IN SPITE of the quality offering, values for mated beef females softened ever so slightly at the Elders Beef Female Sale at Boyanup on January 22.
With 48 buyer registrations it could be assumed plenty of demand would be present and it was, albeit at slightly lower values than some may have been expecting.
This saw Elders auctioneer Alec Williams draw on his vast experience to coax bids from the gallery of buyers.
In the line-up of PTIC females, 341 of 356 Angus females sold to the sale top of $2900 (2), grossed $838,950 to average $2460 for those sold by auction.
All passed in females were later sold giving a total clearance.
The small contingence of 14 Murray Grey heifers all sold to reach $2550 and average $2478.
The run of unmated heifers were in greater demand and under strong competition saw Red Angus heifers top at $1900 to average $1850, while 69 Angus females reached $1800 and averaged $1568 for a total clearance.
The sale commenced with the first of the 81 Angus females offered by HW Griffiths, Ferguson, to be easily the major vendor.
The Griffiths' females averaged $2878, well above sale average.
The first line of eight well-grown females mated to Angus for a calving commencing from February 14 gave the Griffiths' draft top price of $2900 when knocked down to Alex Roberts, Elders, Boyanup, buying for CA & SJ Jones.
The next pen of eight sold for $2750, also bought for CA & SJ Jones.
The third pen also sold for $2750 when major buyer, David Lindberg, Elders, Albany, secured these as the first pen of seven he bought at the sale for client DT Barker, Denmark.
Three pens of eight heifers from Treeton Lake then sold well with EB & G Quick taking the first with eight heifers for $2850, before Pearce Watling, Elders, Donnybrook, bid to $2600 and $2700 on behalf of IJ & JC McLaren.
The first run of Sandlewood Farms, Benger, heifers saw eight go to DT Barker at $2700 with GM Italiano paying the same for a line of seven.
Rob Gibbings, Elders Capel, raised his finger to pay $2650 and $2500 for Ludlow Grazing.
The Sandlewood Farms heifers had been running with both Angus and Limousin bulls.
The first of the heifers from MW Tucker, Capel, made $2600, going to Ludlow Grazing, while G & CR Musitano, Brunswick, bid to $2650 for another eight.
The next run of HW Griffiths heifers again saw a top of $2900, paid by Terry Tarbotton, Elders, Nannup, on behalf of Vaqueross Pastoral, as well as another eight for $2850.
Almost able to walk to their new home, another pen went to HH Clifton at $2600.
The dearest of the second run from MW Tucker reached $2550, going to DT Barker.
Selling around the sale average were two pens offered by AD & RM Corker that both sold for $2550 to Yourdamung Lake and G & CR Musitano respectively.
Carbon Plus, Brunswick, sold two pens to DT Barker, both containing eight heifers returning $2550 and $2500, with a Limousin mating to start calving from February 28.
A smaller number of five sold by TP Aldridge was snapped up by Mr Watling for Wilson Scott, costing $2600.
Mr Tarbotton saw off all opposition on the two pens of heifers to calve from March 9 from Bachus Farms, Busselton, paying $2400 for each on behalf of Vaqueross Pastoral, Kirup.
Towards the end of the Angus females, values decreased along with age, size and calving dates, with five heifers from Caris Park Grazing, Pinjarra, one of the better results when selling for $2100 to Jim Bogoias, Manjimup.
The small offering of Murray Grey females, mainly from Young Guns Murray Grey stud, Hyden, sold well.
The top of $2550 was paid by JJJ Farms, Hyden, for six Young Guns heifers mated to a Murray Grey sire for a 10-week calving.
Another six went to AA & GJ Ward, Kalgan, at $2500.
Two heifers sold by Kada Grazing were bought by breed stalwart Henco Rural for $2200, with these mated to Angus to calve from late March.
Proceedings livened up with the offering of unmated and vet checked heifers resulting in the Red Angus topping at $1900.
Two lines of nine in each from Biljedup Pty Ltd both went to GF Dennis & Co, Anniebrook, with the second line costing $1800.
Blackrock Angus, Vasse, sold three pens of 10 in each with their top of $1800 paid by Strathavon Farms for the first pen.
Charcol Springs took the other two pens at $1650.
Jim Fox, Pemberton, offered another three pens of quality black heifers topping at $1550 paid by MW Tucker, Capel.
Brad McDonnell, Elders, Manjimup, secured two pens for his client at $1450 and $1400.
