LAST week's Nutrien Livestock Blue Ribbon Female Breeders Sale at Mt Barker proved a healthy feeding ground for beef enthusiasts as predominantly local and south western producers jostled to acquire top quality foundation and replenishment breeding females.
While numbers were back 40 per cent on 2021, with 1236 head compared to 743 this year, the quality was not, resulting in an air of FOMO (fear of missing out) which drove prices to a heady $4600, $550 higher than last year.
This was for a line of eight Angus carrying their second calves presented by sale regulars the Rochester family, K & M Farming Trust, Manypeaks and snapped up by Nutrien Livestock Mt Barker agent Charlie Staite for Clifton Muir, CB Muir, Manjimup.
The females were part of a final stage dispersal offering of 100 head from the Rochesters who are moving from a breeding enterprise to a contract backgrounding and grassfeeding operation.
Their 100 head line-up comprised 60 two-year-old heifers, all synchronised AI mated to calve on February 19 and 20 to low birthweight, moderate framed Angus bull PCC Farra Fortune which the Rochesters used with success over first calvers last year.
Joining them were 40 3yo females which were PTIC to homebred sires from their own KTM Angus herd and due February 19 to April 1.
Mr Muir had got warmed up two pens earlier when he bid the day's third top price of $4500 for another eight heifers of the same description.
Chasing females that would fit with his March/April calving window, the pure Angus combinations suited him perfectly.
The K & M dispersal 3yo females also attracted the sale's second top price of $4550 bid twice, firstly for eight in a sole strike by Narribri Pty Ltd and then for another eight by Joh Grazing, which finished with 14 3yo and 10 2yo in total.
Others active on the K & M heifers were BL & EJ Henderson, FM & VJ Zambonetti, Napier and D & P Cavoto, Donnybrook.
While F1 Friesian cross females have traditionally been the star lots in southern mated female sales and provided the sale top at the Blue Ribbon fixture in 2021, it was the purebred beef females which shone brightest this year.
Improved genetics to increase weight gains, ease of management in tighter seasons and broader marketing options has seen a closing of the price differential for the respective progeny which has driven the changing trend.
The day's volume buyer, Ball Farming, was one which stuck to a purebred beef mantra as it chased down 76 Angus females aged 2yo and 29 Angus cows aged 3-5yo as part of a foundation cattle breeding herd to stock its Torbay property.
Former Nyabing and Katanning grain and sheep farmers Hamish and his father William Ball originally set a plan for the property based around shedding sheep but have changed tack to move to a cattle only enterprise.
"We found this country was far better suited to cattle, especially in such a cold wet year as this one was," Hamish said.
Keen to start with quality, they saw this local fixture offering annual drafts from regular participants and long-time breeders, as well as some dispersal lines, as a perfect opportunity and started their bidding assault among Dundeal Holdings females in pen 13.
As the day's biggest vendor, Dundeal's Forbes family, Narrikup, offered Angus heifers, 25 aged 30mo and 170 aged 24mo, PTIC to Angus bulls and due to calve from March 2 to May 6.
The Ball's finished with 56 of these females paying up to $4100 for a line of seven.
Also in their sights were Baboo Pastoral Co's Coonamble blood females mated to Coonamble blood bulls also due to calve from March 2 to May 6 and they bought two lines of 10 head each, half its offering, at $4200 each.
They completed their buying spree among the genuine herd dispersal females from the Foulds family's Pasaz Enterprises which were being sold to make way for an increased cropping program.
Finding new homes with the Balls at prices up to $3600 were 29 cows aged 3-5yo, which were mated to Coonamble blood bulls and due March 10 to June 1.
Homebred Angus-Friesian females bred out of the Houden family's 500 head dairy at Redmond were the first to go under the call of Nutrien Livestock, Mt Barker agent and auctioneer Harry Carroll.
The 48 females were all mated to Arizona and Quanden Springs Angus bulls and due to calve from February 28 to May 10.
A top price of $3450 was paid for eight by A Betti, while most active among them was Graham Ayres Livestock, which finished with 15 to a top price of $3350.
Candyup Farms was the other vendor to offer Angus-Friesian cross, with its 40 head, which were synchronised mated to calve over 20 days from February 20 to March 11, selling to a top price of $3650 for 10 bid by MJ & CS Scott, to add to an earlier line bought from Southden.
From there it was into the purebred Angus females and that's where increased competition forced buyers to step up a notch.
The remaining 18 Baboo females went the way of RW Manners Pty Ltd to a top price of $4450, one of the day's highest.
Those getting among the action in the Dundeal Holdings team included Murray River Farms with 15 at up to $4100 and SE Creagh 19 at up to $4050.
Three lines from MI & DM Twentyman, PTIC to Koojan Hills Angus bulls and due March 11 to May 13, were consistent with eight going to Murray River farms at $4100 and 10 at $4100 and 10 at $4000 to Rao Family Trust.
With 145 genuine dispersal females, P & A Foulds was the day's second biggest vendor and its mixed age females will be gracing paddocks across a cross section of the State.
Some of the top end outlays were made by, SE Creagh for 10 3yo at $4150, 5PH Grazing for 10 of the same age at $3950 and EI & BJ Lynch at up to $3650 for nine aged 5yo in its tally of 18 head.
What the agent said:
NUTRIEN Livestock, Mt Barker agent Harry Carroll said it was an outstanding yarding of cattle.
"The Angus heifers were exceptional and we had a better spread of buyers this year," Mr Carroll said.
"I don't think we have ever seen these sorts of prices ($4600 sale top) for second calvers before, so it's probably as good as it gets for young females.
"The first cross heifers were a little harder to sell this year, which is in line with what has happened at South West sales.
"Unlike with many previous sales no cattle went east and none sold through AuctionsPlus today."
Mr Carroll again paid tribute to the Nutrien Livestock team from within the region and further afield who "provided exceptional support".
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