bought cattle at the last few sales decided to step in today so the prices haven't really changed all that much but the faces certainly have," he said.

J & G Clancy, Calulu, sold 23 Angus steers, August and September 2020-drop, including a pen of 15 steers, 470 kilograms, for $2780 a head or 591 cents a kilogram.

They also sold eight steers, 413kg, for $2530 or 612c/kg and 16 heifers, 376kg, for $2270 or 603c/kg.

D & H Wigg sold 20 Angus steers, 327kg, for $2430 or 747c/kg and 12 Charolais steers, 265kg, for $1980 or 747c/kg.

Tim Woodgate, Buchan, sold 32 Hereford steers including 16 steers, 361kg, for $2530 or 700c/kg and another pen of 16 steers, 346kg, for $2460 or 681c/kg.

WC & SJ Pilgrim sold 11 Euro-cross steers, 320kg, for $2010 or 628c/kg and 12 steers, 342kg, for $2210 or 646c/kg.

Romano Produce sold 12 steers, 381kg, for $2410 or 632c/kg.

AJ, KIM & DJ Morrison, Swan Reach, sold 10 steers, 381kg, for $2100 or 551c/kg and nine steers, 348kg, for $1900 or 545c/kg.

DW & RJ Stringer, Forge Creek, sold 17 steers, 477kg, for $2770 or 580c/kg.

IG & BW Nethercote sold eight steers, 463kg, for $2500 or 539c/kg.

A Edyvane, Pakenham, sold one Brahman bull for $2140.

Bill Wyndham & Co livestock manager Colin Jones said the sale lacked the runs of quality grown cattle it had featured in previous weeks.

"The feedlot competition wasn't as strong on the females as it has been in previous weeks, so it was mainly the fatteners who really dominated that part of the sale," he said.

Nutrien East Gippsland Livestock manager Brad Obst said the quality of the yarding was very consistent with recent sales.

"I thought it was a very strong market with some very good cattle on offer which sold accordingly," he said.

"I don't think the quality was back, the numbers certainly were, but each agent had a good line-up of cattle and then we got onto our secondary types."

In the heifers, FC Griebenow & Son sold 10 heifers, 478kg, for $2560 or 535c/kg.

D & H Wigg sold 20 heifers, 293kg, for $1910 or 651c/kg and nine heifers, 238kg, for $1730 or 726c/kg.

D & L Webb sold five heifers, 332kg, for $1840 or 554c/kg.

Patrica Keat sold 13 heifers, 295kg, for $1910 or 647c/kg.

Sharinda Angus sold 12 heifers, 352kg, for $2215 or 627c/kg.

C & A Feely sold 12 heifers, 355kg, for $2240 or 630c/kg.

M & S Kell sold nine heifers, 355kg, for $2230 or 628c/kg.

Romano Produce sold eight heifers, 365kg, for $2170 or 594c/kg.

D & M Lee sold 16 heifers, 341kg, for $2200 or 645c/kg.

In other sales, W Hammond sold 10 steers, 385kg, for $2310 or 600c/kg.

BJ Gibbs sold seven steers, 429kg, for $2360 or 550c/kg.

S Stirling sold six Hereford steers, 523kg, for $2850 or 544c/kg.

TA Crisp sold four steers, 409kg, for $2380 or 581c/kg and P & L Clark sold six steers, 428kg, for $2550 or 595c/kg.