IT was another strong sale for the Landmark South West team at its monthly Boyanup store sale last week with the yarding of just over 1300 head grossing more than $1.4 million and averaging more than $1080 a head.
The yarding received strong support throughout from a range of buyers, including graziers, grass fatteners, lotfeeders and exporters, which resulted in most prices remaining similar to previous sales despite there still being no break to the season.
Heavyweight Friesian steers sold liveweight were the exception being back slightly on the previous sale, selling to a top of $1378 and 272c/kg.
Their appraisal cousins and the young poddies were as strong as ever with appraisal drafts reaching $950 while poddies made up to $840.
There were some top drafts of beef steers and heifers presented and these were well supported by the usual suspects, resulting in steers reaching $1519 and heifers $1327, making up to 382 and 348c/kg respectively.
First-cross heifers which were of good quality and vet checked unmated and suitable to breed, made to a top of $1850, while the run of mature age cows with calves at foot peaked at $2280.
The sale commenced on liveweight Friesian steers and the $1378 top was achieved for nine offered in the third pen by Crawford & Grainger.
Greg Jones buying for a Landmark Perth account bid to 250c/kg to secure the nine weighing 551kg.
Mr Jones was busy buying in the initial pens also securing seven weighing 597kg for 230c/kg and $1373 from IR Sorgiovanni as well as seven weighing 596kg from DM Walters at 228c/kg and $1358 and eight averaging 538kg from DE Craigie & Son at 250c/kg and $1344.
Elders Boyanup agent Mal Barrett picked up some of the lighter lines including the 272c/kg top priced pen of nine steers averaging 399kg from MF & RA Emmott.
Mr Barrett also bid to 260c/kg for 10 steers weighing 437kg from IR Sorgiovanni.
Landmark Boyup Brook agent Jamie Abbs bought multiple pens including 10 weighing 410kg at 268c/kg and $1099 and 10 averaging 442kg at 260c/kg and $1149 all from R & MC Cosenza.
Beef steers were next up and Harvey Beef Farms got into the action early and picked up a pen of 10 Angus cross weighing 527kg from The Gow Family Trust at 278c/kg and $1465, while Mr Jones bid to 260c/kg for a pen of eight Angus cross weighing 567kg which returned $1474 to the same vendor.
The $1519 top price in the beef steer pens came a few pens later when Semini Enterprises bid to 328c/kg for 13 Murray Grey steers averaging 463kg from TA & RM Ashmore.
Semini Enterprises went on to purchase another pen of 13 Murray Grey steers from the Ashmores which weighed 447kg at 332c/kg and $1485.
Elders Capel representative Robbie Gibbings picked up numerous heavier pens including 14 grey Ashmore steers averaging 391kg for 350c/kg at a cost of $1370 and eight 397kg Angus from DW Treloar at 342c/kg and $1357.
Also buying strongly was Kevin Armstrong who purchased a number of pens including 12 Charolais cross averaging 460kg from P & TA Treasure at 328c/kg and $1510 and 10 Angus weighing 399kg from AN Caldwell & Co at 352c/kg and $1404.
Landmark Waroona agent Richard Pollock was also in the hunt for beef steers and picked up 14 Angus weighing 333kg from Maroondah Farms at 360c/kg and 10 Murray Grey cross averaging 302kg from RW & TJ Hull at 368c/kg for M & L Zacher.
Mr Pollock also bid to the 382c/kg top for two Murray Grey cross averaging 223kg from the Hulls paddocks for the Zacher account.
The liveweight beef heifer offering also created interest among buyers and Mr Armstrong was again front and centre of the auctioneering team.
Mr Armstrong took the $1457 top priced pen when he bid to 334c/kg for eight Charolais cross heifers weighing 436kg offered by P & TA Treasure.
Other lines purchased by Mr Armstrong included 10 greys weighing 395kg and 15 greys averaging 318kg from TA & RM Ashmore at 336c/kg and 330c/kg, as well as 10 Angus cross which weighed 373kg at 322c/kg ($1201) from JE, EC & BE Franklin.
Later in the run he acted swiftly on the offering of Shorthorn heifers from Lanstal Pty Ltd securing all five pens offered which weighed between 352 to 368kg for 318 to 328c/kg.
Mr Armstrong also paid the top 348c/kg price for 11 Angus cross from CP & SB Sanderson at this value.
John Galati Family Trust was written into the sheets as a buyer next to numerous heifer drafts.
It bid to 328c/kg to outlay $1137 for six Charolais cross weighing 347kg from K & M Taylor, 340c/kg for 12 Angus cross averaging 300kg from Maroondah Farms and 338 and 342c/kg for two pens of 12 Red Angus averaging 327 and 303kg from Cosy Creek Farms.
There was a handful of pens of first-cross steers which were sold appraisal and these topped at $1065 for 10 Angus cross offered by VR & EJ Pitter and purchased by M & L Zacher.
Landmark Busselton representative Wayne Hams purchased multiple pens for TD & KA Credaro, Carbanup, including seven Angus cross from Evans Dairy at $955 and eight Angus cross at $885 from IC Dadson.
Like most sales Landmark Brunswick agent Errol Gardiner was the dominant buyer and hard to beat on the appraisal Friesian steers.
He paid the $950 top for 12 head offered by GP & EL Paplia, as well as $900 twice for nine head from JR & SJ Doust and eight head offered by A & M Pinzone.
Mr Hams and Mr Abbs also purchased strongly in the appraisal Friesian steer offering.
Mr Hams paid to a top of $860 for a pen of 10 sold by G, G, D & M Tartaglia and Mr Abbs bid to a high $875 for a draft of 14 head from FJ & BA & CF Foster and the $840 top in the poddie pens for a line of 12 from Evans Dairy.
Evans Dairy also sold three pens of Aussie Red steers and these sold at $890, $810 and $785, with the top pen going to Mr Abbs.
The few pens of quality first-cross heifers ready to mate, which were sold guaranteed unmated and fit to breed attracted strong competition.
They topped at $1850 for a pen of 10 Angus-Friesian cross offered by Mirasole Trust and purchased by KL & AJ Jilley, who also went on to pay $1300 for 12 Angus-Friesians offered by VR & EJ Pitter.
A run of mature/mixed age cows with calves at foot rounded out the offering and topped at $2250 for a pen of 11 Angus cow/calf units offered by H & H Harnett, when they were knocked down to P & T Curulli.
Another pen of five Murray Grey cows and calves from the same vendor sold at $2000 to Landmark Mt Barker.
Landmark Mt Barker also picked up a pen of 12 Angus cows and calves from PMV & GV Butler at $2280.
WHAT THE AGENT SAID
LANDMARK Boyanup sale co-ordinator Ralph Mosca said it was good quality yarding of both beef cattle and Friesians steers and overall the sale was strong despite the lack of opening rains.
“For the way the season has played out and the long dry summer there was some outstanding lines of beef weaners presented and they sold as strong as previous sales,” Mr Mosca said.
“Heavy Friesian steers were slightly cheaper by 3-5c/kg, while Friesian poddies and older Friesian steers sold appraisal were in strong demand and sold once again to high returns, to be slightly stronger than the previous sale.
“The cow and calf offering was made up of lines of mature/mixed age cows with young calves at foot and these sold to strong values which were above expectation.”