A NEAR capacity yarding of 1800 cattle was penned at the Landmark Boyanup store cattle sale recently, with a large number of hopeful buyers, and sellers, in attendance.
Quality in the heavier cattle was excellent and competition and prices emphasised this.
Lightweight, regardless if beef or dairy steers, saw muted support, and at times was almost absent, resulting in some potential profit to be made on these.
Strong support again came from feedlot buyers, with agents and graziers adding strength to the market.
Liveweight Friesian steers started the sale strongly when topping at $1350 and 240c/kg.
Beef steers made up to $1601 and 338c/kg, both considerably higher than the previous Boyanup sale this scribe attended.
Beef heifers selling by weight also met with good support to reach $1049 and 284c/kg.
Appraisal sales saw beef steers make to $800, Friesians to $750 while dairy poddies still struggled to better $300 for the better types.
First cross bucket-reared heifers were all not much above poddie size, with these failing to excite buyers when selling to $490.
A small number of cows and calves made up to $1520 to finish the offering.
Ten Friesian steers weighing 562kg from HD Lindberg took the double when bought by VA & MP Wright for $1350 and the top price of 240c/kg.
Greg Jones paid $1099 and $1021 for other Lindberg steers.
Weighing 509kg, 10 steers from C & R Angi went to Kookabrook Grazing for $1202 at 236c/kg.
A large offering of top quality steers from NL & E Haddon, Yoongarillup, attracted strong interest, with the first pen of 10 weighing 454kg going to Greg Jones at 236c/kg and $1072.
Mr Jones bought numerous pens while Crendon Irrigation, V&V Walsh, along with Greycliffe, Burekup, securing cattle.
The top-priced beef steers were 10 Angus from LB & KR Honey, Oldbury, with Kookabrook Grazing outlaying $1601 at 288c/kg for the 556kg steers.
This buyer also paid $1492 for 11 weighing 544kg from Kitchen Farms, Boyanup.
Laureldene Farms averaged better than $1300 for three pens of beef steers with Kookabrook paying their top of $1387, while Jamie Abbs, Landmark Boyup Brook, secured two pens at $1325 and $1269.
Always popular, pens of Angus steers from LT Toovey & Sons, Cranbrook, topped at $1288 and 310c/kg.
Mark Barnes topped the beef steers at 338c/kg, paid by BE & K Kurz for 12 grey steers weighing 299kg.
Charlie Odorisio, Waroona, sold two pens of Hereford cross steers, weighing up to 392kg, that sold to $1162 and 304c/kg.
The top-end of the beef heifers sold to an appreciative gallery, reaching $1049 for 12 Murray Grey heifers from MG Armstrong, Northcliffe, when the 388kg cattle were bought by GJ & J Watt at 270c/kg.
Other Armstrong females sold for $1023 and $1016, going to Kookabrook and Greg Jones respectively.
Harris Beef Enterprises competed well, securing pens of their choice, paying up to $1024 and the top of 284c/kg for eight heifers from M & AJ Bell, Elgin.
Another pen of 10 heifers from these vendors went to Greg Jones, returning $1019 at 274c/kg.
While reporting the higher prices received, it would be remiss not to mention there were many lines of cattle at lower rates that will deliver the opportunity of good profits later.
Polybrook Orchard sold Angus heifers for 339kg for 264c/kg, bought by G J & J Watt, while GG De Rosa Ag, Waroona, saw their Hereford heifers make $982 and 266c/kg when bought by Tawkin Super Fund.
Two pens of beef steers selling appraisal from D Dagostino & Son made the equal top of $800 when bought by Central Stock Care and Jamie Abbs respectively.
Next highest price were 14 Angus from P & G Oates making $700, while Mahaffey Family Trust sold four at $645.
Kitchen Farms took honours in the appraisal Friesian steers when FJ & M Foster, Cowaramup, paid the top of $750 for 15 steers to replace recent sales of prime cattle.
As the cattle got smaller, values receded, making quality steers excellent buying from $450 to $550 from several vendors.
No small poddies were penned, but those with some maturity again followed the this year's trend in failing to excite bidders.
The best return went to 11 calves from J & C Italiano when Jock Embry, Landmark Margaret River, paid $300.
Another pen of Italiano calves went to JG Fry, Brunswick, with the Jersey cross making $245.
Stenelees Pastoral offered three pens of young first cross heifers, resulting in two lines of 12 going to S & T Granucci for $490 and $465.
Wayne Hams, Landmark Busselton, took the last pen at $405.
Later pens from PJ & J Boley were bought by Greg Jones at $320.
The best of the small cow and calf offering was a single Speckle Park from JM Hull & TA King that went to Greg Jones at $1520.
