WITH spring just around the corner, this week's Landmark Boyanup cattle sale is the place to be if you are looking for quality store animals to fatten on the spring flush.
The sale on Friday, September 6, will feature a yarding of close to 800 head and will be made up of mainly Friesian steers and first-cross cattle from dairy producers, who are reducing stock numbers so they can lock up paddocks for hay.
On offer in the sale will be 450 Friesian steers, 150 beef steers, 150 beef heifers and 15 cows and calves.
Landmark South West livestock manager Darren Chatley said with a good season in the South West the sale would provide a good opportunity for producers to buy quality store cattle to fatten on the excess feed.
"The South West team has put together another quality yarding and a feature of the sale will be the large number of first-draft, vendor-bred cattle which will be offered," Mr Chatley said.
"A highlight of the 800-head yarding will be the 290 Friesian steers which will be offered by Tasca Holdings."
In the breakdown the Boyanup operation will offer 50 Friesian steers which are 12 to 13-month-old and 240 six to eight-month-old Friesian steers.
The owner-bred, bucket-reared steers have all had an autumn drench with Eprinex and have been vaccinated with 5in1 and received their booster shot.
Also coming from the paddocks of Boyanup will be a quality line of Friesian steers from the Kitchen family, Kitchen Farms, who milk 350 cows.
The Kitchen family will offer 85 large-framed, quality Friesian steers in the sale ranging from 12 to 16-months-old, which have all been bred and reared in their dairy.
Their break-up of numbers will see them offer 30, 12 to 14-month-old steers, 40, 14 to 16-month-old steers and 15, 16 to 18-month-old steers.
All the steers are based on their Carenda Holstein stud bloodlines.
This is the family's main line of steers for the year and are being offered in this sale as the family prepares to lock up paddocks for the approaching hay season.
Once the steers have finished being reared in the dairy, the Kitchens use the steers to clean up their pasture paddocks throughout the year.
The steers are ready to go in terms of health treatments as they were drenched in the autumn and have had a 7in1 vaccination.
Consigning a large draft of both first-cross cattle and Friesian steers to the sale will be Colin and Dwayne Neill, Laureldene Farms, Boyanup, who milk 220 cows.
The cattle on offer from Laureldene Farms have all been reared in the operation's computerised calf shed for 90 days.
These cattle will be the first line of cattle, which have been through the shed, to be offered.
The Neill's biggest draft in the sale will be 55 rising two-year-old, Angus-Friesian, first-cross steers.
This draft will be a mix of owner-bred cattle from their dairy breeding program which uses New Generation Angus genetics and bought in cattle which were purchased as calves at a couple of weeks old.
Dwayne said with the computerised calf shed, they now purchase in calves to make the most of the capital investment when there is space in the shed.
Also on offer from the Neill family will be four 18-month-old Angus-Friesian first-cross heifers, which have been bred on the property and seven 16-month-old, Devon-Friesian heifers, which were bought in and reared by the Neills.
Rounding out the offering from the Neills will be 18 Friesian steers, aged eight to 10 months, which have been bred and raised on the property.
Also offering a good run of Friesian steers in the sale will be DE & CP Payne, Karridale and Toprange Grazing, Brunswick.
The Paynes will offer 30 steers which range in age from 12 to 14 months, while Toprange Grazing is offering 30, 16-month-old Friesian steers.
Trucking in 15 Angus steers will be Eldridge Farms, Brunswick, with the quality Angus steers ranging in age from 12 to 14 months.
Also trucking in some black steers and heifers will be Silverlands Stud Farms, Bridgetown.
The Bridgetown operation will offer 10 one-year-old Angus steers and 30 one-year-old Angus heifers.
Also on offer in the beef steer and heifer sections will be 70 Angus and Murray Grey steers (12-month-old) and 70 Angus and Murray Grey heifers (12-month-old) from a number of local vendors.
The sale will finish on a small offering of cows and calves and this will include 10 beef cows with five-month-old calves at foot which will be offered by Olsthoorn & Co and four Murray Grey cows with Murray Grey calves at foot offered by Myalup Trust.
