THE Muchea Livestock Centre last Wednesday was a buzz with action as Elders hosted its second standalone store sale for the year at the venue.
The Elders team offered a yarding of 747 local and pastoral cattle which received solid buying support from both local and Eastern States' graziers and lotfeeders, as well as live exporters to average $1323 a head.
Local steers sold to a high of $2485 and 752 cents per kilogram, while local heifers hit a top of $1874 and 662c/kg.
In the pastoral pens steers peaked at $1387 and 550c/kg and heifers topped at $1394 and 480c/kg.
A small run of bulls at the end of the sale returned a high of $1691 and 590c/kg.
The sale kicked off with the lines of local cattle with steers values topping at $2485 paid by Princess Royal Trading, South Australia, bidding 596c/kg for four Angus steers weighing 417 kilograms from Gingin Pastoral, Gingin.
Gingin Pastoral also saw returns of more than $2000 for two other pens of its Angus steers when both were sold to Dean Ryan, Central Stockcare.
Mr Ryan also paid $2188 for a pen of 12 averaging 350kg and $2006 for a line of 13 weighing 319kg when he placed final bids of 626c/kg and 628c/kg on the two pens.
He also picked up for four Murray Grey steers averaging 330kg from Gingin Pastoral for $2053 after having a final bid of 622c/kg.
Chilimony Farms, Northampton, was one of the major vendors in the local steer section with an offering of Murray Grey and Angus steers which topped at $2316.
Achieving the $2316 price in the Chilimony Farms' offering were seven Murray Greys averaging 387kg when they sold at 628c/kg to Mr Ryan.
Mr Ryan went on to also secure four more pens of grey steers from the Northampton enterprise, paying $1983 for 10 weighing 315kg and $1944 for six averaging 308kg at 630c/kg and 632c/kg.
Chilimony Farms also saw a return of more than $1900 for its Angus steers when Mr Ryan outlaid $1949 when it bid to 622c/kg for 10 steers weighing 622kg.
Also taking a liking to the Chilimony Farms Angus steers was Willowbank, Benger, which secured a pen of 20 head averaging 277kg for $1781 and 644c/kg.
Williams-based vendor RJ Logie saw good returns when it sold four Angus steers weighing 317kg for $1836 and six Angus averaging 296kg for $1612 to the Central Stockcare account at 580c/kg and 544c/kg.
The top cents per kilogram price in the local steer run was 752c/kg bid by Mondarra Farming Company, when it purchased 19 Angus steers weighing 217kg for $1631 from FB Smith & Sons, Walkaway, returning it $1631.
Another 19 Angus steers averaging 212kg from the Smiths went the same way selling at 740c/kg and $1569.
A reasonably small line-up of beef heifers saw prices peak at $1874 when M Princi had the final bid at 548c/kg on a pen of 11 Murray Grey cross heifers averaging 342kg from WK Coxon, Mogumber.
The WA College of Agriculture (WACOA), Cunderdin, also saw a return of more than $1800 when it sold a pen of five Angus weighing 320kg at 566c/kg to Central Stockcare.
After buying steers from RJ Logie, Central Stockcare also picked up a pen of five Angus heifers averaging 294kg from the Williams enterprise, paying $1491 at 508c/kg.
Central Stockcare also paid $1702 for two Red Angus heifers weighing 432kg from Kanandah station.
Along with recording the top cents per kilogram price in the local steer run, FB Smith & Sons achieved the same feat in the local heifer offering when it sold a pen of eight Anugs heifers averaging 187kg at 662c/kg and $1238 to Olive Tree Investments.
Fifteen Angus heifers weighing 215kg from the Smiths also sold to a bid of more than 600c/kg when they were knocked down at 610c/kg.
The offering of pastoral steers topped at $1387 for 13 Droughtmaster cross averaging 265kg from RJ Logie when they sold at 524c/kg to the Central Stockcare account.
Central Stockcare also picked up another 13 Droughtmaster cross weighing 251kg from RJ Logie at 532c/kg and $1335.
Along with selling the top-priced pen, RJ Logie also achieved the highest c/kg price when 22 Droughtmaster crosses averaging 215kg sold at 550c/kg and $1184 to a New South Wales buyer based at Dubbo.
The same buyer went to 546c/kg and $1192 for 22 steers of the same description from the RJ Logie account which weighed 218kg.
Dredge Holdings Pty Ltd picked up two pens of Droughtmaster cross steers (13 and 11 head) weighing 250kg and 226kg from RJ Logie for $1199 and $1132 after bidding to 480c/kg and 500c/kg on the pens.
Charla Downs Pty Ltd, Waroona and Wiluna, offered the first four pens of the steers in the pastoral offering and its best return was $1383 for six Shorthorns weighing 314kg when they sold to an eastern Wheatbelt feedlot at 440c/kg.
The same feedlot also picked up 11 Droughtmaster cross steers weighing 306kg at 440c/kg at $1345 and five Brahman cross averaging 332kg at 400c/kg and $1330 from Charla Downs Pty Ltd.
Also heading to the eastern Wheatbelt feedlot was a pen of six Droughtmaster cross steers weighing 274kg from Millview Grazing, Coolup, when it purchased it at 448c/kg and $1126.
R & MD Whitmarsh, Dongara and Murchison, offered numerous pens in the run with its best return being $1202 for 10 Droughtmaster cross steers averaging 267kg when they sold at 450c/kg to Central Stockcare.
When it came to the line-up of pastoral heifers, RJ Logie claimed both the top dollars per head price and top c/kg price when it sold four Shorthorn cross weighing 291kg to Central Stockcare at 480c/kg to return $1394.
Toscana WA Pty Ltd, Pinjarra, was the biggest vendor in the run, offering 71 Droughtmaster cross and Brahman cross heifers.
Its best return was $1272 for three Droughtmaster cross weighing 363kg when they were knocked down to Central Stockcare at 350c/kg.
International Livestock Exports chased the Toscana heifers, purchasing five pens.
Its purchases included a pen of seven Droughtmasters weighing 317kg at 394c/kg and $1248 as well as 15 Brahmans weighing 322kg at 372c/kg and $1199.
Charla Downs saw returns of $1094 and $1029 for 13 Shorthorn cross heifers averaging 304kg and 13 Brahman cross heifers weighing 303kg when both pens sold to Central Stockcare at 360c/kg and 340c/kg.
R & MD Whitmarsh offered numerous pens in the run and it best return was $1027 for 17 Droughtmaster cross weighing 247kg which sold at 416c/kg to Saltwater Beef Pty Ltd, while Scott Grazing Company, sold 10 Red Angus heifers weighing 213kg at 515c/kg and $1099 to Dubbo, NSW.
A small run of bulls rounded out the sale with the top price of $1691 being achieved by a 356kg Santa Gertrudis bull from WK Coxon when it sold at 475c/kg.
An eastern feedlot buyer picked up three Murray Grey cross bulls weighing 291kg from WK Coxon at 555c/kg and $1613, as well as eight Angus cross averaging 326kg at 420c/kg and $1368 and four Murray Grey cross weighing 273kg at 545c/kg and $1488, with the two lines from AS & TA Vernon, Moora.
The top liveweight price of 590c/kg was for six Angus weighing 256kg from DM Williams, Geraldton, when they sold to FG & LV Venables to cost $1508.
WHAT THE AGENT SAID
ELDERS auctioneer Graeme Curry said numbers were slightly down due to rainfall events that had impacted northern and eastern areas in the past couple of weeks.
"There was a very good mix of local and pastoral cattle and the majority were in store condition," Mr Curry said.
"Quality black and reds sold very strongly while some of the pastoral cattle struggled a little bit as the demand from the South West hasn't been seen yet.
"The sale was well supported by feeders, live exporters and general local graziers with the overall average quite encouraging.
"Local feeder cattle sold very well and smaller, lightweight cattle sold extremely well with prices reaching 748c/kg.
"A few of the plainer, pastoral lines struggled for a bit of competition."
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