IT will be a sea of black at the Mt Barker Regional Saleyards today, Tuesday, January 8, when the Landmark Great Southern team offers up 1800 quality Angus weaner calves from well-known southern producers.
This will be the seventh special Angus weaner sale held by Landmark at the yards and like in past years the quality of the offering won’t disappoint.
Landmark Southern livestock manager Bob Pumphrey said not many sales present an opportunity to select from 1800 Angus weaners which have a weight range to suit all markets.
“There will be something for everyone from graziers looking for lightweights through to backgrounders and lotfeeders looking for heavier weights,” Mr Pumphrey said.
“The steers and heifers will present very well despite coming off the poor season which has affected most of the South Coast and this is a credit to the vendors and their breeding programs they are running.
“The quality of the calves on offer certainly reflects their continued investments in their breeding programs.
“There are some very good breeding lines among them which means some of the heifers on offer will make excellent future breeders.”
The majority of the calves on offer will be weaned meaning all the hard work has been done and the calves are ready to go for buyers once they get them home.
Regular vendors, the Bairstow family, Arizona Farms, Lake Grace, will offer the largest number at the sale when they front up with 500 steers.
The March/April/May-drop steers are based nearly on pure Coonamble bloodlines and they were weaned just prior to Christmas.
The line will range from 290 to 400 kilograms.
The next biggest vendor will be the Toovey family, LT Toovey & Sons, Cranbrook, with an offering of 150 steers.
The April-drop steers are from the family’s large breeding herd based on its own Boyacup Angus stud bloodlines, which has a strong Coonamble influence in it.
The line will have been weaned for nearly four weeks come sale day and is expected to have a weight range of 290-340kg.
Another regular volume vendor to front up again in this year’s sale will be the Carroll family, Rayview Park, Kalgan.
The Carrolls will offer 100 steers in the sale, which have been bred from Coonamble and Koojan Hills bloodlines.
The March/April drop steers were yard weaned just under five weeks ago and after a tough start to the season have come through well and will present similar to past years.
They will weigh between 360-400kg on sale day.
Another big vendor on the day with an offering of 80 steers and 40 heifers which have been weaned for eight weeks will be Albany-based operation Emerald Park Grazing.
The 8-10mo calves are based on Tullibardine Angus bloodlines and will be a lighter end of weight range at 250-280kg. There will be two top drafts of calves trucked down the highway from Kojonup for the sale.
Return vendors the Wright family, RA & MA Wright, Kojonup, have nominated 55 steers and 35 heifers.
The 8-10mo calves will be sold as weaned and are based on Keston Vale, Ardcairnie and Koojan Hills bloodlines.
The line will weigh from 280-300kg and there will be some potential breeders among the family’s heifer offering.
Also trucking calves down from Kojonup again for the sale will be GD & SC Jones.
The Jones family has nominated 45 steers and 25 heifers that are 8-10mo and weaned.
The line, which will average about 300kg, is based on Koojan Hills breeding and there will be some future breeders in the heifer offering.
Regular sale vendor MI & DM Twentyman, Nanarup, will feature in this year’s sale with 70 steers.
The steers, which were dropped in March and April, are based mainly on Koojan Hills bloodlines but do have a small influence of Ardcairnie and Diamond Tree/Gandy Angus blood in their background.
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The line has been weaned for five weeks and will weigh from 300-340kg.
Jeff Pyle & Co, Manypeaks, will also return to the sale with a line of 60 steers that were about five weeks ago.
The March/April-drop, good-shaped steers are based on Koojan Hills and Coonamble bloodlines and will weigh from 330-360kg.
In the unweaned section return vendor R & I Bunn, Redmond, will also be among the larger vendors with an offering of 60 unweaned steers.
The 8-10mo steers are based on Lawsons bloodlines and will average about 320kg.
Also offering numbers in the unweaned section will be Casual Flats, Peaceful Bay, with 30 steers and 20 heifers and Johnson Bros, Redmond, with 35 steers and 15 heifers.