THE second special weaned weaner sale conducted at Boyanup by Elders and Nutrien Livestock teams continued the previous week's demand and high values.
Steer calves dominated the numbers, selling to $2448, just $6 below the top price at the previous sale.
Heifers reached $1957 with steers topping at 810c/kg and the smaller yarding of females reached 614c/kg.
The bulk of the yarding was snapped up by the previous week's buyers, dominated by Jamie Davies, Kalgrains, Wannamal.
The sale of 824 cattle saw Nutrien Livestock yarding the bulk of the numbers with 640 head to average $2009 while Elders yarding of 184 calves averaged $2074.
Nutrien Livestock
Nutrien Livestock started proceedings and it took 14 pens to achieve the sale's top price of $2448 when Kalgrains bid to 409c/kg for the 598kg Angus steers from RJ & FJ Nancarrow, Pinjarra.
Kalgrains had earlier paid $2349 for another 10 Nancarrow steers weighing 405kg.
Three more pens of Nancarrow steers were bought by Kalgrains from $2331 and $2439.
The sale started with a run of seven pens of steer calves from RG Major, Williams, with Alex Roberts, Elders, Boyanup, taking the first pen of eight Angus weighing 402kg, costing $2286 at 568c/kg, with these the first of many pens bought for a Tammin lotfeeder.
Another eight went on the truck also costing $2327 at 592c/kg.
Kalgrains took eight for $2223 and 594c/kg, as well as eight more for $2290.
Always an astute buyer, Lou Tuia, Donnybrook, snapped up a pen of four Murray Grey from Williams, bidding to 528c/kg for the 422kg steers that cost $2230.
Also presenting numbers was McIntyre Farms which saw its calves go to three different feedlots when Kalgrains paid to $2238, while John Gallop bought for O'Meehan & Co at $2080 and 640c/kg with 10 grey steers costing the Tammin feedlot $2031 at 650c/kg, while Graham Brown bought for B & M Waddell at a top of $2118 and 628c/kg.
Ralph Maiolo, Coolup, was in attendance to see the family's calves sell to $2284 paid by Kalgrains for 11 Angus cross weighing 379kg.
Harvey Beef outlaid $2090 at 654c/kg for 12 Maiolo calves weighing 319kg before adding 11 from Plunkett Properties at $2176 and 640c/kg.
Doug and Julie Walters, Busselton, offered two pens of 20 calves in each with the buyer given the choice to buy both or one pen with the one bid.
Harvey Beef bid to 636 c/kg to take the two lots to cost $2122 and $2127 respectively.
Darren Walters offered two pens of weaners weighing 295kg and 254kg resulting in Mr Roberts paying $1967 and 666c/kg, while Richard Pollock, Nutrien Livestock, Waroona, took the second pen for $1865 and 734c/kg.
The top of 810c/kg was paid for two Angus from M & AJ Bell, Elgin, when the 140kg youngsters cost the Anglican Church, Brunswick, $1134.
The heifers started with four pens from RG Major with Kalgrains taking the lot, paying to $1930 for the first pen weighing 398kg and up to 486c/kg.
Mr Pollock then moved into overdrive, securing seven pens including the top of 614c/kg from Plunkett Properties weighing 245kg to spend $1508.
Six Limousin from Avoca Dairy were the dearest when the 318kg heifers cost $1865, while Mr Maiolo saw his seven Angus return $1785 at 572c/kg.
Elders
Selling second, Elders started well at $2366 for the first pen of 10 black steers weighing 421kg from Norsca Holdings, Donnybrook, with Kalgrains continued support of the sale, bidding to 562c/kg.
Another 10 made $2319 at 616c/kg, with 11 weighing 390kg from BW Crossing sold for $2361 at 604c/kg before 11 Mt Ferguson Grazing steers of 396kg made Elders top price of $2378 when Kalgrains bid to 600c/kg.
Mt Ferguson Grazing also sold a pen of 13 Angus of 363kg, returning $2246 when bought for the Waddells at 618c/kg.
A second run of black calves from Norsca Holdings were divided between Kalgrains, O'Meehan & Co and Harvey Beef at $2170, $2212 and $2163 respectively.
Melrose Enterprises took a pen of four Charolais steers weighing 360kg from BW Crossing, costing $2217 at 616c/kg to break the lotfeeder dominance.
Caris Park Grazing, Pinjarra, was another grazier account to secure cattle, paying the top of 682c/kg for nine Simmental steers weighing 287kg to return $1962 to vendor Tarpunda Grazing Company, Dardanup.
The small number of heifers saw the first pen sell at $1822 when Tawkin Super Fund bid to 540c/kg for the 337kg Angus heifers from BW Crossing, Dardanup.
The top price of $1853 went to seven Limousin heifers sold account G & T Hitchcock, Capel, with the 328kg females selling at 564c/kg.
Robert Gibbings, Elders, Capel, added the top priced 586c/kg heifers from DR & GJ Evans with the 205kg calves costing $1201.
What the agent said:
Nutrien Livestock auctioneer and Capel agent Chris Waddingham said the smaller yarding numbers reflected producers' uncertainty to wean with such vast amounts of paddock feed available.
"The overall quality of the offering was not quite of the same standard either and this resulted in a slightly easier market," he said.
"I expect the yardings to be full and quality to be very good with significant drafts of straight bred cattle programmed for sale imminently."
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