Pakenham store cattle sale underpinned by Victorian feedlots

Agents yarded about 4000 cattle for the feature grown and weaner store sale on Thursday in a sale underpinned by several professional buyers.

Feature lines of vendor-bred and traded cattle attracted the eyes of feedlot buyers and bullock fatteners as prices rallied for the better end of the market.

A feature of the sale was 150 Angus/Hereford-cross mixed-sex calves, nine to 10 months, consigned by BM & SM Higgins, Glenmaggie.

The draft included 58 steers and a top pen of 28 steers, 350 kilograms, which made $1420 - head or 396 cents a kilogram and 30 steers, 310kg, for $1320 or 425c/kg.

The pens were bought by commission buyer Campbell Ross, who was buying cattle for Hopkins River Beef, and Brad Obst, Nutrien East Gippsland Livestock, respectively.

Twenty-four heifers, 322kg, made $1270 or 394c/kg and 37 heifers, 281kg, made $1190 of 423c/kg.

Both pens were bought by volume buyer David Cunningham, Southern Fork Beef, Caldermeade, while agent Dan Cameron, SEJ Pakenham, bought 22 Higgins-bred heifers, 261kg, for $960 or 367c/kg for an undisclosed Gippsland grass fattener.

ALSO IN THE NEWS:

Meanwhile, the Seebeck and Dixon families, Becxon Agriculture Pty Ltd, Shady Creek, sold their entire draft of 120 Limousin calves, nine to 10 months, to one major buyer.

The draft included 13 steers, 324kg, which made $1660 or 512c/kg, six heifers, 324kg, for $1660 or 512c/kg, 31 steers, 263kg, for $1410 or 536c/kg and 52 heifers, 255kg, for $1210 or 474c/kg.

The draft of cattle was bought by Mr Cunningham on the account Gathercole Abattoir, Carrum Downs.

Nutrien Delaney Livestock & Property director Anthony Delaney said the feature autumn sale was an annual fixture on the saleyard's calendar.

"The calf portion of the sale was fully firm bar a few exceptional sales here and there," he said.

"Anyone who purchased an animal in the last year or two and are selling now, unless you have the time or program to take them out to heavy bullocks, it's a case of getting back in and readjusting as best you can.

"However, when you compare those feedlot cattle to a fortnight ago, they were 8-15c/kg up, and compared to a month ago, nobody was really chasing those types of cattle."

M & N McLennan, Trafalgar, offered 62 steers across two pens weighing 485kg and 491kg which made $2120 or 437c/kg and 431c/kg.

Both pens were bought by Mark Dwyer, Thomas Foods International.

Feedlot Teys Charlton also bought a pen of the McLennan steers, 463kg, for $2040 or 440c/kg.

JCM Farms, Glengarry, sold 31 Black Baldy heifers, 268kg, for $950 or 354c/kg and 24 heifers, 310kg, for $1000 or 322c/kg.

Riverslea Pastoral, Maffra, sold 140 traded Angus steers, including 24 steers, 616kg, for $2340 or 379c/kg to Mr Ross on the account Hopkins River, 24 steers, 574kg, for $2300 or 400c/kg to Eddy Hams, Nutrien SGL, Leongatha, for a South Gippsland bullock fattener and 22 steers, 575kg, for $2350 or 408c/kg to South Gippsland feedlotter and backgrounder Anthony Hullick, Keswick Pastoral.

Yering Cattle Company, Yering, sold 95 traded Angus steers, 18 months, including 21 steers, 448kg, for $1840 or 410c/kg to TFI, 17 steers, 369kg, for $1540 or 417c/kg to Teys Charlton and 28 steers, 371kg, for $1590 or 428c/kg.

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

"The mid-400kg steers down to the mid-300kg steers could have been 10-15c/kg dearer," he said.

"All of those cattle sold from 430-450c/kg and then the heavier end above 600kg made from 380-390c/kg which is what we saw a fortnight ago.

"The lighter end of the yarding was patchy and that was reflective of the yarding."

The sale started with 20 Angus steers consigned by GR Hanson, Kallista, 583kg, which made $2300 or 394c/kg.

EJ & ML White, Kilmany, sold 20 steers, 476kg, for $2090 or 439c/kg and 25 steers, 457kg, for $2030 or 444c/kg.

Langley Farms, Glengarry, sold 21 steers, 233kg, for $990 or 424c/kg.

M & S Reedy, Garfield, sold nine steers, 322kg, for $1250 or 388c/kg and 11 heifers, 326kg, for $1240 or 380c/kg.

Parker Amber, Korwera, sold 26 steers, 290kg, for $1390 or 479c/kg.

Bennalong, Myrtlebank, sold 65 Angus and Black Baldy steers and heifers, 11 months, including 25 steers, 409kg, for $1680 or 410c/kg, 20 heifers, 397kg, for $1380 or 347c/kg and 10 steers, 382kg, for $1560 or 408c/kg.