NUTRIEN Livestock agents penned 1427 quality cattle at their July store sale at Boyanup last week, with almost the entire yarding showing the benefit of an early season with condition and weights excellent for a winter sale.
Continued demand from local and interstate buyers ensured another buoyant result, with the sale averaging $1669 a head over the yarding.
Values fluctuated when compared to the last sale at this venue with some easing, while other types lifted considerably.
It must be considered that the previous sale at the end of the financial year had a bearing on urgency in buyer's minds.
In spite of this, the sale average lifted when compared to the last fixture.
Selling liveweight, beef steers topped at $2367 for a pen, with a single steer making $2508.
Lighter weights reached 630c/kg, while British Breed steers of heavier weights that are in short supply, gained 12c/kg.
Beef heifers topped at $2064 and 522c/kg with the yearling types lifting and weaners slipping a little in price.
Another excellent run of Friesian steers sold, albeit at slightly lower weights to top at $2062 and 532c/kg, to be fully firm.
Friesian poddies continued their high returns to top at $1327 for older steers to reach 650c/kg with no young poddies penned.
A line of Angus cows and calves, with the calves weighing more than 200kg, sold for $3700 to be one of the higher returns seen at this sale for some time.
Support was mainly from South West graziers, feedlots, in particular a regular South Australian feedlot, plus there was strong support from Harvey Beef Farms.
AuctionsPlus operating for New South Wales producers competed consistently, but it was at the lighter weights before they made many purchases.
The O'Connell Family Trust had eight Angus steers weighing 540kg in the second pen and the pen topped the beef steers at $2367 when Harvey Beef Farms bid to 438c/kg for the pen.
Harvey Beef Farms took the next four pens of O'Connell steers to a top of 496c/kg, paying $2317, $2298, $2247 and $2222.
Brown and Sinton sold Charolais steers weighing 516kg to Harvey Beef Farms for 448c/kg to cost $2312.
Three pens of Hereford cross steers from C & P Odorisio, Waroona, saw the first eight steers go to Woodlands Cattle Co at 474c/kg with the 428kg steers returning $2032.
The next two pens were bought by Elders Boyanup representative Alex Roberts for a Wheatbelt feedlot, with these selling for $2004 and $1994 to top at 514c/kg.
Murray Grey steers from MG Armstrong, Northcliffe, saw the seven pens shared between Harvey Beef Farms, Princess Royal Trading, South Australia, Nutrien Livestock, Boyup Brook, agent Jamie Abbs and Elders Capel representative Robert Gibbings.
Harvey Beef bought the dearer pens at $2276 and $2230 while Mr Gibbings took the top of 530c/kg.
Regular buyer of heavy cattle, Kookabrook, paid the top of $2508 for a single Red Angus steer sold account
M & W Collins with the 570kg animal making 440c/kg.
The 630c/kg top price steers in cents per kilogram terms weighed 199kg and were sold by TV Salmeri, Boddington, and they cost Elders Donnybrook, $1255.
Kookabrook added the top heifers, nine Angus from the O'Connell Family Trust at $2064 when the 462kg heifers made 446c/kg.
Princess Royal Trading took a pen of 10 lighter sisters at 454c/kg to outlay $1870.
Greg Christian, Treeton, was smiling as his two pens of 12 Charolais heifers sold for $1983 and $1980, to a top of 510c/kg when bought by Mr Roberts.
Nutrien Livestock, Peel representative, Ralph Mosca outbid all to secure eight Angus heifers from Miandetta Grazing, with the 398kg females costing $1934 at 486c/kg.
Galati Family Trust, Brunswick, collected several pens, including eight weighing 342kg from FC & JK Ryan that cost $1685 and 492c/kg.
Later, the Ryan account sold the top heifer for $2484 when Kookabrook Livestock Trust bid to 432c/kg for the 575kg heifer.
Mr Abbs, Nutrien Livstock, Waroona agent Richard Pollock and Nutrien Livestock, Bridgetown agent Ben Cooper all secured numbers through the mid-weight heifer section.
Mr Cooper paid the top of the day when three Charolais heifers from Fred Dittman, Donnybrook, cost him 522c/kg and $1322.
Just a few pens of beef cross steers were offered, resulting in four from JA Cavallo topping at $2240 when bought by Kookabrook.
Harvey Beef Farms paid the top of 464c/kg for 10 weighing 392kg from
WS Partridge to spend $2081.
The cream of the liveweight Friesian steers were again from NL & E Haddon, with the top 10 making $2062 when Kookabrook bid to 420c/kg for the 491kg cattle.
Greg Jones then outlaid $2009 at 410c/kg for the next 10 weighing 490kg.
Mr Jones had earlier paid $1745 at 370c/kg for the first nine Haddon steers as well as buying 12 sold account N & R Scott at $1718, paying 370c/kg for both lines.
Sitting on the border of young steers or older poddies were 10 from G & PA Angi which sold for 532c/kg and $1356.
Stenelees Pastoral sold 11 weighing 293kg at 508c/kg to cost Nutrien Livestock, Harvey/Brunswick agent Errol Gardiner $1348.
Six poddies weighing 245kg from Linga Holdings pushed the top weight for poddies, and topped at $1327 when bought by AuctionsPlus at 542c/kg.
G & PA Angi sold 10 to Mr Gardiner for $1309 and 548c/kg.
Mahaffey Family Trust, Benger, sold their top nine calves to AuctionsPlus at $1246 with the 225kg calves made 554c/kg.
Weighing 215kg, 10 poddies from G & PA Angi, sold well for $1314 when bought by Vince Versaci, Harvey, for his brother.
Mr Gardiner paid the top of 650c/kg for a large line of 17 calves weighing 170kg from Kelly-Brae, Gelorup, to cost $1110.
Just the one line of cows and calves were offered, with the 14 mixed age cows with older calves weighing 211kg going to Elders Busselton at $3700 to end a very successful sale.
WHAT THE AGENT SAID
NUTRIEN Livestock, Boyanup agent and sale auctioneer Chris Waddingham said it was another good-sized yarding at Boyanup with the yards filled by a good quality offering.
"In general terms the medium and heavyweight cattle across all classes were equal or slightly dearer," Mr Waddingham said.
"Lightweight cattle lost ground on the previous sale with backgrounders more cautious and selective in their purchases.
"Cows and calves at $3700 was a feature of the sale."
