Breeding demand from Gippsland, through the north and around Ballarat drove the city's annual female weaner sale, which saw prices top at 800 cents a kilogram.
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Agents yarded 3824 head of cattle at the annual Ballarat female grown and weaner cattle sale .
TB White and Sons livestock agent Tom Madden said heavier grown cattle sold for anywhere between 600-650c/kg.
"A lot of weaner cattle sold anywhere from 600-700c/kg depending on who you were and what you were," Mr Madden said.
One of the highlights was the dispersal of 100 head of High Spa heifers, which topped at $2500.
"Very, very rarely do you get the opportunity to purchase cattle with those sort of genetics."
High Spa's pen of 30, averaging 300kg, sold for $2400 or 800c/kg.
Another pen of 30, av 334kg, sold for $2500 or 748c/kg, while a third pen of 26, av 279kg, sold for $1980 or 709c/kg.
There were few feedlot operators, with larger lines going to the north.
"Your Euros or cross-bred cattle went to the feedlot operators, but there was a lot of breeding demand from people from Gippsland, through the north and locally - the competition was pretty widespread.
"Once you dropped back a little bit in your weights there were probably five or six different places where the bidders were coming from."
Charles Stewart auctioneer Jamie McConachy said it was a "roller coaster" of a sale.
"The roller coaster allowed huge highs, we had certain grades of cattle that had various levels of competition," Mr McConachy said.
"We saw outstanding weaner cattle hit the highs and a very, very heavy run of cattle here.
"They were coming back to about 450c/kg, which is still really strong."
He said it was a yarding of different colours and breeds.
"There were so many types of cattle today but I still think it was an outstanding sale, with so many grades of cattle."
Future breeders were highly sought after.
"They were cattle that hadn't got a lot of age but they have a lot of breeding."
Elders Ballarat livestock manager Nick Gray said there was weight in the yearling heifers.
"They have had a lot of heat in them in the last six to eight weeks and have freshened and cleaned up and looked pretty good."
Mr Gray said commission buyers Campbell Ross, Chadstone, and Duncan Brown, Albury, were very active on the earlier lanes of heavier heifers.
Elders Killara, Quirindi, NSW, were also buying for their feedlot.
"A lot of those really well-bred, feature lines of heifers, that are year-in, year-out, were making in excess of $7/kilogram and consistently we were selling those bigger pens of heifer from $2400-$2600/head," he said.
"We very rarely saw a good pen of heifers under $2000-2100/head."
Mr Gray said there was a premium for well-bred lines of future breeder heifers.
"In the past we have seen a lot of those heifers go to feedlot orders."
Wolgan Pty Ltd sold a first pen of 35 Langi Kal Kal-blood heifers, March/April 2021-drop, 355kg, for $2600, or 732c/kg.
They also sold a pen of 30, 379kg, for $2720 or 717c/kg.
Millhouse Beef sold six Te Mania and Anvil-blood heifers, 373kg, for $2070 or 555c/kg.
Nebpak Enterprises sold 32 Franc-blood heifers, 436kg, for $2350 or 539c/kg.
Eurambeen sold seven Barwidgee-blood heifers, 545kg, for $2240 or 411c/kg.
Springdalla sold 15 Murdeduke-blood heifers, 488kg, for $2380 or 487c/kg.
They also sold 28 heifers, 413kg, for $2750 or 665c/kg.
CP & SL Mullane sold 15 Langi Kal Kal-blood heifers, 305kg, for $2010 or 659c/kg.
Woodlands, Romsey, sold 16 Banquet and Adameluca-blood heifers, 288kg, for $2040 or 708c/kg.
JP Mangan sold 21 heifers, 291kg, for $1910 or 656c/kg.
HR & KJ Cameron sold 35 Franc-blood heifers, 285kg, for $1990 or 698c/kg.
DE & JF Kennedy sold 24 Murray Grey heifers, 290kg, for $1790 or 617c/kg.
Fraser Partners sold 21 Pathfinder and Murdeduke-blood heifers, 294kg, for $2000 or 680c/kg.
They also sold 19 heifers, 257kg, for $1800 or 700c/kg.
Warrawillah Farms sold 11 Banquet-blood heifers, 275kg, for $1850 or 672c/kg.
W & C Begbie sold 11 Whiteline-blood Speckle Park heifers, 244kg, for $1840 or 754c/kg.
NW and DC Bingham sold 10 Hereford heifers, 274kg, for $1600 or 584c/kg.
W & DJ Pearson sold 10 Angus heifers, 238kg, for $1740 or 731c/kg.
234 Real Food Farming sold 10 Coolana-blood heifers, 285kg, for $1920 or 673c/kg.
W & EW Nisbet sold 13 Franc-blood heifers, 262kg, for $1800 or 687c/kg.
KJ & LA Britt sold 30 Weatherly-blood heifers, 371kg, for $2110 or 568c/kg.
They also sold 16 heifers, 330kg, for $2060 or 624c/kg.
Parklands Investments sold 30 Murdeduke-blood heifers, 390kg, for $2560 or 656c/kg.
Yanika sold its complete drop of Deloraine-blood heifers, including 12, av 476kg, for $2180 or 457c/kg.
KP Mahar sold 13 Franc-blood heifers, 462kg, for $2330 or 504c/kg.
AM McIntyre, Colmonell, sold 12 Violet Hills-blood Charolais heifers, 362kg, for $1940 or 536c/kg
Languluc, Penshurst, sold 23 Chittern Park and Weeran-blood heifers, 389kg, for $2170 or 557c/kg.
They also sold 23, av 453kg, for $2340, or 516c/kg.
Springvale sold nine Banquet-blood heifers, 460kg, for $2250 or 489c/kg.
RM Thege sold 28 Franc and Langi Kal Kal-blood heifers, 393kg, for $2250 or 572c/kg.
AJ Vallance sold 20 Dollar-blood heifers, 390kg, for $2480 or 635c/kg.
Lake Goldsmith Pastoral Co sold 15 Raff-blood heifers, 428kg, for $2280 or 532c/kg.
R Cosgrove sold eight Franc-blood heifers, 463kg, for $2090 or 451c/kg.
K&J Pastoral sold six High Spa-blood heifers, 463kg, for $2130 or 463c/kg.
SJ Mullane sold 12 Weatherly-blood heifers, 391kg, for $2110 or 539c/kg.
RM & BF Baker sold 12 Pathfinder and Te Mania-blood heifers, 429kg, for $2100 or 489c/kg.
Bunding Park sold 17 Tiarna and Rockwood Park-blood heifers, 405kg, for $2300 or 568c/kg.
Fredell Park sold 16 Angus heifers, 404kg, for $2320 or 574c/kg.
RB & JM Barber sold 10 Merridale-blood heifers, 457kg, for $2340 or 512c/kg.
Wardor Run sold 20 Weeran-blood heifers, 358kg, for $2150 or 600c/kg.
DJ & AL Briody sold 30 Banquet-blood heifers, 310kg, for $2200 or 709c/kg.
The Hill sold 23 Bushy Park and Avenel-blood heifers, 385kg, for $2160 or 561c/kg.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
