Major buyers from Gippsland, Yea and Colac buy large runs of Omeo Angus cattle

Agents yarded more than 3500 cattle on Tuesday at the largest of five Mountain Calf Sales as vendors reported prices above expectations.

Gippsland bullock fattener Graham Osborne, Officer, maintained his stronghold on the sale series, purchasing 300 Angus and Black Baldy steers, including the first four pens of the sale.

Mr Osborne was one of the largest volume buyers at the Hinnomunjie sale two hours earlier where he bought 74 calves at auction for his South Gippsland operation.

His purchases included the first pen of the market consigned by D & M Plowman, Cobungra, who sold 14 Angus steers, spring 2022-drop, for $1550, and 13 Angus steers for $1600.

SM Sheean sold 16 Angus steers, spring 2022-drop, for $1700 to Mr Osborne, while Meringo Pastoral, Omeo, sold its top pen of 25 steers for $1590 to the same buyer.

Elders Omeo livestock manager David Hill said prices were well above vendors' expectations before the sale.

"On a cents a kilogram basis, I think vendors will be very satisfied," Mr Hill said.

"We're going forward into winter and we're 20-30c/kg above where we expected the market to be earlier in the year.

"We've come from a pretty low base at Christmas so we're pretty optimistic we've been able to overcome that hurdle."

Clive and Di Anderson, Benambra, sold 300 Angus and Black Baldy steers, 8-10 months, for $1570 and 12 steers for $1480 to Alex Scott and Staff Pakenham, and 20 steers for $1440 to SEJ Leongatha.

AI & RD Nicholas, Benambra, sold 24 ANgus steers for $1380 to Pat Cleary, Elders ECM Livestock, Moss Vale, NSW, and 19 steers for $1300.

CW Scott & Co sold 32 Angus steers for $1380 to Ken Boulton, Obenvale, Stradbroke, who bought 220 Angus and Black Baldy calves.

Brookville Angus, Brookville, sold 23 Angus steers for $1260 and 21 Angus steers for $1210 to Mr Osborne.

Meringo Pastoral sold 18 heifers for $1250 to Elders Yea livestock manager Jamie Quinlan, who bought 19 heifers at $1050 and another 19 heifers at $970.

Mr Quinlan bought 630 mixed-sex calves, including 430 steers, for several clients in the Yea district and Yarra Valley, with a large portion of steers destined for backgrounding operations.

Meanwhile, Colac-based feedlotter Alastair Nelson, YC Feeding, bought 289 mixed-sex calves, including more than a dozen of the first 25 heifer pens.

He bought 18 Meringo Pastoral heifers for $1150, 19 heifers for $1050 and 20 heifers for $1250.

He also bought seven pens of heifers offered by the Boulton family trading as Dawn-Raine Pty Ltd, Wulgulmerang, including 49 Angus and Black Baldy heifers for $1080 and 46 heifers for $980.

Dawn-Raine Pty Ltd was among the largest vendors at the sale, offering 500 mixed-sex calves evenly split between steers and heifers.

The family's consignment of steers including 25 Angus at $1470, 50 steers at $1400, 27 steers at $1260, and 34 Black Baldy steers at $1540 and 62 steers at $1460 to Mr Osborne.

Alpine Pendergast Livestock, Benambra, sold 337 mixed-sex Angus calves, 8-10 months, including 16 steers at $1460 and 64 steers at $1000.

Black Mountain Station, Wulgulmerang, sold 200 July and August 2023-drop cattle, including 69 steers for $1050 to Mr Quinna, 60 steers for $930 to Mortlake agent Matt Baxter, Charles Stewart, and 75 steers for $840.

Crisp Livestock, Omeo, sold 249 mixed-sex Angus and Black Baldy calves, 10-12 months, sold 30 steers for $1350 to Mr Cleary, and 30 steers for $1200, plus 25 heifers for $940 and 25 for $920.

CT Ferguson, Omeo Valley, sold 254 Angus heifers, 7-8 months, including $20 heifers for $850 to SEJ Leongatha, 21 heifers for $850, 31 heifers for $850 and 31 heifers for $850.

Snowy River Angus sold 58 Angus steers for $1080, 46 steers for $960 and 40 steers for $880.

KE & AG Dean, Tambo Crossing, sold 27 Angus steers for $1070 to Mr Quinlan, and 26 steers for $920 to Mr Baxter.