BUYERS will be spoilt for choice at this month’s Elders Boyanup weaner and store sale when a quality line-up of cattle goes under the hammer.
In the sale on Friday, March 15, the Elders South West team will yard about 1150 head comprising beef steers and heifers, first-cross steers and heifers, dairy steers and PTIC cows and cow/calf units.
The majority of the yarding will consist of 550 beef steers and 250 beef heifers and will feature some quality lines of weaners, which will be ideal for graziers or lotfeeders.
The dairy steer offering will be made up of steers ranging from three-month-old poddies through to heavyweight 30mo steers.
Elders Busselton representative and sale co-ordinator Clint Gartrell said in this month’s store sale Elders will present large lines of quality cattle, both in the beef and dairy sections.
“The yarding of beef steers and heifers are well bred, with the majority being first draft lines and they will be presented with good weight ranges and condition scores, a perfect article for graziers and lotfeeders,” Mr Gartrell said.
“The dairy section will also offer some fantastic opportunities with a large range of ages, the majority of the lines are from regular vendors ensuring the benchmark for quality has remained high.
“A small line of Angus and Hereford first-cross heifers will be yarded from genuine vendors and these will be suitable for future breeding.
“The heifers of age have been vet checked suitable for breeding.
“For those buyers looking for breeders, lines of cows will be yarded presenting a great opportunity to restock ready for the upcoming season.”
The beef steer and heifer offering will kick the sale off and there will be some classy lines up for grabs.
The largest contributor to these pens will be the Prosser family, FR & LF Prosser, Scott River, with an offering of 180 weaners (120 steers and 60 heifers).
The line will consist of 110 Charolais calves and 70 Angus calves aged 8-10 months.
Elders Nannup agent Terry Tarbotton said the Prosser’s calves were well-bred and quiet to handle.
“They are very good types and would be ideal for either grain or grass feeding,” Mr Tarbotton said.
The line was weaned in the first week of January and is expected to weigh from 320 to 380 kilograms.
Also offering numbers in the beef lanes will be Rodney and Brian Wilson, Yornup Holdings, Yornup, when they truck in 80 mixed sex weaners.
The 10-12mo black calves are sired by Bonnydale Black Simmental and Bonnydale SimAngus sires, while some are by Diamond Tree Angus bulls.
The line was weaned on January 22 onto good quality clover pastures and supplementary hay and are expected to average about 390kg.
Elders Donnybrook/ Bridgetown/Boyup Brook representative Deane Allen said the operation is breeding to feedlot industry specifications.
“These calves are early maturing, have good muscle patterns and the potential to yield well, with good fat cover,” Mr Allen said.
“A draft of 68 calves in this program have already been sold directly to Woolworths and Goodchilds averaging 223kg dressed weight and returning $1212.”
Out of a quality herd of 250 Simmental-Angus cross and 150 Angus females, the young heifers can be purchased as replacements and will fit into any quality commercial beef operation well.
This large, even line-up of quiet calves have been treated with a Multimin injection and drenched with Eprinex.
Donnybrook producer Paul Fry, Crendon Irrigation, has nominated his annual draft of 70 well-bred Angus steers for the sale.
The April to May drop steers are expected to weigh between 370-420kg and are based on Blackrock genetics.
This quality line which will be ideal for lotfeeding, were weaned in December and have been run on irrigation pastures consisting of kikuyu, ryegrass and clover.
They stem from a 550-head quality Angus herd and have been treated with a 5in1 vaccine and an oral drench prior to sale.
Howard and Helen Griffiths, HW Griffiths & Co, Ferguson Valley, will put forward a substantial offering of 50 black heifers.
The 10-12mo Angus females were weaned at the end of December and early January and come sale day will average 300-350kg.
They were treated with a copper injection, vitamin B12, selenium and Dectomax drench.
Elders Boyanup agent Mal Barrett said the heifers were in forward store condition and ideal for finishing on grain or grass.
Also in the beef lanes Hugh Browne, Maranup Ford Grazing, Maranup Ford, will offer 40 Angus-Murray Grey cross steer calves.
The owner bred, 9-11mo youngsters were weaned on January 20 and are expected to weigh 300-350kg.
They come from a herd of 110 females and have been given a green cap rumen treatment and Eclipse drench before auction.
With very good temperaments, the weaners are suitable to lotfeeders or fatteners.
Other bigger lines of beef cattle will come from Matt Cook, with 35 Angus-Murray Grey steers (10-12mo, 300-320kg) and Bowie Beef, Bridgetown, with 30 Angus steers and 15 Angus heifers (10-12mo, 320-380kg).
In the dairy lines the heavier end, B Williams will offer 14 steers aged 28-30 months, while CF Berryman and MH & LJ Dhu will truck in 10 and 12 head respectively in the 20-22mo age bracket.
In the 12-18mo age bracket, BG Italiano has nominated 25 Friesians (14-18mo) and Jesmond Dairy will present 25 black and whites (12-14mo).
In the poddie lines Negus Enterprises, Tutunup, will have its monthly draft of 40 Friesian poddies aged 4-6mo on offer, while GV Adams will line up 23 Friesian poddies, which are slightly younger at 3-6mo.
A feature of the sale will be a special line of 10 Red Poll stud heifers and nine registered Red Poll females from Murray Williams, JH Williams & Co, Yongerellen Red Poll stud, Quairading.
The 15-18mo heifers are guaranteed not in calf and are expected to weigh between 320-360kg.
Sired by a mixture of English, New Zealand and Yongerellen bulls, these sweet heifers would normally be kept for stud use but due to the need to reduce herd numbers, a great opportunity awaits to purchase some future breeders.
The nine third to fifth calvers are quality cows and PTIC to an elite bull, Yongerellen Janitor Oombulgurri.
Janitor is by a double cross New Zealand sire, Puketi Phoenix, that is described by Mr Williams as a medium framed, thicker styled bull.
The females are due to calve from mid April to mid June and would be an asset to any beef herd.
