A SIZEABLE yarding of 1611 head met strong demand at last week's Landmark Boyanup store cattle sale, with the offering being of top quality stock.
Most categories found competition from backgrounders, grass fatteners and live shippers, including the dairy steers which featured and were nominated by many dairy producers across the South West region.
There were some classy owner-bred beef steers and heifers yarded, resulting in a price rise and a good selection of PTIC beef heifers and proven breeders with young calves at foot being available to all.
The heavyweight Friesian steers kicked off the liveweight section of the sale, selling from 270c/kg to 200c/kg and topping at $1213.
Liveweight first-cross steers reached heights of 276c/kg, while quality beef steers were in demand, achieving a best of 332c/kg and $1495.
Their heifer counterparts didn't disappoint, with a portion being sold as future breeders at a peak of 340c/kg and returning $1388.
At open auction the few lines of first-cross steers made $1120, while their black and white counterparts topped at $795.
A small offering of first-cross heifers brought $720 and PTIC heifers and cows with calves at foot returned $1800.
Topping the heavyweight Friesian yarding was a draft of 10 head nominated by BM & A Dungey, Brunswick.
The black and whites averaged 418kg and made 270c/kg when snapped up by Landmark Mt Barker agent Harry Carroll on account of John Edgley, JH Edgley, Albany, for $1128.
Reaching $1213 at auction was a pen of 10 Friesians from L Angi & Son, Yarloop, which weighed 562kg and were secured by Kookabrook Livestock Trust at 216c/kg, while Melrose Enterprises, Donnybrook, paid $1202 (210c/kg) for eight steers averaging 573kg from JP & AL Baguley, Brunswick, and Landmark Waroona agent Richard Pollock bought 14 head from C & R Angi, Yarloop, at 531kg for $1136 (214c/kg).
Landmark Margaret River agent Jock Embry liked the look of Busselton producers NL & E Haddon's line of nine Friesian steers and purchased the 449kg youngsters for 226c/kg ($1016), while Peter Lofthouse, PR & MJ Lofthouse, Wokalup, liked the Haddon's drafts, paying 226c/kg ($978) for nine, weighing 433kg and nine averaging 451kg at 222c/kg ($1001).
BM & A Dungey's other 12 Friesians at 435kg sold for 224c/kg ($974) when purchased by Mr Carroll on account of Mr Edgley.
Mr Edgley paid 224c/kg ($965) for another 12 head, averaging 431kg from the same vendor, while securing nine 453kg steers from the Haddon's at 222c/kg ($1006).
A high of 276c/kg was achieved when nine first-cross Murray Grey-Friesian cross steers weighing 436kg from Clive Atwell & Co, Mundijong, were secured by Livestock Shipping Services (LSS) for $1204.
Kevin Armstrong, Willowbank Agistment, Benger, had his eye on the substantial offering of Angus-Friesian steers nominated by Tasca Holdings, Boyanup.
The operation nominated 127 head in total and sold the tops at 274c/kg to Mr Armstrong, averaging 378kg and returning $1035.
Mr Armstrong purchased several drafts during the sale, including another three lines of 11 head from Tasca Holdings at 270c/kg, while Kookabrook Livestock Trust secured 10 head weighing 498kg for $1333 (268c/kg).
CE Diggins nominated 15 Angus cross averaging 519kg which went Kookabrook's way when it paid a top of $1339 (258c/kg).
Penned further down the yarding were a dozen Angus-Friesians from Woods Family Farm, Margaret River.
The 408kg steers were secured by Mr Armstrong at 274c/kg ($1120), while the Wood's remaining draft of 12 averaging 381kg were written down on the same account for 268c/kg ($1022.)
Beef steers were plentiful and nine blacks from G Tassos & Co, Bridgetown, topped at 332c/kg when the 317kg youngsters were snapped up by Landmark Bridgetown agent Jamie Abbs for $1053.
Mr Abbs wrote down another dozen Angus steers averaging 301kg in his book when he pushed them to 330c/kg ($992) for Peter T Pullan, while he bought another 12 sale counterparts weighing 300kg for 330c/kg ($990).
Mr Abbs was also active on Mr Atwell's offering and paid a top of 328c/kg ($802) for 10 Angus steers at 245kg, while a single Angus cross steer from Mr Atwell reached $1495 when it weighed 575kg and was secured by LSS at 260c/kg.
LSS loaded a draft of nine Angus steers on the truck at $1218 (274c/kg) from H & C Royendyk, Bridgetown, when they averaged 444kg, while DS & DM Jenkins' yarding of 16 Murray Grey crosses achieved pleasing results when both pens were bought by Mr Abbs for 320c/kg.
Naturaliste Grazing Co's, Busselton, top draft of 11 Charolais weighing 299kg made 310c/kg ($927) when secured by Welldon Beef, Williams, while RH Omodei & Sons', Pemberton, 43 Angus steers topped at 308c/kg with seven head averaging 346kg and returning $1067 when secured by Mr Abbs.
Potential buyers crowded the rails for the sale of the beef heifers, with many lines suitable for breeding.
It was a pen of nine Angus heifers offered by RH Omodei & Sons, that caught many eyes and reached the 340c/kg top price.
Mark Harris, Treeton Lake, Dardanup, secured the stylish females which weighed 382kg for $1299, while purchasing three other drafts of eight head each at a peak of $1388 on two separate occasions.
Cosy Creek Farms, Manjimup, bought three pens of Omodei heifers, paying 328c/kg ($1235) for nine blacks at 377kg, while nine averaging 350kg were snapped up by Norm Dennis, GF Dennis & Co, Marybrook, for 306c/kg ($1071).
There was a small offering of first cross Angus steers in the appraisal section of the sale which saw prices reach $800 for 13 bought by Rival Pty Ltd from GGD & M Tartaglia, Benger.
Rival Pty Ltd also purchased six from G & PA Angi at $655, while Elders Donnybrook representative Pearce Watling also liked the Angi family's pen of five and bid to $700 on behalf of Ferguson Hill Estate.
Landmark had a substantial yarding of young appraisal Friesian steers with the day's $795 top price achieved for the first pen of six offered by D Dagostino & Son, Harvey.
These well-grown, shiny coated types were snapped up by Elders Capel representative Robert Gibbings on behalf of Rangiora Farm, while Mr Abbs secured a dozen from L Flemming, Myalup at $785.
Willowbank Agistment had a number of drafts nominated and sold its first 10 head to a top of $725 to Lexden Park, Capel, while TJ McGregor, Busselton, paid $760 for 11 Willowbank calves.
Like usual, Landmark Brunswick/Harvey agent Errol Gardiner supported the black and white offering strongly, paying $600 for 12 from L Flemming, $615 for 13 penned by Tallanalla Farm, Brunswick, $600 for 14 from TD & JD Norton, Benger and $600 for 12 Friesians offered by Stuart Rural, Margaret River.
C & L Italiano & Sons', Harvey, 12 poddies made $370 and A & PE Pratico's, Greenbushes, 16 head reached $375 when both bought by Mr Gardiner.
A line of first-cross Angus heifers presented by DC Gunn & VJ Scott, Margaret River, achieved $720 when they were secured by PW & RJ McKean, while Bramley Dairy Trust purchased both pens of four heifers from G & PA Angi at $505 and $400 respectively.
There were a number of mated heifers and cows with calves at foot for sale, with a pen of eight Angus cross cows PTIC to an Angus bull reaching $1800.
The second calvers were offered by Carbon Plus, Brunswick, and purchased by Mr Pollock, while a line of four and a pen of three Charolais heifers nominated by GJ & AL Angilley, Waroona, made $1580 and $1500 when secured by Mr Pollock.