A FEW more than 800 weaners were offered between Elders and Landmark at the WALSA weekly weaned weaner cattle sale at Boyanup last week.
Quality varied from very high and heavyweights down to the tail end from sellers' paddocks for the season.
For the quality end, values held strong to even be slightly higher on some pens when compared with the previous sale.
Steer calves topped at $1273 and 342 cents a kilogram while heifers made up to $1007 and 272c/kg.
Competition was widespread, with strong support from agents, commission buyers, lotfeeders and graziers.
All buyers appreciate calves being weaned and this assisted in the strong result.
Cattle were trucked to the sale from a widespread area, extending from Boddington, Boyup Brook, Bridgetown, Margaret River and Pinjarra with most local South West districts in between supplying and buying cattle.
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Elders was first to sell and achieved the top steer price with the first pen offered, 13 Angus steers weighing 416kg from K & AL Payne that sold to Willowbank, Benger, for $1273 and 306c/kg.
Willowbank also paid $1181 at 306c/kg for another 15 Payne steers, while Elders Boyanup bought two pens.
The first 16 steers weighing 360kg cost $1097 at 304c/kg with the other 15 weighing 320kg selling for $1004 and 314c/kg, to start the sale well.
A pen of 11 Simmental steers weighing 274kg from SJ & RM Lees, Wilga, appeared to have the top at 340c/kg when bought for K Beacham, Carbanup, at $933.
Deane Allen, Elders Donnybrook, then snapped up seven smaller steers for 330c/kg, paying $766 for the 232kg cattle.
The annual draft of Hereford weaners from JL & J Gibbs, Boddington, attracted strong support from bidders, with one line of 13 making the sale top of 342c/kg when bought by Terry Tarbotton, Elders Nannup.
Mr Tarbotton had secured these cattle in previous years and outbid competition on the four pens, also paying $1032 for nine at 316c/kg as well as other lines for 330c/kg and 336c/kg.
Limousin cross calves from Toscana Pty Ltd weighing 321kg sold for 300c/kg, costing Caris Park, Pinjarra, $965, with another 13 going to Brett Chatley, Landmark Manjimup, for $947 at 308c/kg.
Semini Enterprises secured a pen of four Murray Grey steers weighing 338kg from TC Tremlett, spending $1121, then adding another 12 from RF Ladyman for $1020 and 302c/kg.
It took several pens of heifers to sell before the top price was paid when GJ & J Watt, Cowaramup, bid to 248c/kg for the 363kg Angus from TC & C Bourne that returned $900.
The first six Angus weighing 365kg from K & AL Payne went to Semini Enterprises for $878 and 240c/kg.
Ben Cooper, Landmark Bridgetown, was strong on heifers in both catalogues, buying 13 Angus from K & AL Payne for $829 and 262c/kg then adding five from TC Tremlett at 254c/kg and $843.
The top of 268c/kg went to a line of six Simmental from SJ & RM Lees, going to Jamie Abbs, Landmark Boyup Brook, for $806.
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The top steer price was very close when a pen of four Angus weighing 416kg from Antonio Fiorenza sold to GJ & J Watt for $1265 at 304c/kg.
Five pens of Limousin cross sold by EP & DK Gardiner, Brunswick, were popular, being drafted to colour as well as weight.
The top 11 weighing 390kg sold at 314c/kg to Willowbank at $1226, with this buyer adding other pens at $1062, $1109 and $1133 between 310c/kg and 314c/kg.
Central Stockcare paid $1157 at 314c/kg for a pen and earlier paid $1144 for the first nine steers from Kau & Son.
Jock Embry, Landmark Margaret River, was busy putting together a B-double truckload of steers for a company lotfeeder, paying a top of $1107 at 310c/kg for 10 Angus weighing 359kg from GL & VJ Roberts.
Eight sold by Minga Flats cost $1098 with a pen of nine weighing 355kg from KT Smith returning $1095.
Doug Walters, Acton Park, sold steers for $1020 when Semini Enterprises bid to 310c/kg to secure them.
The top of 328c/kg was paid by AJ Neil, Waroona, for 12 Angus from Sheron Farm, Brunswick, with heavier Sheron Farm steers selling to Willowbank at $1090 and 308c/kg.
A single Charolais steer of 410kg selling late in the section made $1148 for Murray Vale Farm when Willowbank paid 280c/kg.
Travelling from Boddington, the Angus steers sold by TV & G Salmeri just missed the round figure when they sold for $999 at 306c/kg to Ralph Mosca, Landmark Harvey.
Antonio Fiorenza took the double when his pen of nine Angus heifers weighing 370kg topped both at $1007 and 272c/kg, bought by GJ & J Watt.
Rodney Galati, Brunswick, increased the tempo on the heifers, securing numerous pens starting with the two lines of Limousin cross from EP & DK Gardiner costing $969 and $886 at 270c/kg for cattle weighing 358kg and 328kg.
Ben Cooper, Landmark Bridgetown, was another multiple pen buyer, mainly for one client.
Included in these were 12 sold by DV Piscioneri for $756, before paying $905 for eight Charolais sold by Kau & Sons.
Later in the sale GL & VJ Roberts saw their heifers weighing 308kg join the load at 268c/kg and $919.
