DRIVEN by the ongoing dry season, and the change to cold, wet winter conditions and high prices, a large yarding was offered by Corcoran Parker, Elders and Landmark at the Northern Victoria Livestock Exchange (NVLX) at Barnawartha near Wodonga last Thursday.
This larger than normal offering included few yearling steers, but the breeding of the cattle was good across most of the yarding.
After rain in local and surrounding districts, more producers were attempting to buy replacements.
However, in order to buy they had to contend with numerous feedlots that were purchasing steers and heifers to be grain-fed now, but also younger cattle to background for later feeding.
This created strong competition and some of the best prices seen so far this year.
While Thomas Foods International (TFI) had a big kill to fill each day, and were by far the best competitor, they had plenty of opposition.
The sale opened with agents selling a few smaller pen lots of yearling steers with the heaviest weighing 439 kilograms liveweight.
D and K Daly, Pine Mountain, sold 49 Hereford and Hereford-Angus steers, some mouthed with 2 teeth.
These sold to $1140, or 260 cents a kilogram lwt.
However, S and J Goldsworthy, Beechworth, sold 15 Angus steers for the top price of $1205, S.V. and H.J. Mahoney, Mansfield, 340 Hereford steers to $1050, and D O'Brien, Merrijig, 10 Angus steers for $1060.
These all had weights displayed, and sold for the equivalent of 271c/kg to 286c/kg lwt.
The large yarding of steers, which were mostly six to 11 months, and generally in store condition, sold for the equivalent of 270c/kg to 296c/kg with some of the youngest calves estimated making up to 317c/kg lwt.
Morning Glory Pastoral Co, Ournie, sold 66 Angus steers, EU accredited, nine to 10 months, from $685 to $970, to average $842.
Three other large drafts of steers testify to the strength of this market.
D Kirwan, "Kensal Green", Bungowannah, offered 116 Angus steers, The Grange blood, which sold from $720 to $978, averaging $868.
R.A. and M.M. Shea, "Barfold Beef", Barfold, sold 209 Angus steers selling from $575 for some light, young calves, to $920 and an average of $776.
The 267 Angus steers sold by Brooksby Past Co, "Warrah", Holbrook, made from $515 to $800, average $676.
Some of these and other younger Angus steers were purchased to background for later grain feeding.
Several drafts of Charolais and Charolais cross steers were offered, also selling well.
Lad Kirk, Tallangatta, sold 11 Charolais steers for $845, and D and P Vickoru, and Mountain Bay Pastoral, both sold steers to a top of $750.
R and R O'Keefe, Bruarong, sold the highest price Charolais-Hereford steers for $990.
A.D. Copping and Sons, Avenue Ridge, SA, and Techno Grazing, Mount Burr, Lucindale, SA, both sent cattle to NVLX, to capture the competition of those who have had rain.
AD Copping sold 139 Angus steers from $540 to $755, and Techno Grazing sold 68 Angus steers from $420 to $640.
Competition from producers was strong for cows with calves.
Most of the outfits were in fair to store condition with calves at foot from two to eight weeks.
Most cows with calves sold well above splitting value making from $1220 to $1730.
G Peacock, Myrtleford, sold 17 Angus cows, second and third calves at foot, two to three months, from $1640 to $1730.
Many pens of joined females were offered, and they sold well.
A feature line of Angus cows, three to six years, pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) to Table Top and Lawson's Angus bulls, sold well, especially considering they were early spring calvers.
Palmyra Past Co, Baddaginnie, sold 191 cows in a dispersal, which sold from $920 to $1270.
Coming all the way from Monash Station, Monash, SA, were 93 Santa Gertrudis cows, PTIC five to six months in calf, most of which sold between $840 and $940.
S and J Goldsworthy, Beechworth, sold 11 yearling Angus heifers for $91.
These were purchased by TFI for grain feeding as were numerous other pens.
They had solid competition for heifers, and the best of this came from a producer wanting breeders.
D Kirwan, Bungowannah, sold 62 Angus heifers from $780 to $910 with the top pen bought by a breeder after bidding started at $750.
These heifers weighed 318kg lwt and therefore equalled 286c/kg lwt.
Many heifers sold between $640 and $910, which was quoted by some as $100 dearer than recent sales.
Barfold Beef sold 60 young Angus heifers from $470 to $530, and Brooksby Past Co, 148 Angus heifers from $490 to $585.
Peter Kostos
Prime stock analyst analyst for Stock & Land.
Prime stock analyst analyst for Stock & Land.
