Bairnsdale cattle sale offers reduced October yarding after flash flooding

Agents yarded about 1600 steers and heifers at the fortnightly Bairnsdale store market on Friday, a reduction of the anticipated 2700-head yarding earlier in the week.

Buyers from South Gippsland were the strength of the market, and walked away with an estimated 60 per cent of the sale.

High rainfall deterred and prevented many buyers from selling cattle after paddocks and farm tracks became inundated with more than 100 millimetres of rain in a 36-hour period.

Some Gippsland beef producers said it was the largest spring deluge in living memory.

The sale started with a consignment of rising two-year-old Hereford steers by the Brownlow family of The Camp, Bairnsdale.

The draft included 15 steers, 626 kilograms, which made $1600 a head or 255 cents a kilogram, 15 steers, 578kg, that made $1580 or 273c/kg, 10 steers, 614kg, that made $1570 or 255c/kg, and 11 steers, 614kg, that made $1570 or 255c/kg.

The entire draft of Brownlow cattle was bought by South Gippsland buyer Don Bowman, Elders Leongatha and Korumburra.

Between Mr Bowman and Elders Leongatha and Korumburra branch manager Rohan McRae, the pair bought more than 250 cattle for a plethora of clients in the south.

Mr Bowman bought the first six pens of the sale, including 11 steers consigned by KT & V Deery, 643kg, for $1620 or 251c/kg.

Among the other feature lines of the sale was a consignment of 236 mixed-sex Angus cattle, 10-12 months, offered by Hannaford Cattle Co, Braidwood, NSW.

The steer draft included 22 steers, 302kg, which made $770 or 254c/kg, 20 steers, 271kg, which made $690 or 254c/kg, 20 steers, 254kg, which made $610 or 240c/kg, and 20 steers, 240kg, which made $570 or 237c/kg.

The pens were bought by agents from East, South and West Gippsland for a number of bullock fatteners.

Hannaford Cattle Co also sold 17 heifers, 292kg, for $530 or 181c/kg, 16 heifers, 290kg, for 530c/kg or 182c/kg, 20 heifers, 284kg, for $540 or 199c/kg, and 21 heifers, 278kg, for $540 or 199c/kg.

Account Chesterfield, Heyfield, sold 94 heifers, but was unable to truck a similar number of steers into the sale due to the wet conditions.

The consignment included 22 heifers, 378kg, which made $810 or 214c/kg, and 22 heifers, 341kg, for $810 or 237c/kg.

Both pens were bought by South Gippsland agency SEJ LKD, Leongatha, which bought more than 150 cattle at the fortnightly sale.

Chesterfield also sold 25 heifers, 322kg, for $660 or 204c/kg, and 21 heifers, 286kg, for $520 or 181c/kg.

The Nixon family, trading as Macclesfield, Cann River, sold a run of 130 heifers, including 45 heifers, 371kg, which made $910 or 245c/kg, 23 heifers, 314kg, which made $640 or 203c/kg, and 22 heifers, 291kg, for $560 or 192c/kg.

Among the other volume buyers was Ed Hams, Nutrien South Gippsland Livestock, Leongatha, who bought more than 150 cattle, including 90 steers which weighed 400-500kg.

Nutrien East Gippsland Livestock director Brad Obst, Bairnsdale, said cattle met with "reasonable demand".

"South Gippsland has always been traditionally our strength and where our buying strength comes from," he said.

"Conditions are a lot more favourable down there than what they've been up this end of the world, but at the end of the day we are a breeding area and our job is to breed them, and they're a fattening area and their job is to fatten them."

Elders Bairnsdale livestock manager Morgan Davies said cattle prices were yet to find their bottom.

"No one knows what the feedlotting sector are doing at the moment and obviously they're buying cattle, but there's not a massive requirement for them," he said.

"I think when people can't put a calculator against the cattle they've bought, they get nervous."

Mr Davies said feedlot competition was non-existent at the Gippsland sale.

In other sales, J & J Lockhard sold 16 steers, 479kg, for $1020 or 212c/kg, while IG & BW Nethercote sold 17 steers, 407kg, for $1000 or 245c/kg.

DW & RJ Stringer sold 12 steers, 363kg, for $1080 or 297c/kg.

DIB Holdings sold nine steers, 445kg, for $940 or 211c/kg.

Dalrose Farms bought the first pen of heifers at the sale, consigned by RJ & VL Cornall, which comprised 13 Angus heifers, 359kg, for $690 or 192c/kg.

The same buyer also bought a pen of 13 heifers, 374kg, for $820 or 219c/kg, sold by D Fogarty.

Glen Ingram sold 13 heifers, 380kg, for $850 or 223c/kg to SEJ LKD, Leongatha.