THEY say records are meant to be broken and that was the case at the WALSA weaner sale at Boyanup last week when steers sold to a record 526c/kg in another red hot market.
A feature of the sale was the annual Charolais Silver Calf competition, which was hosted by the WA Charolais region, to highlight the breed's benefits.
As a result the sale drew in 460 Charolais sired calves, accounting for 33 per cent of the yarding.
Right through the sale, irrespective of breed there was strong buying support with local graziers and lotfeeders battling it out against a major Eastern States' feedlot operation and live exporters.
At the end of the day auctioneers Alec Williams, Elders, Margaret River and Chris Waddingham, Nutrien Livestock, Boyanup and Capel, had sold 1391 head for a gross of $1,913,981, for a yarding average of $1376 a head.
The sale was again interfaced on AuctionsPlus and it received 442 catalogue views, which resulted in 38 registered bidders logging in from New South Wales, WA, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.
However unlike the past two sales, where there has been no action, this sale saw 162 online bids placed across 35 lots resulting in 25 being purchased.
Steers topped at $1760 and sold between 360-525c/kg, while heifers recorded a top of $1565 and sold from 240-450c/kg.
The biggest movers were lightweight steers that were equal to 25c/kg dearer in places, while mediumweight and lightweight heifers lifted 10-15c/kg and 20-25c/kg respectively.
Elders
Elders kicked off proceedings, offering 554 head and it was in its first pen where the $1760 top-priced steers were found.
Prior to the sale, the pen of 10 Charolais sired calves from Oakview Farm, Crooked Brook, were sashed the champion pen in the Elders section and it must have added a bit to their value, with buyers fighting hard to secure them.
After some spirited bidding, the 456 kilograms calves were knocked down at 386c/kg to Graeme Browne, who was bidding for a South Australian feedlot based at Burra.
Also headed to the South Australian feedlot from the early pens at more than $1700 a head were another 11 Charolais steers weighing 424kg from Oakview Farm, which placed second, at 410c/kg and five Charolais steers averaging 440kg at 392c/kg from Oakland Farm, Capel.
Later in the line-up Mr Browne purchased 10 Angus steers averaging 400kg from Bowie Beef, Bridgetown, at 398c/kg ($1592) and 11 Simmental cross steers weighing 392kg from CR, DA, JP & NR Martin, Collie, at 406c/kg ($1591) for the feedlot.
Matching Mr Browne on the heavier pens was Jamie Davies, Kalgrains, Wannamal, who purchased two Red Angus steers weighing 445kg from KJ Heenan & JR Hill, Brunswick, at 370c/kg and $1647, plus 10 Angus cross averaging 399kg from Tarpunda Grazing Co at 400c/kg ($1594) and five Charolais from CM & DJ Forrest, Capel, weighing 424kg at 380c/kg ($1611).
Mr Waddingham, while waiting for his turn to sell, turned buyer and was active on the heavier lines paying up to $1495 at 426c/kg for 12 Charolais from CM & DJ Forrest which weighed 351c/kg.
Mr Browne was active throughout, buying for not only the South Australian feedlot but also live exporter Bassem Dabbah.
He bid to 430c/kg ($1510) for nine Angus cross steers weighing 351kg from Tarpunda Grazing Co and 426c/kg ($1515) for seven Simmental cross averaging 356kg from CR, DA, JP & NR Martin, on behalf of the exporter.
Melrose Enterprises picked up a single pen of 11 Hereford steers from VA Edwards & Co, Busselton, weighing 439kg at 374c/kg and $1641.
In the lighter weights KL & SA Payne, Capel, paid the top Elders' cents a kilogram price, bidding to 506c/kg for eight Angus weighing 281kg from J & M Damiani, Dardanup, while Elders, Nannup agent Terry Tarbotton also bid strongly going to 470c/kg for seven Charolais weighing 270kg and 460c/kg for 12 Charolais weighing 304kg, which were all from BF & RA Scott, Donnybrook.
Elders, Boyanup representative Alex Roberts also bid to 460c/kg for nine Angus steers weighing 302kg from CA & SJ Jones, Donnybrook and 446c/kg for a large line of 20 Angus steers averaging 330kg from KM Sanders & TL Kilner, Scotts Brook.
The top price in the Elders' heifer offering was $1565 paid for a line of 14 Angus heifers averaging 412kg from Bowie Beef, which had potential breeders written all over them and it was Elders, Donnybrook representative Pearce Watling, who secured them with a bid of 380c/kg.
S & C Livestock representative Phil Petricevich was chasing the Charolais lines and paid $1478 at 398c/kg for 15 heifers weighing 371kg from Oakview Farm and $1321 at 390c/kg for 12 heifers averaging 339kg from John Ronzio, Dardanup.
Harris Beef Enterprises also took a couple of pens of Charolais heifers paying $1374 (424c/kg) for 13 weighing 324kg from CA & SJ Jones and $1346 (418c/kg) for 12 Charolais cross averaging 322kg from Oakland Farm.
Like in the steers Mr Tarbotton was active on the lightweight heifers, bidding to 434c/kg for 11 Charolais cross averaging 273kg from ML Waller, Boyup Brook and 428c/kg for 11 Charolais weighing 278kg from BF & RA Scott.
Rodney Galati, buying for a Central Stock Care order, was also active on the lighter heifers bidding to 424c/kg for 16 Angus weighing 315kg from J & M Damiani and 424c/kg for another seven Angus Damiani heifers averaging 274kg.
Mr Browne picked up numerous heifer pens for Bassem Dabbah paying between 384-420c/kg for heifers weighing 245-345kg.
His biggest outlay was $1399 for a line of 10 Simmental sired heifers weighing 345kg from CR, DA, JP & NR Martin.
Nutrien Livestock
The Nutrien Livestock team yarded 837 steers and heifers in the sale and its line-up opened with a quality run of heavy steers.
The top dollars per head price for steers in the offering was $1680 for a line of 11 Angus weighing 416kg from Falcinella Bros, Pemberton, when Mr Browne secured them for the South Australian feedlot at 404c/kg.
Mr Browne also collected nine SimAngus steers for the feedlot, weighing 387kg from Bondfield Farms, Boyup Brook, at 408c/kg and $1578.
Nutrien Livestock, Boyup Brook agent Jamie Abbs, buying for a Wheatbelt lotfeeder, was in the thick of the action and outlaid $1601 for Nutrien Livestock's champion Charolais pen when he bid to 418c/kg for the pen of 10 Charolais cross steers weighing 383kg from DJ & EAD Mildenhall, Catterick.
Mr Abbs also picked up the second placed pen at $1535 after a bid of 436c/kg for the 12 Charolais averaging 352kg from EB & G Quick, Donnybrook.
After getting just one pen of steers in the Elders run, John Gallop, buying for O'Meehan & Co, picked up a few more in the Nutrien Livestock offering including 10 Angus weighing 340kg from F & GJ Pessotto, Manjimup, at 432c/kg and $1469, as well as 12 Angus averaging 333kg from C & C Minson, Roelands, at 436c/kg and $1450.
Williams lotfeeder Gordon Atwell, Welldon Beef, wasn't afraid to bid up paying $1583 for 10 Angus weighing 375kg from Youda Racing Stables, Pinjarra and $1581 for 10 Angus from JA & TP Patane, Donnybrook, weighing 370kg, while Kalgrains went to $1572 for 11 Red Angus weighing 399kg from Glenfield Agricultural, Boyanup.
Nutrien Livestock, Margaret River agent Jock Embry, carried a buying order for three clients and picked up eight pens weighing between 287-356kg at 432-480c/kg, while Alan Padman, AH & SM Padman, Capel, collected three pens including 13 Charolais weighing 316kg from EB & G Quick at 440c/kg and $1391.
Hampden Farms, Donnybrook, was one of the major vendors with a big line of Murray Grey calves.
Kalgrains paid $1552 for 12 weighing 370kg, while Mr Embry took 20 weighing 311kg at 448c/kg and 24 averaging 323kg at 440c/kg.
The new record price of 526c/kg was bid by a NSW buyer operating on AuctionsPlus for a line of 17 Angus cross from Arley Farm, Benger, which weighed 213kg.
Also cracking the 500c/kg mark was a pen of 12 Murray Greys weighing 248kg from Hampden Farm when it sold to Nutrien Livestock, Harvey representative Ralph Mosca, while KL & SA Payne bid to 492c/kg for 14 Hampden Farm grey steers weighing 298kg.
The heifers in the Nutrien Livestock run ranged in weight from 192-370kg and as a result attracted plenty of bids on AuctionsPlus.
Of the 39 heifer pens offered in the run 21 were secured through AuctionsPlus at between 384-450c/kg.
The NSW buyer bid to 450c/kg late in the sale for 11 Angus weighing 229kg and 432c/kg for 11 Charolais weighing 261kg both from Arley Farm, as well as 444c/kg for 12 Charolais averaging 255kg from EB & G Quick.
It also picked up the Quick's third-placed pen of heifers comprising 13 Charolais weighing 345kg at 418c/kg and $1444.
A number of Hampden Farm heifers will also head to NSW with the AuctionsPlus buyer paying $1376 for 10 weighing 320kg and $1267 for 10 averaging 296kg.
His biggest outlay however was $1435 for eight SimAngus averaging 370kg from Bondfield Farms.
Mr Atwell was active on the Angus and Red Angus heifer lines, included in his purchases were 13 Angus weighing 359kg from Falcinella Bros at 418c/kg ($1500); 11 Angus averaging 342kg from Jennifer G Colum, Pinjarra, at 424c/kg ($1451) and 11 Red Angus cross from Glenfield Agricultural weighing 359kg at 400c/kg ($1436).
Mr Browne was again a volume buyer in the heifer run purchasing for Bassem Dabbah, included in the lines purchased were two lines of 10 Murray Grey averaging 321kg and 290kg from Hampden Farm both at 400c/kg, as well as eight 339kg Charolais at 412c/kg and seven Charolais weighing 301kg at 420c/kg from C & C Minson.