Bairnsdale store cattle sale gets interstate, northern Victorian buyer support

Agents yarded 3525 cattle for the feature fortnight April autumn sale where restockers, backgrounders and feedlotters went head-to-head to secure supplies of cattle.

Prices were also bolstered by a decline in store cattle numbers in Victoria, brought on by the long Easter weekend and Anzac Day.

Kevin and Wendy Ingram and their extended family started the run of feature cattle, offering 172 Angus and Black Baldy steers, July and August 2022-drop.

The draft included 20 Angus steers, 415 kilograms, which made $1940 a head or 467 cents a kilogram, 28 steers, 371kg, for $1770 or 477c/kg, 20 steers, 356kg, for $1580 or 443c/kg and 18 Angus and Black Baldy steers, 398kg, for $1850 or 464c/kg.

The first two and fourth pens were bought by Nutrien Greenwood Sale agent Gordon Conners for a bullock fattener at Tinamba, while the third pen was bought by a bullock fattener at Stradbroke.

Robyn and Mack Stagg, and their son Stuart Stagg, sold 265 Angus mixed-sex calves, seven to 10 months, including 182 European Union-accredited steers.

Their draft included three pens of 90 steers, 351-315kg, which made $1500-$1410 or 427-448c/kg and were bought by Mark Dwyer, Thomas Foods International, for the company's South Australian backgrounding operation.

Thirty-seven Stagg family steers, 291kg, made $1380 or 474c/kg and 33 steers, 274kg, made $1360 or 496c/kg.

The family also sold 30 heifers, 295kg, for $1170 or 396c/kg, 29 heifers, 265kg, for $1060 or 400c/kg and 28 heifers, 231kg, for $1000 or 432c/kg.

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Shaun and Maria Beasley, Emu Park, Lindenow South, sold 170 Angus steers, nine months, including 29 EU steers, 307kg, for $1400 or 456c/kg, 28 steers, 297kg, for $1400 or 471c/kg, 27 steers, 281kg, for $1380 or 491c/kg and 20 steers, 276kg, for $1380 or 500c/kg.

The first three Emu Park steer pens were bought by Wodonga agent Justin Keane, Corcoran Parker, for a backgrounding client in north-east Victoria.

Mr Keane bought about 500 cattle for half-a-dozen backgrounding clients in north-east Victoria and NSW.

Allen and Helen Sheridan, trading as AF Sheridan & Partners, Bairnsdale, sold 100 September and October 2022-drop Angus steers, including 25 steers, 292kg, which made $1320 or 452c/kg.

The first pen was bought by Eddy Hams, Nutrien South Gippsland Livestock, for a backgrounder at Warrnambool.

The Sheridans also sold 25 steers, 215kg, for $1270 or 590c/kg, 25 steers, 260kg, for $1200 or 461c/kg and 25 steers, 247kg, for $1160 or 469c/kg.

Nutrien East Gippsland Livestock manager Brad Obst said the performance of the market exceeded his expectations.

"From our point of view, having those large runs of EU-accredited calves certainly brought a whole new dimension into the market place because there was a lot of interest in those calves," he said.

"I would imagine, when you factor in the Stagg, Beasley and Amberley cattle, between 60 and 70 per cent of those were kept in the EU system."

Mr Obst said the sale was 50c/kg dearer compared to the last fortnightly sale.

"A month ago we were punching away at 380-400c/kg and now it's at 450-500c/kg," he said.

"However, most of our feature calves were 30-40kg lighter than the same cattle last year and I feel that was due to the long, wet spring which came before the dry spell."

Glenshiel Pastoral, Gelantipy, sold 22 steers, 481kg, for $1850 or 384c/kg to South Gippsland-based feedlotter and backgrounder, Keswick Pastoral, and 22 steers, 463kg, for $1920 or 414c/kg to a bullock fattener at Thorpdale.

Creighton Grange Angus sold the first pen of 22 heifers, 367kg, for $1710 or 465c/kg to breeders, the Heywood family, Flynn.

Kerri-Lee Whelan, Nicholson, sold 150 mixed-sex Angus calves, six and seven months, including 25 heifers, 274kg, for $1210 or 441c/kg and 34 heifers, 233kg, for $1030 or 442c/kg.

Ms Whelan also sold 25 steers, 320kg, for $1380 or 431c/kg.

Denco sold 21 heifers, 351kg, for $1150 or 365c/kg, 19 heifers, 309kg, for $1140 or 368c/kg and 24 heifers, 251kg, for $990 or 394c/kg.

Robyn Kuch, Perry Bridge, sold 16 heifers, 16-18 months, 435kg, for $2000 or 459c/kg and 16 heifers, 416kg, for $2020 or 485c/kg.

Bill Wyndham & Co livestock manager Jake Fullgrabe said the market had risen $200 a head from similar sales six weeks ago.

"Over the last six to 10 years now people have changed their breeding program, and instead of selling in March, they sell at this sale in Bairnsdale in April," he said.

"It's getting bigger and bigger and that's why we've seen the quality of cattle improve over that time.

"The starting price for little place heifers was $1050-$1100 and anywhere up to $1300, and better heifers to go back to the paddock for breeding made anywhere from $1700 to $2000."

Mr Fullgrabe said feedlot buyers dominated the heavier end of the steers, as well as restockers from South Gippsland.

The sale started with 10 Hereford steers, 561kg, consigned by P & K Lind which made $2080 or 371c/kg.

Amberley Park sold 31 steers, 306kg, for $1430 or 467c/kg and 21 steers, 278kg, for $1310 or 471c/kg.

RD & M Rogers sold 22 steers, 379kg, for $1610 or 424c/kg and 16 steers, 342kg, for $1480 or 432c/kg.

S & T Quirke sold 15 Angus steers, 511kg, for $2180 or 426c.kg.

CD & JA Cooper sold 16 Hereford steers, 494kg, for $2000 or 404c/kg.

RT Russell sold 21 steers, 327kg, for $1390 or 425c/kg.

Coolamert Pastoral Co sold 23 steers, 328kg, for $1400 or 420c/kg.

JH & AM Cameron sold 11 steers, 500kg, for $2100 or 420c/kg.

DH & P Luckock sold 20 steers, 391kg, for $1770 or 452c/kg.