A healthy crowd attended the Wangaratta Livestock Exchange for it's Annual Blue Ribbon Weaner Sale with a good amount of bidding from local buyers keeping the market as upbeat as it can be, despite prices softening even further than January feature weaner sales.
Agents yarded about 4300 in a sale that had good quality throughout with a mixture of quality big weaner steer runs along with grown steers and a mixture of European cattle.
One of the best runs of weaner steers at the sale was from Brocklesby, NSW vendor Kenya Pastoral who yarded 508 Angus steers in total, with one pen of 31 Angus steers, 283 kilograms, selling for 628 cents a kilogram or $1780 a head.
Much of the best quality weaner cattle went past 500c/kg, with Yacca Pastoral selling a pen of 20 Angus steers, 337kg for 501c/kg.
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Livestock agent for Corcoran Parker Wodonga Reiley Murtagh said the sale was a special event for a lot of people and a lot of locals were vey supportive of vendors who worked hard through a year that posed some troubles seasonally.
"It's a well anticipated event and one of those bar-setting sales we have every year, and a lot of farmers have worked hard to aim for this sale each year, getting them ready for the sale " Mr Murtagh said.
Mr Murtagh said there had been a bit of a decrease in prices across most cattle from January feature weaner sales, but vendors continue to be happy with prices.
"It wasn't anything drastic and nothing to make everybody upset about, but things were definitely down a touch and there was a little bit more lighter cattle here today," he said.
But he also said many locals rallied to support vendors.
"There were many present buyers around this area that usually come around to buy good steers, and we also had boys from up north as Coonamble and many other places that had a bit of rainfall,"
Commission buyers including Duncan Brown were present at the sale, while some agents from the central west regions like Bendigo picked up pens.
He also said a recent deluge of rain in the north did not affect the sale at all, and just a small amount of vendors had to pull out because of excess water.
The few pens of weaner cattle over 400kg sold up to 444c/kg with KJ & RL Ryder selling a pen of 20 Angus steers, 440kg, for $1780 or 444c/kg.
NJ & NJ Fleming sold seven Angus steers, 409kg, for $1800 or 440c/kg.
Weaner cattle between 300-400kg hovered around the 450c/kg mark, although a good pen from vendor J & K Murphy of 22 Angus steers, 311kg, sold for $1560 or 501c/kg.
P & K Delmastro sold 26 Angus steers, 373kg, for $1820 or 488c/kg.
Lighter steers under 300kg generally stayed around the 520-560c/kg mark, but a few pens dis under did break the 700c/kg mark, including a pen from AJ & CA Dinning, who sold a pen of 18 Angus steers, 242kg, for $1720 or 701c/kg.
Kenya Pastoral also shined with its lighter cattle, with a pen of 22 Angus steers, 250kg, sold for $1460 or 581c/kg.
Of the grown steers, Murray Evans, King Valley sold a pen of 18 Angus steers, 351kg for $1580 or 450c/kg.
He said he wanted to sell some of his lighter eight month cattle as many of his herd got bogged in much of the rain in the latter part of 2022.
"It got too wet for us through winter, and bogged up so much that you'd be flat out even walking across the paddocks," he said.
"I decided to keep the older cattle and sell these calves.
"My cows will calf in about March, but I'm hoping for not much more rain, as it doesn't do us much good at this time of year."
A good run of Herefords were also sold towards the end of the sale, with Danetree Hereford selling a pen of 18 Hereford steers, 339kg, for 487c/kg.
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