IT wasn’t the smallest yarding of cattle at the combined agents Manjimup sale last week this scribe has attended, but very close to it.
With only 60 cattle all up, the small numbers did not help attract buyers and consequently also limited the cattle local producers are prepared to truck in.
While this sale is a combined agents fixture, Landmark did not offer any cattle and Elders had the one pen of three cows in their catalogue.
Primaries had the balance, with the majority of these from the Hettner family, Kojonup and Brunswick.
Elders opened the sale with its pen of quality cows from EJ Moltoni, Pemberton, with these going to loyal sale supporter Greg Jones, buying for Western Meat Packers.
Weighing 647 kilograms, they sold for the one bid of 210 cents a kilogram to return $1358.
A handful of beef steers started the Primaries section, with a pen of two Angus cross steers from JD Phillips, East Manjimup, topping at $1022 when the 365kg steers sold for 280c/kg and were for Millyeanup Pastoral, Scott River.
The next pen containing three Murray Grey cross steers sold by JD Phillips stayed with these when the 295kg steers sold for the top of 294c/kg to cost Millyeanup, $867.
Tony Ciccone, Manjimup, saw his first steer sell to this buyer for $952 and 244c/kg with the next three weighing 332kg going the same way for $862 and 260c/kg.
Later in the sale Mr Ciccone offered a Murray Grey cow weighing 490kg that sold for $640 to Select Selling Services, making 158c/kg.
The balance of the offering was from the Hettner family.
The first four pens of Murray Grey yearling bulls were all bought by Greg Jones and clerked to Primaries Manjimup.
These sold from $450-$838 between 200-264c/kg for 225 to 275kg bulls.
Several pens of the Hettner grey heifers saw most pens of these go to Quick Margin Enterprises, topping at $580.
Weighing up to 240kg Select Selling Services paid the top price of $640 for a single heifer weighing 405kg at 158c/kg.
The top in cents per kilogram was paid by Primaries Manjimup for 12 weighing 234kg when they sold for 248c/kg and $580.
