ANYONE unhappy with the result of the Nutrien Livestock Boyanup store sale last week would be impossible to please.
More than 1300 quality cattle were penned and they sold for a gross of more than $1.5 million with the overall sale average lifting more than $100 compared to the other spring sales so far.
Quality continued to almost the last pen, with beef steers selling to $1853 and 444c/kg, while beef heifers topped at $1948 and 394c/kg.
Heavy beef cross steers pipped them all when reaching $2183 and 420c/kg.
Friesian steers made up to $1927 and 330c/kg.
The feature of the sale was not just the highest price pens but the number of pens in the top bracket with few selling for less than $1200.
Friesian poddies were few in number and selling liveweight made to $725 and 348c/kg.
A larger selection of bucket reared first-cross future breeders were offered, selling to $1500 for those with maturity.
Only a handful of cows and calves were for sale, with the best line selling for $2020.
A single beef steer weighing 555 kilograms in the first pen, sold by AC & SJ McShane topped at $1853 when purchased for Kookabrook Livestock at 334c/kg.
Two grey steers from K & M Taylor, Capel, then made $1836 at 340c/kg, also going to Kookabrook.
Harvey Beef Farms competed strongly on early heavier drafts, paying $1752 for 11 steers weighing 458kg from RJ & H Lamera at 382c/kg as well as steers from Darke Family Trust and MG Armstrong at 380c/kg to outlay $1720 and $1691 respectively.
Feedlots were also active, with Kalgrains, Wannamal, paying $1543 at 382c/kg for six steers weighing 404kg from DP & GR Cowcher, Williams, before adding seven black steers averaging 423kg for $1601 and 378c/kg.
John Gallop was also strong for his client, paying up to $1516 for a steer weighing 385kg at 394c/kg.
Welldon Beef, Williams, secured several lines including 11 Angus weighing 302kg from F Slee & Son, Busselton, for $1323 and 438c/kg.
Nutrien Livestock Margaret River agent Jock Embry was the most active agent early on, paying the first top of 444c/kg for another 12 Slee steers weighing 271kg that cost $1206.
Four heavy Gelbvieh heifers sold by Marowga P/L, weighing 560kg got the females off with a bang when Avon Valley Beef outlaid $1948 at 348c/kg.
Nutrien Livestock Brunswick agent Errol Gardiner snapped up another five of these weighing 416kg that cost $1555 and 374c/kg.
Willowbank, Benger, bid to 350c/kg and $1522 for 11 black heifers weighing 435kg from MG Armstrong, Northcliffe.
Greg Jones was the dominant buyer of the heifers, paying up to $1564 for three Charolais weighing 460kg, returning AKS McShane, $1564.
The top of 394c/kg was paid by Caris Park Grazing, Pinjarra, for a line of 11 soft Charolais heifers weighing 275kg that returned $1085 for MR & S Hutchinson.
Three heavy Angus cross steers topped the beef cross cattle when Kookabrook Livestock paid $2183 for the 686kg steers from J & S Nixon, Donnybrook.
Elders Capel representative Rob Gibbings then bought seven Angus weighing 517kg from Pepperilly Estate for $1667 and 322c/kg.
Several pens of crossbred steers sold by V & G Ieraci & Sons, Brunswick, saw the top line make $1624 when Mr Gibbings bid to 336c/kg for the 483kg steers.
Elders Manjimup, Elders Nannup and Elders Busselton also bought pens for clients.
The top of 420c/kg was paid by Elders Busselton for 12 lightweight steers weighing 172kg that returned $722 for BD Yates.
The Friesian steers were excellent and buyers reinforced that opinion when paying to a top of $1927, paid by VA & MP Wright for eight steers weighing 610kg sold by C & R Angi.
Kookabrook Livestock paid $1864 for another eight Angi steers that weighed 582kg with these making 316 and 320c/kg.
Avon Valley Beef then paid $1920 at 300c/kg for a single steer weighing 640kg from V & G Ieraci & Sons.
The best of the quality steers from NL & E Haddon sold at 314c/kg, going to Kookabrook for $1427.
The top of 330c/kg was paid for nine steers of 358kg sold by CW & M Borlini, Dardanup, when Richard Pollock, Nutrien Livestock Waroona, paid $1184 to add to his many other purchases.
Mature poddies selling liveweight takes some getting used to for buyers, but Mr Gardiner grasped the concept and bought the top poddies at $727 and 316c/kg for the 15 calves weighing 230kg from G & PA Angi.
Paradise Beef outlaid the top of 348c/kg for younger calves weighing 160kg from Kimlie Pty Ltd with the 12 poddies returning $556.
A larger selection of first-cross, unmated, bucket-reared heifers were penned with strong competition lifting the top price to $1500 paid by Mr Jones for six well-grown heifers offered account R & C Italiano & Sons.
Seven Devon cross from the Italiano offering joined these on the truck at $1360.
The Drake family offered three pens of Angus cross, returning $1400, $1420 and $1480, selling to Mr Jones and Nutrien Livestock Albany.
Next best went to DE & CP Payne, Alexandra Bridge, for $1380, bought by F Pessotto Manjimup.
Mr Pollock was the major buyer of the younger types from Trevelys P/L.
Two Angus cows and calves sold by Peter Varischetti made $2020 when bought by PR & SD King who added the next highest, a single Murray Grey unit for $1660.
