Bairnsdale cattle buyers dig deep to raise money for Royal Children's Hospital

Benambra graziers Chris and Amber Connely, who trade as Rosevale Pastoral, donated the steer at Bairndale's fortnightly store sale on Friday, raising just shy of $5500.

"Our daughter Tessa had a fair stint in the Royal Children's from when she was six weeks' old," Mrs Connley said.

"She was flown out from the Bairnsdale Hospital with a heart condition, and had open-heart surgery.

"She was in hospital for six to seven weeks after the surgery."

The family said the staff at the Royal Children's Hospital saved Tessa's life, and felt indebted to the doctors and staff, and were looking for a way to show their appreciation.

"We're farmers and we thought the best way we could do that was to donate a steer and the proceeds from it would go to the hospital," Mrs Connley said.

"She is fighting fit as I would describe her, she is an amazing little girl, and that's thanks to the amazing team at the Royal Children's Hospital."

The steer was initially purchased by Ken Boulton, Obenvale, Stradbroke, who re-donated the steer to the sale before it was bought a second time by Eddie Hams, Nutrien South Gippsland Livestock, Leongatha.

David McCann, trading as Willdarben Farms, Nambrok, made a $1000 donation to the cause, while Roff Goff, Yarragon, donated $200 to the family's fundraising efforts.

The last Bairnsdale store cattle sale for 2023 featured about 1100 cattle, in what Elders Bairnsdale livestock manger Morgan Davies described as a mixed-quality yarding.

"The quality of the yarding was not as good as the previous sale a fortnight ago and there wasn't a lot of cattle weighing more than 350 kilos," he said.

"South Gippsland agents were the main group of buyers, along with the odd order from East Gippsland.

"Graziers were the strength of the market with only one major feedlotter in Garrison Cattle Feeders operating."

Mr Davies said most of the cattle sold for 270-310 cents a kilogram on average.

"The sale lacked the punch we saw a fortnight ago which was driven by grass fever," he said.

Bill Wyndham & Co livestock manager Colin Jones said the store market prices followed on from a softer prime market a few days earlier.

"The job wasn't too bad for the older cattle, but once we got onto our yearling-off and younger, it was a bit cheaper," he said.

"Heifers could have been $100-$150 cheaper than a fortnight ago, and what cows and calves we did have were fully firm.

Meat & LIvestock Australia market reporter Brendan Fletcher said prices declined $100 on average across the yarding due to a decline in quality.

He said the top pen of weaner steers made $1260 for a pen of Euro crosses, 328kg, or 384c/kg.

The top pen of yearling steers made $1520 for 13 Angus, 500kg, or $304c/kg.

Fernbrook Farms, Swifts Creek, sold 21 steers, 295kg, for $830 or 281c/kg, and 20 steers, 254kg, for $840 or 330c/kg.

M & A Kimber, Bega, NSW, sold 11 Limousin-cross steers, 450kg, for $1350 or 300c/kg.

C McKenna, Ensay, sold 17 Black Baldy heifers, 332kg, for $690 or 207c/kg, and 10 heifers, 396kg, for $850 or 214c/kg.

Buchan Station, Buchan, sold seven pregnancy-tested-in-calf cows for $1440, 11 PTIC cows for $1480, and seven PTIC cows 1460.

The cows ranged from four to seven years and were due to calve in February and March.

Meanwhile, P & M Calabro, Wy Yung, sold nine Angus cows with calves at foot for $1490 a unit.