Leongatha steers bought by feedlots at May cattle market

Agents yarded about 4000 cattle for the final autumn South Gippsland market where very few cattle returned to local paddocks.

A group of about half a dozen buyers dominated the steer portion of the sale, where several feature and annual drafts attracted promising attention from prospective purchasers.

Feedlotter Anthony Hullick, Keswick Pastoral, and Melbourne-based commission buyer Campbell Ross, who bought for Hopkins River Beef, AMG, and several other feedlot and background operators, were among the most active buyers at the rail.

Pakenham feedlot G & K O'Connor as well as Thomas Foods International and Teys Charlton also bought runs of cattle in the opening hours of the market.

The sale consisted of a mainly Angus-dominated yarding where only a handful of pens sold beyond 400 cents a kilogram.

Agents said prices eased slightly compared to last fortnight's sale, however competition was more buoyant compared to the Pakenham market a day earlier due to larger runs of vendor-consigned and well-bred cattle.

The Follett family, trading as Gem-Brae Ag, Lang Lang, sold 180 mainly Angus mixed-sex calves, 10 months, including 20 steers, 344 kilograms, for $1400 a head or 406c/kg, and 24 steers, 333kg, for $1360 or 408c/kg.

Both pens were bought by feedlot G & K O'Connor.

Gem-Brae Ag also sold 20 heifers, 326kg, for $1000 or 306c/kg, 25 heifers, 305kg, for $960, and 18 heifers, 208kg, for $940.

Koonwarra backgrounder Stonewarra bought the following two pens of Gem-Brae Ag steers, including 20 steers, 314kg, for $1180 or 375c/kg, and 16 steers, 298kg, for $1000 or 335c/kg.

The Pilkington and Toohey family, trading as Doonagatha, Sandy Point, sold 100 Angus and Black Baldy steers, July and August 2022-drop, including 23 steers, 304kg, for $1180 or 388c/kg, 25 steers, 276kg, for $1100 or 398c/kg and 25 steers, 260kg, for $1000 or 384c/kg.

T & L Butcher, Allambee South, sold 15 steers, 643kg, for $2320 or 360c/kg and 11 steers, 543kg, $1970 or 362c/kg.

L Ryan, Mirboo, sold 25 steers, 476kg, for $1900 or 399c/kg to AMG, and 25 steers, 447kg, for $1780 or 398c/kg.

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Elders Leongatha and Korumburra auctioneer Jason Fry said the market was cheaper across all categories of cattle.

"Prices certainly improved compared to the sale at Pakenham on Thursday, however, it was a touch cheaper compared to our last sale at Leongatha a fortnight ago," he said.

"It might have been 15-20c/kg cheaper, but anything with a bit of quality was sought after."

F & C Cameron, Wild Dog, Phillip Island, sold 16 steers, 438kg, for $1650 or 376c/kg.

RJ Sandy sold 12 steers, 587kg, for $2160 or 367c/kg to AMG and 15 steers, 562kg, for $2080 or 370c/kg.

Frog Hollow Angus, Main Ridge, sold 18 steers, 15-16 months, 499kg, for $2040 or 408c/kg and 18 steers, 453kg, for $1860 or 410c/kg.

Mount Angus Stud, Glengarry, sold 10 steers, 638kg, for $2310 or 362c/kg, 19 steers, 609kg, for $2200 or 361c/kg and 12 steers, 533kg, for $2000 or 373c/kg.

The first two pens were bought by Keswick Pastoral.

Nichol Primary Production, Ravenhall, sold 15 steers, 642kg, for $2310 or 359c/kg, 16 steers, 619kg, $2200 or 355c/kg and 14 steers, 641kg, for $2300 or 358c/kg.

R & C Donat, Mirboo, sold 23 steers, 311kg, for $1270 or 408c/kg and 23 steers, 235kg, for $900 or 382c/kg.

J & S Kelly, Korumburra, sold 13 Speckle Park steers, 387kg, for $1380 or 356c/kg and 10 Angus steers, 300kg, for $960 or 320c/kg.

SEJ Leongatha livestock manager James Kyle said very few pens were bought by farmers looking to restock.

"If prices don't improve, there's going to be some very upset people and some very wet and ordinary paddocks with cattle that should have been sold by now," he said.

"We've yarded 3000-4000 cattle consistently now for most of the year, and a lot of cattle have gone out of the system but it makes you wonder how long these numbers will continue if prices deteriorate."

Summers Farms, Fish Creek, sold 22 heifers, 441kg, for $1640 or 371c/kg and 18 heifers, 411kg, for $1550 or377c/kg.

Von Pace Pastoral, Giffard, sold 14 heifers, 438kg, for $1620 or 369c/kg and 22 heifers, 420kg, for $1520 or 361c/kg.

Bass Coast Contracting sold 11 heifers, 14 months, 410kg, for $1300 or 317c/kg.