IT was clearly "Ladies Day" at the Landmark Manjimup weaner sale last week, where buyers flocked to buy the well-known and well-bred heifer weaners.
The focus was on Angus heifers, which topped at $1674 and 430c/kg, while the quality of the top steer calves was equal to their sisters, with heavyweights reaching $1616 and the lighter lines 392c/kg.
But they definitely had their colours lowered to their sisters on the day.
More than 700 calves were penned in the sale and the weights and quality was up with the best of the sales seen this selling season.
The sale is sure to be an ongoing fixture after reaching a gross of $837,000 and an average close to $1190.
There were several dominant buyers and the biggest of these was Landmark southern livestock manager Bob Pumphrey, who took the volume buyer prize with 15 pens.
Kalgrain secured 11 pens for its feedlot, Rodney Galati helped fill the boat for Livestock Shipping Service (LSS), also with 11 and Kevin Armstrong put together 10 lines for clients.
The sale started with 10 Gandy Timbers black steers weighing 441kg and these were snapped up by Kevin Armstrong at 320c/kg and $1411.
Seven were then added for the client at $1392 and 318c/kg from Marsh Builders, before 10 from KW Dunnet cost $1382 and 320c/kg, with these weighing 438kg and 432kg respectively.
A pen of 11 steers weighing 409kg from Gandy Timbers was the first bought by Kalgrain when it bid to 316c/kg for the quality steers costing $1294.
The first pen of the WD & IM Phillips & Son calves weighing 463kg, were morally the top price pen of steers as the higher returns were for single calves.
These sold for 318c/kg to cost Kevin Armstrong, $1472.
The next pen joined them for $1361.
Landmark Manjimup representative Brett Chatley then secured two pens of the Phillips steers, paying $1303 and $1246 at 330c/kg and 332c/kg for the pens weighing 395kg and 375kg respectively.
The top steer was a single Angus from Peter Scherini, Bridgetown. Weighing 535kg, the prime beast was bought for Princi Butchers, Beaconsfield, at $1616 and 302c/kg.
Goodchild Meats was named as buyer for another steer sold by G & J Starkie, weighing 580kg, which returned $1566 at 270c/kg.
The first of the many pens bought by Mr Pumphrey for his lotfeeder client were seven sold by Peter Scherini, weighing 371kg and these cost $1233 at 332c/kg, before nine from CR Walker joined them at $1210 and 330c/kg.
A change from blacks saw Kalgrain pay $1278 at 334c/kg for 11 white-face steers weighing 392kg from Mal Puttick.
Kalgrain then added five Gelbviehs from AV Kelly at $1228 and 324c/kg.
Mr Galati secured the first pen offered for LSS at 370c/kg to cost $1209 for the pen of 11 Charolais cross weighing 327kg from Stirling Brothers, Pemberton.
LSS later paid the top of 392c/kg for another eight of the Stirling Brothers calves when the 279kg steers cost $1095.
All involved were expecting a great result from the top heifer pens but even the most optimistic were blown away.
Buyers made it obvious they were chasing known and proven bloodlines for future breeding females.
The first pen of nine growthy Angus from Gandy Timbers and weighing 408kg, set the tone for the market when they sold for the top of $1674 at 410c/kg to Mark Harris, Treeton Lake.
Later another eight weighing 382kg sold for the top cents per kilogram price of 430c/kg costing Treeton Lake, $1642.
The next three pens of beauties from WD & IM Phillips saw a line of 10 peak at $1508 and 412c/kg, when it sold to Palmdale Pty Ltd, which then also paid $1493 and $1315 for the following two pens of 10.
Local buyers to secure a pen were CP & P Barber and Son, paying $1356 at 400c/kg for 11 of the Phillips heifers, before later adding some Gandy Timbers heifers for $1542 and 422c/kg.
Adding to the competition were SH Fry & Sons, Benger, which bought 11 Angus weighing 355kg from P & C Moyes, Bridgetown, costing $1186 at 334c/kg.
Ten heifers sold by AV & S Kelly, made $1189 when Mr Pumphrey bid to 336c/kg.
Buying for RA Rogers, Mr Armstrong paid $1265 at 338c/kg for 12 Gelbvieh from the Kelly offering and also purchased five Simmental cross from Mal Puttick for $1197 and 328c/kg.
Stirling Brothers' Charolais heifers topped at $1178, paid by Mr Jones for 10 weighing 329kg.
Lighter weight heifers attracted competition from Mr Pumphrey, Landmark Bridgetown and Manjimup representative Matt Watts and Mr Galati, mainly from 320c/kg to 360c/kg, paid for two heifers sold by G Tassos & Co.
