The Naracoorte Combined Agents Association's annual feature female sale took a while to find its feet with the first pen of the day taking nearly five minutes to sell.
But it was not long until there were plenty of high quality Angus heifers reaching close to $2000 or more.
Overall the 1306 head, the majority of which were heifers, topped at $2200 and averaged $1808 with buyers largely from the South East and western Vic.
The 1062 PTIC heifers averaged $1836 and 205 PTIC cows averaged $1669.
In comparison in a similar sized yarding in 2023, PTIC heifers averaged $3077 and PTIC cows averaged $2681.
TDC Livestock and Property auctioneer Matt Treglown said the sale was "around expectations" but could have been $300 better than if there had not been widespread rain which had lifted demand considerably.
"We saw a lot of people operate that buy the same cattle year in and year out and they will take them home and they will go on for them," he said.
Top price honours went to Williup, Hynam, with two outstanding pens of Angus each making $2200.
These pens- each comprising 15 head- sold to a repeat client from BR&C Agencies, Ouyen, Vic.
Williup's Michael Mattei specialises in buying some of the best weaner heifers at Naracoorte each year, growing them out and mating them to low birthweight bulls from JB Angus stud. They are then presented for the sale in the bloodlines they were bought in.
One of the top pens were bought from Muster Pastoral, Mundulla while the others were heifers bred by the Smith family from Joanna.
Mr Mattei averaged about $2050 across the heifers which he said was "better than expected".
"The ones we sold at the December sale averaged $1930 so the market is up more than $100 on that," he said. "There is no margin in it this year but hopefully there will be next time, we will keep following the normal process because we have people wanting to buy the heifers each year."
Nampara Pastoral Company, Lucindale, were another major vendor with their 208 Angus and Simmental/Angus, due to calve for eight weeks from mid February, averaging $1906.
Their fifth pen, Angus which they bred themselves, made $2060.
The best of their bought in heifers - which were Angus/Simmental and also joined to their Nampara Angus bulls - made $2020.
Mr Hann was happy with the result.
"Six weeks and the rain has made all the difference," he said.
Nampara also sold 300 heifers at Mortlake, Vic, on the same day which averaged slightly less than the Naracoorte consignment but topped at $2475.
Some of the highest performance females in the yarding were the two pens of Angus/Shorthorns from Springwood Trading Trust, Padthaway.
These Glatz Black Angus and Caskieben Shorthorn blds which had been joined to Glatz bulls from May 9th to July 27th last year made $2140 and $2000.
They were snapped up by the Fraser family.
Also at $2140, WV James & Son, Cooranga, Lucindale, sold two pens of EU accredited March/April 2022 drop Angus.
These females which had been in an AI program then had a really tight natural mating of just a couple of weeks to Mandayen Angus sires.
Another long time vendor Bimbadeen Ag, Coonawarra, sold the best of the coloured cattle. Twelve of their rising two year old Simmental/Red Angus made $1840.
TFI's Petar Bond and Jack Thomas were active on many of the 200 PTIC cows in the offering, including the highest priced ones.
They paid $1880 for 2016-2018 drops from Wimberina Angus, Penola. These were due to calve over six weeks to Wimberina Jackpot bulls.
TFI also bought Williup's sole pen of older cows- 14 Angus crosses which were 2018 drop and ex the Prosser family for $1860, along with 22 head from Straven Pty Ltd for the same money.
