WITH the skies opening up over last weekend and this week, delivering welcomed season opening rains in the South West, it's time to secure your store cattle requirements with confidence.
An excellent opportunity for producers to select from large numbers of store cattle of several descriptions in one location presents itself at the June Special Elders store cattle sale at Boyanup.
The sale will be held this Friday, June 21, 2019, commencing at 1pm with the Elders South West team putting together a large yarding of 1500 beef and dairy cattle.
The beef yarding will consist of 350 steers and 250 heifers of various British and European breeding, weights and ages to suit lotfeeders and graziers.
A big yarding of 650 Friesian steers ranging from poddies to two-year-olds will be the biggest category offered.
Other dairy descriptions include 200 first-cross steers with smaller numbers of dairy heifers and first-cross heifers.
The sale will round out with some mated beef cows with calves at foot and Poll Hereford bulls.
Elders South West livestock manager Michael Carroll said the sale's big numbers presented a good opportunity to purchase stores on the back of recent rains.
"The grass is definitely getting going and enables graziers the opportunity to purchase stores," Mr Carroll said.
"With close to 1500 head of cattle expected to be yarded in one day and whether its beef or dairy, liveweight or appraisal, there will be something there suitable for everyone," he said.
"Once again we have some really well-bred large lines coming in that have been reserved especially for this sale and have held up through the autumn very well."
The sale's biggest vendor with a good run of beef steers is Alcoa Farmlands, Pinjarra and Waroona.
The regular vendor at the sale will truck in its third draft of 188 weaners from its 2018 winter calving.
The J-BAS 8 accredited operation run a breeding herd of more than 3000 head made up of Angus (90 per cent) and Murray Grey females, run across properties at Wagerup and Pinjarra.
The 10-12 month old (May/June-drop) weaner offering will consist of 81 Angus steers, 31 Angus-Murray Grey steers and eight Angus-Murray Grey steers in the 330-400 kilogram weight range plus 68 Angus steers weighing 250-300kg.
The purebred Angus calves are based on predominantly Koojan Hills bloodlines, while the Angus-Murray Greys are sired by Angus bulls and out of Murray Grey cows based mainly on Melaleuca genetics.
Elders Waroona representative Michael Longford said the line-up of steers would present extremely well and be drafted into weight ranges.
"The Alcoa Farmlands cattle have a proven history, year-in and year-out we get positive feedback from both lotfeeders and grass fatteners and once again these steers will be ideal for both these markets," Mr Longford said.
The calves on offer were yard weaned for seven days in the second week of January and have been running on irrigated pastures and supplemented with hay and silage since weaning.
At weaning they received their second 7in1 vaccination along with Pilligard, Multimin and a drench.
They were also drenched with Eprinex and received a B12 and selenium injection in March.
Some other beef steer lines coming into the sale include Keysbrook producer AS & M Campbell with 21 heavier Charolais-Angus steers aged 14 to 16 months and weighing from 380kg to 420kg.
S Milton will offer 16 Charolais cross steers aged 12 to 14 months weighing from 280kg to 320kg, while 15 Black Simmental cross steers, also aged 12 to 14 months and weighing 350kg to 380kg, will be trucked in by Cattle Chosen Grazing, Busselton.
Heading up the beef heifer numbers is J Sue & Co, Busselton, with a draft of 50 Murray Grey heifers.
The 10-12-month-old heifers with a Monterey breeding background have received a full complement of health treatments and are estimated to weigh from 240kg to 260kg.
Terry Tarbotton, Elders Busselton, said the heifers were a draft from 100 that were usually retained to grow out on grass and sold in October-November, but needed to be moved on due to seasonal conditions.
"They are well-bred, good doing cattle that attract return buyers every year," Mr Tarbotton said.
L & N Rosenthal, Meelon, has nominated a draft of 40 Angus heifers for the sale.
The well-bred heifers are aged 12 to 14 months and are expected to weigh from 280kg to 300kg.
Elgin dairy farmers West and Haggerty will offer 20 Friesian and 20 Angus-Friesian steers at the sale.
The three to four-month old polled or dehorned poddies have been meticulously prepared for the sale.
Through its purpose-built colostrum harvesting program of their 1000 head milking herd, the calves are fed four litres of the highest tested stored colostrum within six hours of birth and up to four litres of colostrum with their second feed.
The calves are administered vitamins A, D and E, first shots of 7in1 vaccination and Bovilis, Multimin and drenched when they are moved to their calf pens before receiving their second shots at about two months of age.
Dave Forrest said the integrated system and dedicated approach from the staff gives the calves the best possible start to life.
"It makes a huge difference to the calves, they are very healthy and we don't lose many," Mr Forrest said.
"We calve four times per year and the whole operation takes a huge team effort to make it work."
Rob Gibbings, Elders Capel, said West and Haggerty presented even drafts of top young calves that attracted plenty of pre-sale inquiry and return buyers.
Other vendors in the dairy cross steer section include Yoringa Downs, with 30 Angus-Friesian steers aged 14 to 16 months and CA Panetta, Harvey, also offering 30 steers with 15 Angus-Friesian and 15 Hereford-Friesian all aged eight to 10 months.
The biggest individual draft in the big numbers of dairy steers nominated for the sale is Peninsula Downs, Karridale, with 70 Friesian cross steers aged eight to 10 months.
AD & E Rowe, Albany and Glamm Investments, will each offer 40 Friesian steers aged 12 to 14 months and 10 to 12 months respectively.
In the older Friesian steer section of the sale Dudinalup Pastoral Company, Nannup, will offer 30 Friesian steers.
The 22-24 month old steers were purchased as poddies from local sales to grow out on grass for the store market.
Mr Tarbotton said Dudinalup Pastoral Company were regular suppliers of bigger liveweight Friesian steers at this sale but due to the season, possibly aren't quite as heavy as previous years.
Busselton graziers Alf & Rose Russo Family Trust will offer 30 Friesian steers at the sale, with this number subject to final draft.
The annual draft of steers aged 16 to 18 months were also purchased as young calves to grow out for the store market.
The sale will round out with a run of 26 breeder females.
Included in this line-up is 10 Murray Grey heifers from Kimbolton Grazing, Busselton, that had been running with a Murray Grey bull and DD & E Hutton, Witchcliffe, will offer 14 mated cows with calves at foot.
The mixed age Murray Grey, Hereford and Simmental cross cows ranging from second calvers to mature age had been running with Simmental and Angus bulls from April 14 to June 2.
