Pakenham store cattle sale dominated by northern buyers, feedlotters

Agents yarded about 3000 cattle for the fortnightly store sale a week after 300 cow and calf units went under the hammer in a stand alone breeders' auction.

Feedlots including Teys Charlton, JBS and Thomas Foods International and volume buyers Anthony Hullick and Campbell Ross were active during the first 50 pens of the sale.

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Albury, NSW, commission buyer Duncan Brown had also bought several pens of cattle to head north of the Murray River within the first hour of the market.

Northern Victoria Livestock manager Jayden Ferrari, Echuca, was another buyer from the north and selected a load of cattle to take home.

Among the feature lines was 92 Angus steers, 12 months, consigned by western district grazier Bruce McIntosh, Bahm Farms, Horsham.

He sold 17 steers, 433kg, for $2600 or 600 cents a kilogram, 14 steers, 412kg, for $2500 or 606c/kg, and 15 steers, 359kg, for $2380 or 662c/kg.

Mr McIntosh sells his annual draft of cattle at Pakenham because "I like to take the cattle to where the buyers are", he said.

"I was really pleased with those prices," he said.

Becxon Agriculture, Seebeck Pastoral, Shady Creek, consigned a draft of 260 cattle, including a mix of 140 Limousin calves, 10 months, Charolais/Limousin-cross calves and rising two-year-old Angus steers.

In the Limousin consignment, 15 steers, 332kg, made $2190 or 659c/kg, 22 heifers, 309kg, made $2030 or 656c/kg, 30 steers, 298kg, made $1900 or 637c/kg and 40 heifers, 267kg, made $1780 or 666c/kg.

In the Angus section, 70 steers across three pens from the same vendor, weighing 520-562kg, sold for $3250 to JBS.

Commission buyer Duncan Brown bought the second heifer pen, while Gathercole Abattoir bought the lead steer pen along with Northern Victoria Livestock which bought 24 steers, 260kg, for $1600 or 615c/kg.

In the first lane of the sale, Nazaray Estate, Flinders, sold 11 steers, 638kg, for $3340 or 523c/kg.

Hugh and Lorraine Cathels, Athlone, sold 38 Angus steers, 26-28 months, including a pen of 20, 590kg, for $3340 or 566c/kg, and 18 steers, 542kg, for $3120.

Alchorne Farms, Penshurst, sold three pens of vendor-bred heifers including 31 heifers, 421kg, for $2400 or 570c/kg, 32 heifers, 397kg, for $2400 or 604c/kg, and 18 heifers, 365kg, for $2180 or 597c/kg.

In the weaner section, P Evans, Bass, sold 25 steers, 311kg, for $2310 or 742c/kg.

Alex Scott & Staff Pakenham livestock manager David Setches said feedlots underpinned the sale.

"Those mid-500kg cattle could have been 20c/kg dearer compared to our last sale," he said.

"I thought there were good opportunities in the weaner sale but that came down to quality and type because it was hard to get anything over 700c/kg for those young, light cattle."

He said wet conditions across much of Gippsland deterred restockers from buying large volumes of cattle.

"We haven't seen a lot of agent support from South Gippsland here with Leongatha on Friday, but agents from northern Victoria were here and bought feeder-type cattle," Mr Setches said.

In other sales, Robinson and Hasthorpe, Tanjil South, sold 23 Charolais steers, 326kg, for $2100 or 644c/kg and 37 heifers, 314kg, for $1770 or 563c/kg.

G & S Hasthorpe, Tanjil South, sold 11 steers, 317kg, for $1900 or 599c/kg and 11 heifers, 328kg, for $1820 or 554c/kg.

Glen Avis, Catani, sold 26 steers, 319kg, for $2040 or 639c/kg, 32 steers for $1840 and 21 heifers, 309kg, for $1750 or 566c/kg.

Amaroo, Gormandale, sold 13 steers, 289kg, for $2080 or 719c/kg and 14 heifers, 278kg, for $1720 or 618c/kg.

Peter Link, Garfield North, sold 55 Angus steers, 20 months, including 17 steers, 517kg, for $3080 or 595c/kg and 17 steers, 503kg, for $3020 or 600c/kg.

Woodlands Estate Pty Ltd sold 20 steers, 500kg, for $3010 or 602c/kg and 20 heifers, 474kg, for $2390 or 504c/kg.