A SMALL but select yarding is a commonly quoted description of sales with light numbers, and the combined agents sale at Manjimup last week certainly fitted the description “small” when just 61 cattle were penned between the three agents.
With few numbers of any category it makes it hard to give a quote of price trends but agents felt the general values were fairly steady to the previous fixture.
The one pen of beef steers sold for $1258 and 262c/kg while with more numbers, beef heifers reached $1528 for the heavy processor types and $1093 and 324c/kg for yearlings.
Dairy steers were more prevalent than usual, topping at $1300.
Beef bulls of a wide age variation sold to $1740 while heavy cows topped at $1670.
The best of the cow and calf units sold for $1780.
Elders were first up, starting with a pen of heavy black heifers with a single heifer weighing 670kg from F Pessotto & Sons topping at $1528 when Western Meat Packers (WMP) bid to 228c/kg.
Another Pessotto heifer weighing 465kg went to Select Selling Services for $1060, also selling at 228c/kg.
Twin Lakes Holdings had the heaviest animal in the pen, a black heifer weighing 705kg and it went to WMP for $1480 and 210c/kg.
Two Hereford steers from EJ Moltoni, Pemberton, weighed 480kg and sold to Johnson Meats for $1258 at 262c/kg.
Friesian and Jersey steers offered by M & W Sewell saw a Jersey weighing 570kg top the line at $1300, while a pen of eight Friesians averaging 321kg went to Brett Chatley, Landmark Manjimup, at 252c/kg to cost $810.
Several Hereford bulls from EJ Moltoni, Greenland stud, reached $1252 paid for the heaviest at 505kg and bought by Elders Manjimup representative Craig Martin.
Mr Chatley bought the youngest as a back-up bull for a client, paying $1033 at 246c/kg.
Seven Angus bulls from Pow Brook Pty Ltd sold for $935 and are destined for a Great Southern feedlot.
Manjimup Senior High School sold an Angus cow to WMP for $1670 and 200c/kg.
Primaries staff had an unusually easy day with only seven cattle to offer, all of them a Droughtmaster breed from Clovermia Grazing, East Manjimup.
Two cows weighing 465kg went to WMP at $883 and 190c/kg with Greg Jones paying $693 and 252c/kg for the best three heifers averaging 275kg.
The Landmark section commenced with a pen of six quality Angus heifers weighing 338kg from regular vendor, DP Scherini, Bridgetown, the pen attracted extended bidding before selling to PJ Wright for $1093 and 324c/kg.
This buyer then snapped up the next three Scherini heifers for $1052 at 322c/kg.
A line of Shorthorn cross heifers showing some station heritage also went to Mr Wright and returned $551 for vendors N & A Stenbeck.
An Angus bull weighing 870kg from ID Muir made $1740 at 200c/kg when purchased for WMP.
Two Murray Grey cows and calves sold account ER & NA Pratt, were bought by Elders Manjimup representative Cameron Harris at $1780.
Primaries auctioneer Neil Foale said it was a small yarding and as a result it was difficult to report on price trends.
“However killable cattle held recent rates at the venue and there was competition on store types,” he said.
