STORE cattle continue to be in hot demand, resulting in one of the strongest markets for dairy origin cattle seen at Boyanup last week.
The sale was the first leg of Nutrien Livestock's two-day June Special store cattle sales with the South West team penning 629 dairy cattle.
The yarding consisted of predominantly first cross and Friesian steers, ranging from grown types to young poddies and with the exception of a pen of young first cross heifers, the yarding was all sold liveweight.
Lotfeeders and South West graziers who were buoyed by the excellent start to the season, again had to raise the bar to secure replacements which drove the sale's overall average across all descriptions to a bumper $1542.
The sale rounded out with an excellent annual line-up of commercial yearling Angus bulls from Hydillowah Angus, Hyden, which sold to $7000 and averaged $5000.
Among the sale highlights was lightweight first cross and Friesian steers reaching record liveweight values at the venue of 720c/kg and 760c/kg respectively, to be up by 50c/kg on the previous sale.
First cross steers less than 200kg averaged 708c/kg and topped at $1072 and Friesian steers of the same weight averaged 703c/kg and topped at $1012.
Heavyweight Friesian steers also saw significant gains of 30c/kg to average 375c/kg with prices reaching $2294.
Angus-Friesian yearling steers averaged 418c/kg and topped at $2105 and first cross weaner steers weighing 280-330kg averaged 481c/kg and sold to a top of $2007.
Friesian yearling steers sold up to $1862 to average 418c/kg.
Friesian weaner steers more than 280kg averaged 454c/kg and topped at $1819 and lighter steers 200-280kg sold to $1515 to average 558c/kg.
The sale was interfaced on AuctionsPlus with 589 catalogue views resulting in 14 registered bidders logged in locally and from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia and 39 online bids placed across eight lots.
First cross Angus-Friesian steers got the sale underway with Greg Jones strong from the outset, collecting the first three pens and paying the section's $2108 top price at 412c/kg for six steers weighing 512kg offered by
A Figliomeno and the next highest price of $2089 for five steers tipping the scales at 507kg from the paddocks of AR Hall & Co, also costing 412c/kg.
Kevin Armstrong, Willowbank, Benger, secured a few pens of first cross steers paying a $2072 top price at 478c/kg for seven steers averaging 434kg offered by SD Burton.
Gundagai Dairy, Boyanup, was among the volume vendors in the sale including a quality draft of 70 Angus-Friesian steers weighing from 359-457kg.
John Gallop purchased four pens of first cross steers for a southern lotfeeder and paid Gundagai Dairy's top price of $2007 at 508c/kg for nine steers weighing 395kg and their 510c/kg top liveweight value for eight steers averaging 386kg to cost $1967.
Errol Gardiner, Nutrien Livestock, Brunswick/Harvey, snapped up two pens of light first cross poddy steers for 700c/kg and the section's 720c/kg top liveweight price for five steers weighing 153kg from R & R Pastoral, costing $1102.
The dominant numbers of Friesian steers were next up with Mr Jones paying the sale's overall top price of $2296 at 320c/kg on behalf of a processor for a duo of 718kg steers offered by RL Britza who offered 56 steers in the sale.
VA & MP Wright snapped up the following pen of four steers weighing 609kg from BM & L Fielder for the next highest price of $2179 at 358c/kg.
Representing another order, Mr Jones was the most influential buyer in this section finishing with 16 pens of Friesian steers for this account including 10 consecutive pens.
This account's $1951 top price went to five steers weighing 545kg, offered by KA & DA Reading with Mr Jones bidding 358c/kg, while he also purchased the entire draft of 58 Friesian steers offered by Laureldene Farms, Boyanup, paying to $1857 at 390c/kg for eight steers weighing 476kg.
Graziers upped the ante on Friesian steers less than 400kg.
Mr Gardiner was kept busy throughout this section filling client orders and paid the sale's 760c/kg top liveweight price for 12 light poddy steers weighing 120kg offered by TD & JD Norton to cost $915.
Included in Mr Gardiner's extensive purchases was the next highest liveweight price of 742c/kg paid for 18 Friesian steers weighing 137kg from M Angi & Sons to cost $1014.
A couple of pens of even Guernsey steers offered by CW Gilbert were a fresh sight, with Mr Gardiner paying their $1239 top price at 510c/kg for the heaviest pen of five steers weighing 243kg while Dean Taaffe, Nutrien Livestock, Donnybrook, bid 655c/kg for the lighter pen of five steers weighing 174kg to cost $1140.
Mahaffey Family Trust offered 40 Friesian steers, weighing from 218-237kg, which sold to $1313 and 584c/kg and also included two pens of Jersey cross steers which topped this section of the sale with Mr Gardiner paying the $1195 top price at 430c/kg for five weighing 278kg, while Mr Taaffe bid the 670c/kg top liveweight price for six steers averaging 138kg from the Angi family to cost $927.
First cross Angus-Friesian heifer values topped at $1671 with Craig Martin, Elders, Collie/ Brunswick, bidding 480c/kg for eight heifers weighing 348kg offered by SD Burton, while DE Craigie & Son snapped up the nine appraisal heifers for $860, also from the Angi family's paddocks.
A feature of the sale was the annual offering of 25 commercial yearling Angus bulls from the Mouritz family, Hydillowah Angus, Hyden.
The well-bred and grown youngsters aged 13 to 14 months attracted plenty of support to see a complete clearance of the team at an improved average of $5000.
At the same sale last year, 21 Hydillowah bulls sold for an average of $3910.
Brendan Miller, Elders, Geraldton, made the long trek south and representing the Quartermaine family, Ucarty Holdings, Dowerin, finished the sale with four bulls including the $7000 top price paid for a 545kg son of Mordallup Bardi M390.
Return buyers Westside Cattle Company paid the $6500 second top price for a 520kg bull by a Hydillowah-bred sire, while Deane Allen, Elders Bridgetown, secured a 555kg bull also by a Hydillowah-bred sire.
There were a number of buyers that sourced multiple bulls including Gandy Timbers with three bulls bidding to a $6000 top price for a 530kg son of Bardi.
Mr Pollock collected three bulls for two clients paying to a $5000 top as did EW & ME Rose with three new bulls spending from $4000-$4750 while Jamie Abbs, Nutrien Livestock, Boyup Brook, secured two bulls for a client.