BEEF weaner values reached 334c/kg and $1202 at the 18th annual S & C Livestock Pinjarra and Districts weaner sale at the Muchea Livestock Centre last Friday.
Almost smack on the advertised numbers were penned by the Petricevich family's clients, presenting a top yarding of 1015 locally bred beef steer and heifer youngsters.
For the first time, the sale incorporated the WA Charolais Society's Silver Calf competition, the second of its kind for this season, which was won by Keysbrook producers AS & M Campbell & Son, Cooara Charolais and Angus studs.
The competition saw a number of Charolais-infused calves join large numbers of British bred cattle and other Euro cross calves in the sale which sold to feeder, export and grazier interest.
The shelter over the Muchea yards offered some respite for the cattle and buyers from the searing temperatures outside.
Lighter steers 220kg sold to 334c/kg and steers around the 400kg mark topped at $1202, while the heifer market followed the trend of this weaner sale season.
Heavier, better-bred heifers sold to 272c/kg and $1029 and while European breed infused heifers attracted some demand, generally the balance of the heifer market was subdued, particularly for lighter British bred backgrounding heifers.
Topping the sale's per head stakes was a line of 11 Angus steers from the paddocks of Venn Pastoral Company, Pinjarra.
The 404kg steers were knocked down to the Great Northern Cattle Company for $1202 at 298c/kg.
Among Great Northern's steer purchases included five Angus steers weighing 372kg offered by Rigspar Pty Ltd, Keysbrook, for $1167 (314c/kg) and nine Angus steers averaging 351kg from D Manning Family Trust, Serpentine, paying $1087 (310c/kg).
Pinjarra graziers RN & E Christmass weren't too far off top price with their five Gelbvieh cross steers weighing 408kg which were snapped up by Jamie Davies, Kalgrains, Wannamal, for $1174 and 288c/kg.
Kalgrains remained active on suitable steers weighing from 340kg to 390kg securing numerous pens including the Charolais infused competition steers which opened the sale.
They paid 300c/kg and $1121 for the champion pen of Charolais cross steers weighing 374kg, entered by the Campbell family which opened the sale and $1094 and 310c/kg for the second place pen of calves containing eight Charolais cross steers weighing 353kg from GJ Elliott, North Dandalup.
Other Kalgrains purchases include another draft of Christmass Gelbvieh cross steers weighing 386kg for $1164 at 302c/kg and three Angus cross steers weighing 375kg from JH & JM Bates & Son, Serpentine, for $1094 and 292c/kg.
Export buyer Graham Brown, was active on the Euro cross steers penned in the sale and paid to $1070 (308c/kg) for six Charolais cross steers weighing 347kg from Bolinda Vale Grazing, Keysbrook.
A couple of 358kg Charolais cross steers from the Bolgart paddocks of MC & BL Clarke were knocked down for $1074 at 300c/kg to Derek Robinson.
John Gallop, who was armed with a couple of orders and among the sale's volume buyers, paid to $1004 (308c/kg) for seven of the Clarke steers weighing 326kg while The Erindoon Trust was another of the sale's busier buyers, paying to $1040 (300c/kg) for 11 Angus steers weighing 347kg from the Venn Pastoral draft.
Liveweight steer values topped at 334c/kg for 11 Angus steers averaging 223kg offered by one of the sale's larger vendors the Kelliher Brothers, Wandering, which were purchased by Phil Petricevich, S & C Livestock, for $744.
The previous pen of Kelliher Brothers steers averaging 262kg were knocked down to Mr Gallop for 330c/kg and $865, who also paid 326c/kg ($862) for 11 Angus steers averaging 264kg from Deepdale Farm, West Toodyay.
E & SJ Bett & Son, Mundijong, stocked up with several lines of lighter steers and heifers, paying to 322c/kg for 12 Red Angus steers ($799) weighing 248kg from KM & SJ Williamson Trust, Gingin.
Mr Gallop also paid to 322c/kg for two lines of Angus steers from D & WD Kelly, Chittering, nine weighing 284kg and 13 weighing 245kg, as did Mr Brown for the third placed pen of six Charolais steers weighing 306kg offered by the Estate of Lesley Millner, Downunder Charolais stud, Wooroloo, to cost $984.
The Christmass family featured again in the heifer top prices for both per head and liveweight values.
They sold the top per head price of $1029 for seven Gelbvieh cross weighing 381kg, purchased by The Erindoon Trust for 270c/kg.
The same buyer paid beyond the $1000 mark for a single 424kg Murray Grey heifer offered by NJ & J Kentish, Serpentine, costing $1018 at 240c/kg and again for four other Kentish Murray Grey heifers in the same pen averaging 391kg costing $937 at 240c/kg.
Other higher heifer prices included the section's opening pen of Christmass Gelbvieh cross heifers weighing 350kg which were again knocked down to The Erindoon Trust for $944 and 270c/kg.
The Erindoon Trust also paid the sales's top liveweight heifer price of 272c/kg for six Charolais cross steers averaging 337kg from GJ Elliott to cost $918.
Buying for a few accounts, another of the sale's more prominent buyers Dean Ryan, Central Stockcare, Bullsbrook, sourced numerous lines of heifers.
Among these was the two lines of Charolais heifers from the Estate of Lesley Millner, paying 268c/kg ($616) for nine heifers weighing 230kg and 266c/kg ($709) for nine averaging 266kg.
Mr Brown added a number of heifer lines to his list of purchases, paying a top liveweight price of 258c/kg for six Blonde d'Aquitaine cross heifers weighing 258kg ($667) from SB Mitchell and a single Blonde d'Aquitaine cross heifer weighing 282kg ($728) from Sarah Mitchell, both of Oldbury.
S & C Livestock auctioneer Cam Petricevich said he thought steers sold extremely well in light of recent sales with strong support from lotfeeders, graziers and exporters.
"Lotfeeders were strong on heavy heifers and European influenced heifers were well-priced," Mr Petricevich said.
"But in line with recent sales, light British bred heifers met limited demand."
