South and West Gippsland restockers underpinned Bairnsdale's feature autumn calf sale on Tuesday where weaner steers sold beyond $1800 a head.
Agents yarded 3135 cattle at the East Gippsland Livestock Exchange where feedlot buyers were largely absent, allowing restockers to step up to the rails.
The sale featured annual drafts of Angus and Hereford cattle from across Victoria, with most steers bought by bullock fatteners across Gippsland.
The sale started with a pen of 25 Hereford steers, 364 kilograms, which made $1640 a head or 450 cents a kilogram.
The pen was bought by Anthony Delaney, Nutrien Delaney Livestock & Property, Pakenham, who bought the first three pens of the sale for a bullock fattener at Glengarry.
The following two pens were consigned by Tim Woodgate, Buchan, who sold 247 mixed-sex Herefords, June and July 2022-drop, to a top price of $1610.
His draft included 26 steers, 368kg, for $1610 or 437c/kg and 26 steers, 359kg, for $1610 or 448c/kg, as well as 27 steers, 347kg, for $1330 or 383c/kg, bought by Nutrien East Gippsland Livestock.
Mr Woodgate said the top three pens of his cattle in the same sale last year made $2350, $2320 and $2290 and weighed 370kg, 365kg, and 351kg.
Nutrien East Gippsland director Brad Obst said the quality of cattle at the annual sale was "outstanding".
"I thought Tim Woodgate presented an outstanding run of cattle and I take my hat off to him, especially to put that many cattle across the few pens he did and to have them as even as they were was a real credit to him as a breeder," he said.
"We all know where the cattle job is and a bit like the Mountain Calf Sales, the prices cattle sold for weren't really a surprise.
"People are a bit nervous about the season and they're uncertain, along with the slaughter price which is limiting what level people can buy back in at."
Mr Woodgate also sold 21 heifers, 301kg, for $1210 or 401c/kg and 29 heifers, 276kg, for $1100 or 398c/kg.
GA & SA Moon Pastoral, Black Mountain, sold 81 Hereford steers and 48 heifers, June and July 2022-drop, including a top pen of 24 steers, 304kg, for $990 or 325c/kg, 28 steers, 275kg, for $930 or 338c/kg, and 27 steers, 245kg, for $910 or 371c/kg.
The same vendor also sold 32 heifers, 256kg, for $920 or 378c/kg.
Creighton Grange Angus Partnership, Mount Taylor, sold the dearest weaner pen of the sale with 16 Angus steers, 424kg, 12-13 months, knocked down for $1850 or 436c/kg.
The pen was bought by Ian Baker, Nutrien Greenwood, Sale, for bullock fattener Fred Exner, Sale.
T Wright also sold a pen of 11 older Angus steers, 18 months, 502kg, for $1880 to South Gippsland feedlotter and backgrounder Anthony Hullick, Keswick Pastoral.
Mr Hullick bought 60 steers for Keswick Pastoral and 120 steers for Westside Meat.
Keswick buyer Kate Murray, Bayles, also bought 20 steers, 344kg, for $1200 for Westside.
PA Smith, Omeo, sold 81 Hereford steers, 12-13 months, including 23 steers, 409kg, for $1700 or 415c/kg, 22 steers, 378kg, for $1590 or 420c/kg and 22 steers, 353kg, for $1370 or 388c/kg.
The three pens were bought by Bill Wyndham & Co livestock manager Colin Jones, Bairnsdale, on behalf of the Brownlow family, The Camp, Bairnsdale, who bought 115 Hereford steers at the sale.
The Camp also bought two one of steers consigned by WJ & A Henderson, Gelantipy, including 21 Herefords, 384kg, for $1690 or 440c/kg and 20 steers, 337kg, for $1300 or 385c/kg.
The Hendersons sold a draft of 95 mixed-sex Herefords, May and June 2022-drop.
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Bayrook Pastoral, Gelantipy, sole 81 Hereford and Hereford/Shorthorn-cross cattle, including 21 steers, 384kg, for $1690 or 440c/kg and 20 steers, 337kg, for $1300 or 385c/kg.
Bill Wyndham & Co livestock manager Colin Jones said the dry seasonal outlook was a driving factor of the cheaper prices.
"It was an outstanding run of Angus and Hereford cattle, and 95 per cent of them would have been weaners," he said.
"Apart from the odd exceptional sale, some cattle would have been $200 cheaper compared to previous sales, like the Mountain Calf Sales, recently.
"It's very dry and there was minimal feedlot competition, if any, here today."
Tamcal sold 27 Angus steers, 295kg, for $1320 or 447c/kg to a bullock fattener at Cann River.
PC & DM Moon sold 25 Hereford steers, 308kg, for $1040 or 337c/kg to a client via Elders Bairnsdale.
Kent Park sold 25 Hereford steers, 341kg, for $1010 or 296c/kg and 14 steers, 295kg, for $960 or 325c/kg.
K & T Woodgate sold 18 Hereford steers, 356kg, for $1160 or 325c/kg to Mr Hullick on the account of Westside.
G & D Freshwater sold 18 Limousin steers, 406kg, for $1570 or 386c/kg.
MW & MJ Higgins sold 18 Angus steers, 374kg, for $1590 or 425c/kg.
SEJ Leongatha agent Brian Kyle bought a pen of 22 steers, 361kg, consigned by AK & H Maher for $1600.
The Mahers also sold 19 steers, 331kg, for $1480 or 447c/kg.
G & R Maher sold 18 Angus steers, 305kg, for $1140 or 373c/kg.
Mr Kyle bought more than 80 cattle at the sale for several South Gippsland bullock fatteners.
Neil Darby, Alex Scott & Staff, Warragul, bought both pens of cattle consigned by R & V Cornall for a grass fattener at Warragul.
The draft included 25 steers, 352kg, for $1530 or 434c/kg and 18 steers, 318kg, for $1260 or 396c/kg.
J Hayward & Partners sold 30 black cattle, 389kg, for $1590 or 408c/kg to Nutrien South Gippsland Livestock director Eddy Hams, for a bullock fattener at Kongwak, as well as 28 steers, 354kg, for $1510 or 426c/kg.
Buchan Station, Buchan, sold 25 Angus steers, 383kg, for $1590 or 415c/kg and 22 steers, 344kg, for $1610 or 468c/kg.
Both pens were bought for a client via Pakenham agent Jason McInnes, Everitt Seeley & Bennetts.
DM Jensen sold 21 steers, 391kg, for $1540 or 393c/kg.
In the heifers, GM & LL Troake sold 23 heifers, 304kg, for $1090 or 358c/kg.
J & D Pedersen sold 11 heifers, 308kg, for $910 or 295 to Doug Peachy, Elders Warragul, for a breeder at Glengarry.
Bairnsdale store cattle sales to return to Fridays
Bairnsdale stock agents have opted to return to a fortnightly Friday store cattle sale, after moving the sale to Tuesdays several months ago to avoid clashing with the South Gippsland store sales.
Nutrien East Gippsland Livestock director Brad Obst said the final Bairnsdale Tuesday sale would take place on March 28.
"Then we will go back to Fridays come April 21," he said.
"South Gippsland agents seem to have made a decision to go back to fortnightly Friday sales, as opposed to weekly sales, so we will go back to the alternative week.
"We look forward to Friday, April 21, where we will have an outstanding run of black cattle, of which there will be 500-600 European Union-accredited cattle."
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