AGENTS were well pleased with the final result at the first of Landmark's June Special cattle sales at Boyanup last Friday, with 1035 head of mainly dairy cattle penned for buyers' competition.
Generally the stock lacked the bloom of previous sales, although the heavy end returned good money for sellers.
While the South West area had good rains overnight, it does not rain grass, so with beneficial conditions ahead, confidence will return to buyers' attitudes.
Friesian steers selling liveweight topped at $1260 and 224c/kg, with one regular buyer saying he paid in the same price range of other sales.
Heavy beef steers were all first-cross bred cattle, with these reaching a creditable $1481 and 262c/kg, up on gross but back a little on cents per kilogram.
Appraisal beef cattle were lighter weights than in the past, topping at $710, while dairy counterparts reached $700.
Few genuine poddies were offered, with these plainer types reaching $385.
First-cross beef heifers were all only older poddie size, with a local grazier taking a long-term view when paying the top price of $450.
Cows and calves consisted of mainly younger calves with the cows not remated.
The top price for these units was $1600, with one line passed in at a higher value when failing to reach its reserve.
A run of unregistered Angus bulls received strong agent support to sell to a top of $4500.
A line of 16 Friesian steers weighing 562kg topped the section when the 562kg steers from LJM Produce were bought by Greg Jones at $1260 and equal top of 224c/kg.
A similar price was paid for seven sold account IL & NG Horner when the 559kg steers also sold at 224c/kg to return $1252.
Another eight steers of 570kg made $1242 when also bought by Mr Jones.
Jock Embry, Landmark Margaret River, secured several pens for client RW & BM Webster, paying to $1175 and 222c/kg.
Rob Gibbings, Elders Capel, had an export order, buying several pens to a top of $935 for six steers from BM Dungey.
Beef cross steers got off to a strong start when the first pen of six Angus cross from SH & LA Lang topped the section with the 597kg steers selling to Kookabrook Grazing at $1481 and 248c/kg.
Another eight weighing 538kg joined these at $1460 and 260c/kg.
Also buying in the top price bracket was DV Brockman & Co, Cowaramup, which paid $1377 at 256c/kg for eight of the Lang steers.
This buyer later added five from GJ Battle weighing 444kg that cost $1136.
Staying local, the first three pens of 10 Angus cross steers from Tasca Holdings were bought by M & AJ Bell.
Weighing from 307kg down to 250kg these sold from 250c/kg to 252c/kg to top at $768.
Lighter Tasca steers later took top price honours of 262c/kg.
Later in the section a line of 11 steers weighing 427kg were bought by Mr Gibbings for $1009 and 236c/kg.
A small number of appraisal beef steers were sold, with a pen of nine from Evans Dairy, Kaloorup, topping at $710 when bought by Landmark South West livestock manager Matt Watts.
Mr Watts also paid $700 for eight from AJ & NL Stanford.
Another three from Evans Dairy made $570 when bought by Wayne Hams, Landmark Busselton.
Mr Gibbings paid the top of $700 for appraisal Friesian steers for export, with these sold account KA & DA Reading.
In the lighter cattle at this point, Errol Gardiner, Landmark Brunswick, put together a number of pens for clients, paying up to $470, mostly for steers sold by Tasca Holdings.
Dairy poddies were plainer than recent sales and prices reflected this.
The top of $385 was paid by Jamie Abbs, Landmark Boyup Brook, for five Montbeliard from Evans Dairy.
Dean Taaffe, Landmark Donnybrook, bid to $375 for calves from Kimlie Pty Ltd.
Three pens of Angus-Friesian first-cross heifers were young and small, with K & M Taylor, Capel, paying the top of $450 for the best pen from PJ & J Boley and also taking another 16 heifers at $355.
The cow and calf units were all Angus with small calves at foot and the cows hadn't been back with a bull.
The top of $1600 was paid by M & AJ Bell, Elgin, for six with their fourth calf sold by Julian Walters Holding, Donnybrook.
Treeton Lake, Busselton, sold three to Telerah Farms for $1500 to be the next best result.
South West Pastoral sold a pen of six units for $1380 with these joining the earlier purchases by M & AJ Bell.
Unregistered Angus bulls from VR & ET Mouritz, Hyden, were presented in excellent condition but without any pedigree information or ages.
This did not deter buyers looking for well structured bulls, resulting in a top price of $4500 paid by Mr Watts for a Bridgetown client.
Mr Abbs selected a bull for Ucarty Holdings, bidding to $4000.
The volume buyer was Richard Pollock, Landmark Waroona, taking several bulls at the upset price of $2500.