Colac steers ease significantly as cows and calves hit $4000 a unit

Agents yarded about 800 cattle at the Colac Regional Saleyards where cows and calves attracted the most attention, selling to a top price of $4000 a unit.

Charles Stewart Dove director Shelby Howard said cows and calf units were $400-$500 dearer on the previous Colac store sales.

"Depending on the size of the calves and quality, many units ranged from $3000 up to $4000," he said.

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However, he said the strong trend for future breeding females with calves at foot did not continue in the steer section of the sale.

"Steer prices probably eased in places $100-$200 and that's because we're at a stage where we've been on a high for so long, the market is experiencing a correction," Mr Howard said.

"It's also pretty dry down here and most of the people who would be buying these types of cattle are restockers so they're without a lot of feed at the moment."

J & G Carson, Irrewillipe, sold the top-priced heifer pen with a selection of Angus weighing 505kg, Merridale blood, which made $2660 a head or 526 cents a kilogram.

The pen of heifers were bought at a sale in Shepparton last year as weaners and were snapped up by a Colac district restocker to use in a breeding program on Friday.

Charles Stewart & Co auctioneer Matt Nelson, who sold the leading pen of cows and calves, said the sale offered mixed-quality runs which contributed to a significant fluctuation in prices.

Peter Arundell,Winchelsea, was the vendor of the 2.5-year-old first-calving heifers with autumn-drop calves at foot which made $4000.

"Our next pen of cows and calves made about $3800, but most of them were from $2500-$3200," he said.

L & L Fitzpatrick, Birregurra, sold 12 Angus steers, 328kg, for $2160 or 658c/kg.

AJ Turner, Cundare, sold eight Angus steers, 315kg, for $2150 or 682c/kg.

P Hebblethwaite, Beeac, sold 11 Angus steers, 273kg, for $1880 or 688c/kg.

Larobe Angus, Irrewarra, sold six Angus heifers, 443kg, for $2300 or 519c/kg.

W & K Morgan, Irrewarra, sold 10 Angus/Shorthorn-cross heifers, 408kg, for $2250 or 551c/kg.

HF Richardson Livestock agent Jesse Brown said cattle prices across the sale eased by more than $100 a head.

"The younger-type heifers and crossbred cattle were the ones that struggled the most because there was nowhere near the competition we've seen recently," he said.

"That's a combination of dry weather conditions leading up to the sale and the oncoming winter.

"A majority of buyers were restockers but there was enough feedlot interest from three feeders which helped."

A & J Zappelli, Beech Forest, sold six Angus steers, 326kg, for $2070 or 635c/kg and eight steers, 286kg, for $1850 or 647c/kg.

L & B Lauricella, Winchelsea, sold 20 Angus steers, seven to nine months, including lots of eight and 12 which made $1750 and $1760, respecitvely.

B & G Hand Family Trust, Larpent, sold 11 Hereford/Shorthorn-cross cows joined to a Speckle Park to calve from Junes for $2400.

Bay Constructions sold 13 steers including in a pen of three, 398kg, for $2360 and 10 steers, 361kg, for $2150.

V & B Stewart sold nine heifers, 419kg, for $2210 and two heifers, 382kg, for $2050.

R & A Spence sold five Limousin/Speckle Park-cross steers, 367kg, for $2130 and seven heifers, 370kg, for $1970.