THE first weaner sale of the season at Boyanup recently gave both vendors and buyers a taste of things to come, with prices strong throughout the joint Elders and Landmark sale.
This season the Elders and Landmark South West teams have combined to hold weekly weaned (minimum of 10 days) weaner sales at Boyanup to provide better opportunities for both sellers and buyers.
Combined the agents yarded a total of 1024 head and with strong interest from live export, lotfeeders and graziers, prices across the sale were strong and up on current market values for non-weaned calves to see the sale average $985 and gross just over $1 million.
Steers topped at $1369 and 368 cents a kilogram while heifers made up to $1239 and 326c/kg.
Elders
Elders kicked off the sale and in its lead pens were a run of steers weighing upwards of 400kg and it was in these pens that the sale's $1369 top-priced steers were found.
Taking the top price honours was Callanish Grazing, Donnybrook, when it sold six Charolais cross steers averaging 453kg at 302c/kg to Kevin Armstrong, Willowbank, Benger.
Callanish Grazing also sold four other pens of steers which made more than $1000 including 14 Charolais cross steers averaging 343kg at 335c/kg ($1149) to Livestock Shipping Services (LSS) and 14 Angus steers averaging 336kg at 338c/kg ($1135) to Moorlands Grazing Co.
Ecobrook Trust sold three pens of Murray Grey and Murray Grey cross steers weighing 422 to 440kg for between 282c/kg and 290c/kg to return between $1225 to $1257, with Willowbank picking up two pens.
The Bleechmore family, TR & KA Bleechmore, Boyup Brook, saw its two pens of Charolais cross steers return $1217 and $1151 when purchased by LSS, which bid to 336c/kg for 15 weighing 343kg and 332c/kg for 15 averaging 367kg.
Mt Ferguson Grazing was another major vendor selling Angus, Murray Grey and Red Angus steers.
It sold two pens of Angus both containing 13 head, the first pen averaging 330kg sold at 344c/kg ($1137) to Elders Boyanup representative Alex Roberts and L & MT Della Sale picked up the second pen weighing 304kg at 346c/kg ($1049), while seven Murray Greys from the operation averaging 319kg sold to Welldon Beef, Williams, at 320c/kg ($1019).
Callanish Grazing took the day's top price double when a single Charolais cross heifer from the operation topped the heifer prices at $1239.
The 380kg heifer also made the top cents per kilogram price for heifers when it sold at 326c/kg to Elgin Park.
LSS took a liking to Callanish's Charolais cross heifers, purchasing 11 weighing 324kg at 310c/kg ($1003) and 12 averaging 305kg at 310c/kg ($970).
A pen of heavy Murray Grey heifers averaging 447kg from KW & NG Prowse also made good money selling to GJ & J Watt at 270c/kg ($1206).
After offering steers the Bleechmores backed them up with three pens of Charolais cross heifers and Welldon Beef purchased two of them, paying 276c/kg ($825) for 14 weighing 299kg and 260c/kg ($738) for 14 averaging 284kg.
Welldon also secured 12 Angus heifers averaging 320kg from Estate of EW & ME Rose & Son at 268c/kg ($858).
Six Red Angus heifers weighing 358kg from KJ Heenan & JR Hill sold to Jig Grazing at 254c/kg, while ED & JS Hoddell sold seven Angus cross weighing 344kg at 256c/kg to Willowbank and five Murray Grey cross averaging 288kg at 235c/kg to JG Fry & Son.
Landmark
Landmark may have sold second but it had by far the biggest yarding in the sale, selling 741 head.
The Landmark offering opened with four pens of heavy steers from DP & GR Cowcher, Quindanning, which sold up to $1227 for four Murray Greys weighing 376kg which were knocked down to LSS at 326c/kg, while Willowbank bid to 322c/kg to pay $1127 for nine Murray Greys weighing 350kg offered by the Cowchers.
MR Kemp also saw good returns for its heavy steers with it selling seven Angus cross averaging 456kg at 280c/kg ($1276) to LSS, while MI Vuletic received $1224 for six Simmental cross averaging 403kg when they sold at 304c/kg to Willowbank.
Welldon Beef also bid up on the heavier weights, paying to $1213 for 11 Angus cross weighing 373kg and $1170 for another 12 weighing 335kg from TC & KS Cox.
The Williams feedlot operation also purchased 11 Angus weighing 343kg from TJ & MB Waugh at 332c/kg ($1138) and nine Simmental cross averaging 344kg from VR Pitter at 320c/kg ($1100).
Other lines purchased by Welldon Beef included 12 Charolais steers averaging 335kg from KR & VS Lewis at 318c/kg, plus 11 Simmental cross weighing 336kg from Raywell Farms and 14 Angus cross, weighing 345kg from B & M Avery, both at 308c/kg.
LSS was keen on the Charolais cross lines, paying 316c/kg ($1084) for 10 Charolais cross averaging 343kg from GN & JA Eddy and 332c/kg ($1046) for eight Charolais with an average weight of 315kg V & Bartley & I Beacham.
It also purchased six Charolais cross from JA & TL Davies that weighed 369kg at 318c/kg and five Charolais from CM Dunlop averaging 346kg for 330c/kg.
John Gallop purchased two pens of Angus steers, both containing 10 head from Danman Investments Pty Ltd for O'Meehan & Co.
He bid to 334c/kg for 10 weighing 329kg and 330c/kg for the other 10 which averaged 345kg.
At the lighter end of the steers, the top cents per kilogram price of 368c/kg was bid by Elders Nannup agent Terry Tarbotton for 11 Murray Greys weighing 267kg to return $984 for Highland Valley Homestead.
Also operating on the lighter steer lines was PJ Piercy, purchasing 12 Angus weighing 276kg from TC & KS Cox at 342c/kg and 11 Angus averaging 273kg from TJ & MB Waugh at 338c/kg, while Ginger Roche, DR & DJ Roche Family Trust, Dardanup, bid to 350c/kg for seven Murray Greys weighing 311kg from Highland Valley Homestead and 342c/kg for 17 Angus cross averaging 297kg from TJ & MB Waugh.
Landmark's top heifer price was $1213 for a 470kg Blonde d'Aquitaine heifer from Mitchells Farm when Jig Grazing had the final bid at 258c/kg.
Jig Grazing also picked up 12 Murray Grey heifers averaging 367kg from Mitchells Farm at 275c/kg ($1010).
Three pens of Angus heifers weighing between 293kg and 317kg were also purchased by Jig Grazing for 270 to 282c/kg.
It bid to 282c/kg for nine weighing 309kg from TJ & MB Waugh and 272c/kg for eight averaging 293kg from Danman Investments.
The Walker family, Wambenger, Wilga, also saw a good return for its nine Angus heifers, averaging 427kg when GJ & J Watt, Cowaramup, paid $1135 (266c/kg).
The Cowaramup operation also picked up three pens of heifers offered by RG Major & Co which included 10 Murray Greys weighing 390kg at 280c/kg ($1092) and 12 Angus averaging 378kg at 268c/kg ($1012).
Willowbank was another strong buyer, bidding 270c/kg for three pens of heifers (Angus and Murray Greys) weighing 333 to 375kg from DP & GR Cowcher, while Galati Family Trust went to 270c/kg for 14 Charolais averaging 368kg from F Grantham & Sons.
Like in the steers LSS was strong paying from 250 to 302c/kg for lines weighing 258-332kg.
It bid to 302c/kg for seven Murray Greys weighing 258kg from Highland Valley Homestead and 300c/kg for 10 Charolais averaging 276kg from V Bartley & I Beacham.
Two pens of Simmental cross heifers, both with seven head weighing 349kg and 328kg from VR Pitter, sold to Harris Beef Enterprises at 288 and 282c/kg, while Welldon Beef bid to 286c/kg for 14 Simmental cross averaging 313kg from MI Vuletic.
Woodland Cattle Co picked up four pens of heifers weighing less than 300kg to a top of 290c/kg paid for 11 Murray Greys averaging 216kg from Highland Valley Homestead, while EJ Zambonetti secured seven pens including six Red Angus weighing 370kg from the Cowchers at 264c/kg and 12 Angus averaging 385kg from RG Major & Co at 260c/kg.
