Heavy pastoral steers sell to $1121

Pastoral cattle dominated the fixture with graziers, lotfeeders and exporters bidding strongly on the quality drafts of cattle to record another successful result.

With an excellent season continuing to unfold around big areas of the State, graziers were out in force at the sale to secure drafts of choice to give the market a welcome boost.

Only a few local cattle were penned with steers selling to 344 cents/kilogram and $932 and heifers to 330c/kg and $973 for mediumweight lines 280-310 kilograms.

Heavier pastoral steers more than 400kg sold to $1121 while lighter weights (190-250kg) peaked at 310c/kg.

Pastoral heifers made up a significant percentage of the yarding with mediumweights (280-300kg) selling up to $891 and lighter heifers (210-240kg) making up to 300c/kg.

Exporters competed strongly with graziers on pastoral bulls to see 200-300kg bulls making up to $890 and 350c/kg while pastoral mated PTIC cows topped at $960 and 254c/kg.

A small penning of local beef steers got the sale underway with the opening lot of six Angus cross steers weighing 271kg from KA Sewell, Waradarge, topping the section with Kevin Armstrong, Willowbank, Benger, paying 344c/kg liveweight and $932 per head.

This was followed by a moderate run of local beef heifers and pastoral bred Angus heifers.

The Sewell family also topped this section of the sale with a draft of 17 Red Angus cross heifers weighing 312kg selling to Kalgrains for $973 (312c/kg).

Kalgrains purchased the next two pens of Sewell heifers paying to the top liveweight price of 330c/kg for 12 Red Angus cross heifers weighing 285kg ($939).

Other higher liveweight prices included 320c/kg paid by Otway Exports for six Charolais cross heifers averaging 229kg from Bingona Farms, Bookara.

Volume vendor in the sale Brooks Rural, Limestone station, Marble Bar and Dandaragan, offered a total draft of 358 mainly Angus heifers and PTIC cows and smaller numbers of Shorthorn heifers and PTIC cows.

Their pastoral bred Angus heifers sold to 286c/kg for a line of 25 weighing 153kg paid by Primaries agent Shane Flemming for a grazier account while Primaries live export representative Simon Green paid to $514 (254c/kg) for 11 Angus heifers.

A short run of pastoral steers were next up with a trio of Charolais cross steers averaging 431kg from Mardathunda station, Carnarvon, selling to V&V Walsh for $1121 (260c/kg).

V&V Walsh also paid $1097 (265c/kg) for a single 414kg Brahman steer from Williambury station, Carnarvon, while liveweight values reached 310c/kg for two lines of Brahman cross steers from CB & DM Day, Gunnadorah station, Rawlinna.

Mr Green secured both drafts weighing 244kg ($756) and 193kg ($598).

Pastoral heifers made up the majority of the sale numbers with per head values reaching $891 paid by Mr Flemming, for nine Charolais cross heifers weighing 318kg (280c/kg) from volume heifer vendor Mt Florance station, Tom Price.

Mt Florance continued to rack up the top per head values.

Kalgrains outlaid $877 (296c/kg) for seven Mt Florance heifers of the same description weighing 296kg and $825 for 10 Brahman cross heifers weighing 295kg (280c/kg), also from Mt Florance.

Mr Flemming paid $834 for three Droughtmaster cross heifers weighing 346kg (241c/kg) from Mardathunda station while V&V Walsh parted with $794 for 12 Brahman heifers averaging 328kg (242c/kg) from Williambury station, Carnarvon.

Otway Exports paid top liveweight rates for pastoral heifers starting with seven Charolais cross heifers averaging 237kg and 10 Brahman cross heifers weighing 212kg from Mt Florance station, knocked down for 300c/kg and $711 and $637 respectively.

Mt Florance heifers also dominated the sale's top liveweight prices with Mr Green paying 298c/kg for 12 Charolais cross heifers averaging 271kg ($806) as did Kevin Armstrong, Willowbank, for 29 Brahman cross heifers weighing 177kg ($527).

Mr Green later paid 290c/kg for a duo of 229kg Brahman heifers ($664) from Williambury station and 280c/kg for five Droughtmaster heifers averaging 258kg ($721) from AR Day, Gunnadorah station, both for the same account.

A top line-up of young pastoral bulls sold to strong export and grazier buying support.

CB & DM Day presented a quality draft of Droughtmaster cross bulls with a pen of 24 bulls taking the sale's top per head and equal top liveweight honours.

Otway Exports paid 350c/kg and $889 for the 254kg bulls.

The next two pens of Day bulls were snapped up by Otway Exports for the equal 350c/kg top price with 17 bulls weighing 205kg making $717 and 16 bulls averaging 200kg realising $701.

Several pens of lighter bulls sold for next highest price of 334c/kg.

The first line was 23 Shorthorn cross bulls weighing 159kg ($530) from Strelly Pastoral Company, Carlindie station, South Hedland, knocked down to Black Arrow Agriculture while HL & DF Evans & Co bid up for two pens of Carlindie bulls consisting of 24 Shorthorn cross bulls weighing 150kg ($502) and nine Brahman cross bulls averaging 145kg ($485).

Mr Flemming paid the second top per head price of $882 for five Brahman cross bulls averaging 279kg (316c/kg) from the Carlindie station draft while Wellard Rural Exports outlaid $835 for a heavier draft of five Hereford cross bulls weighing 334kg (250c/kg) from Mardathunda station.

A run of PTIC Angus and Shorthorn cows from Brooks Rural rounded out the sale.

Mr Flemming paid the $960 top per head price for a line of 32 Angus cows weighing 403kg at 238c/kg and $862 for 28 Angus cows weighing 353kg at 244c/kg.

Nick Benson, Primaries Geraldton, purchased several lines of the Brooks Rural cows and paid the top liveweight price of 254c/kg for 33 Angus cows averaging 332kg ($844).