Yea store cattle sale prices decrease to follow beef trend

As the clock hit 10.30am, Delaney Livestock & Property director Anthony Delaney opened proceedings auctioning off a pen of 18 cows and calves for $3700 a unit.

After a short row of pregnancy-tested-in-calf heifers, cows and calves, and mixed-aged cow pens, the focus shifted to featured lines of steers.

The first lane of steers included G Collier who sold nine Angus, 631 kilograms, for $2800 a head or 443 cents a kilogram, as well as two Angus, 575kg for $2300 or 400c/kg.

J Hortin sold 20 Herefords, 466kg, for $2580 or 553c/kg.

Rosella Pastoral sold 24 Herefords, 484kg, for $2560 or 528c/kg.

L & S Purcell sold 14 Herefords, 491kg, for $2470 or 503c/kg.

G Pritchard sold 11 Angus, 541kg, for $2580 or 476c/kg.

Bilana sold 10 Angus, 524kg, for $2560 or 488c/kg.

G Reid & Sons sold 22 Angus, 484kg, for $2500 or 516c/kg, as well as 25 Angus, 448kg, for $2570 or 573c/kg.

Allanvale South sold 8 Angus, 478kg, for $2510 or 525c/kg.

Rob Perry, Eversleigh, sold 13 Angus, 503kg, for $2580 or 512c/kg.

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Agents yarded a total of 1455 cattle for the day which was similar to last month's sale.

Mr Delaney said the winter yardings through June, July and August were always smaller.

Mr Delaney said it was generally a yarding of mixed quality across the board with lower prices.

"The cattle sold to generally cheaper rates, but there was the odd exception with sales of noted lines of cattle that sold well to local competition," he said.

Elders Yea livestock manager Jamie Quinlan agreed, and said he expected numbers to be reduced at the August monthly store sale as producers normally hold most of their cattle through winter to sell in spring.

He said while cattle prices were cheaper on Friday, they were about where he expected given the general trend of market correction across Victoria.

"The feeder cattle were probably about 50 cents a kilogram cheaper than they were at the last sale, and the lighter cattle were anywhere from $100-$250 cheaper than a month ago," Mr Quinlan said.

Mr Quinlan also added the market has changed a lot in the past month as cattle prices adjust.

"I think the job got a bit too heated there for a bit and this is the market correction that it was probably always going to have," he said.

Mr Delaney said Friday's sale was lighter on with buyers as the majority of cattle were headed to northern and South Australian commission orders.

"Even though things are green, there is no real bulk in the feed," he said.

"So the local competition is all pretty exhausted just at the present stage."

"When we are offering about 2 B-Double loads of feeder cattle in total, it can be hard to entice the big buyers to come along," he said.

John Hortin, Alexandra, sold 20 Hereford steers and was accompanied by his grandchildren Chelsea and Nathan Webb.

He said after selling an early pen of 466kg steers, the trio was excited to purchase a pen of heifers which Chelsea and Nathan will be involved with.

There were smiles all round later in the morning when the hammer fell on a pen of 18 Angus heifers and Chelsea and Nathan walked away to begin their cattle careers.

Some notable lines of heifers included Bilana sold 12 Angus, 487kg, for $2200 or 451c/kg.

Wild Duck Creek sold 12 Angus, 313kg, for $1700 or 543c/kg.

Mark Walsh sold 21 Angus, 269kg, for $1690 or 628c/kg.

Altipiani Livestock sold 21 Angus, 633kg, for $1420 or 633c/kg.