IT might have been the smallest yarding the Nutrien Livestock team had presented in a store sale at the Muchea Livestock Centre in the past 12 months, but it didn't disappoint when it went under the hammer last Friday.
Strong competition across all the categories saw pastoral steer and heifers prices jump 20 to 30 cents a kilogram on recent sales at the venue, while local types also trended dearer.
All up just under 600 head were sold for an average of $1470 a head and 511c/kg.
The small run of local steers topped out at $2438 and 650c/kg, while a slightly larger offering of local heifers made up to $2158 and 580c/kg.
Pastoral steers were back in numbers compared to previous sales and peaked at $1956 and 612c/kg and bulls, both local and pastoral, sold to $1465 and 610c/kg.
Pastoral heifers made up the majority of the yarding and they were marketed either as pregnancy tested empty (PTE) or pregnancy tested in calf (PTIC).
The PTE lines sold up to $1707 and 534c/kg and PTIC drafts made to $1827 and 545c/kg.
The sale started on the run of 69 local steers and prices for these topped at $2438 for a pen of 12 Charolais steers weighing 381 kilograms from A & J Bennet, York, when it sold to Elders, Moora representative Clint Fletcher at 640c/kg.
Mr Fletcher also picked up seven Murray Greys weighing 312kg from Hillview Farming, Gingin, for the same buyer at 634c/kg and $1978.
Jamie Davies, Kalgrains, Wannamal, purchased two pens of local steers for more than $2000 paying $2291 and 548c/kg for six Charolais averaging 418kg from A & J Bennett and $2002 and 586c/kg for five Angus cross weighing 342kg from the Hamersely family, Haseley Stud, Boolathana and Wandagee stations, Carnarvon.
Harvey Beef was another buyer of local steers picking up two pens including 11 Angus weighing 317kg from SW Richards & Co, Warradarge, which sold for top cents per kilogram price in the run of 650c/kg.
Next up were the pastoral steers and in this section 78 head were offered with the majority from the Hamersely family, Haseley Stud.
The top price in the run was $1956 for five Droughtmasters averaging 340kg from the Haseley Stud when it sold at 576c/kg to Mr Fletcher.
Mr Fletcher also went to $1755 for six steers weighing 304kg from Couper Bros, Dowerin, when he had the final bid on them at 578c/kg.
Haseley Stud collected the top price double when it recorded the top liveweight price of 612c/kg bid by Harvey Beef for 18 Droughtmasters weighing 235kg.
Harvey Beef also went to 602c/kg for another pen of 18 Droughtmasters from Haseley Stud which weighed 276kg.
Just shy of 100 local heifers were offered and it was A & J Bennet that topped the prices in both dollars per head and cents per kilogram terms, when it sold a line of six Charolais averaging 372kg at 580c/kg to Mr Fletcher to cost this buyer $2158.
Mr Fletcher added to his order three Red Angus heifers weighing 341kg at 550c/kg and $1877 and two Murray Greys averaging 335kg at 544c/kg and $1822 from IJT & WL Claxon, Bullsbrook, as well as seven Angus cross weighing 313kg from Haseley Stud at 540c/kg and $1689.
SW Richards & Co saw returns of $1666 for eight 297kg Murray Greys and $1663 for seven 302kg Angus when they sold at 562c/kg and 550c/kg respectively to Produce Suppliers, while FG Gibson, Toodyay, collected $1658 for seven Angus weighing 296kg when they sold at 560c/kg to Mr Davies.
The biggest category in the sale was the run of 270 PTC pastoral heifers and these topped at $1707 and 534c/kg.
Recording top price double was a pen of 13 milk-tooth, Droughtmasters weighing 320kg from Hamersley station, Tom Price, when it sold to Mr Fletcher at 534c/kg and $1707.
Mr Fletcher also picked up 12 Droughtmaster averaging 314kg that still had their milk teeth from Hamersley station for $1662 and 530c/kg.
Nutrien Livestock, Pilbara and Gascoyne agent Shane Flemming was the most active buyer in the run, purchasing 94 head for Hyvale Farms, Jurien Bay, which intends to background the heifers before joining them.
Mr Flemming paid between $1195 and $1387 (436-482c/kg) for his selections which was made up of nine pens of Droughtmasters from Hamersely and Rocklea stations and one pen of Droughtmasters from Haseley Stud.
His purchases included 10 milk-tooth heifers weighing 289kg at $1387 and 480c/kg, 11 0-tooth heifers averaging 280kg at $1350 and 482c/kg and 15 0-tooth heifers weighing 286kg at $1352 and 472c/kg from Hamersley station plus seven weighing 280kg from Haseley Stud at $1323 and 472c/kg.
Power Feedlot Trust was another multiple pen buyer in the run, securing four pens of Droughtmasters (42 head), weighing between 268-314kg from Hamersely station for between $1308 and $1558 (474-496c/kg) and 13 Droughtmasters averaging 269kg from Haseley Stud at $1260 and 468c/kg.
SALE SUMMARY
- Local steers: 548-650c/kg ($1459-$2438)
- Pastoral steers: 500-612c/kg ($1206-$1956)
- Local heifers: 450-580c/kg ($706-$2158)
- PTE pastoral heifers: 400-534c/kg ($727-$1707)
- PTIC pastoral heifers: 415-545c/kg ($1242-$1827)
- Bulls (local and pastoral): 330-610c/kg ($842-$1465)
Also buying in the run was Kevin Fowler, who paid between $1147 and $1416 for four pens of Droughtmasters (28 head) weighing between 284-351kg from Hamersley and Rocklea stations.
When it came to the offering of PTIC pastoral heifers there were 46 heifers offered and these were of mainly Droughtmaster breeding and they were all from Hamersely and Rocklea stations.
They topped at $1827 for seven in their second trimester, when they sold at 505c/kg to Allen Bentham, Delaney Livestock Services, who was buying for KD Power Pastoral Co, Busselton.
Mr Bentham not only secured the top-priced pen for KD Power Pastoral Co, he also secured the majority of the other heifers sold in the run at between $1242 and $1743.
His other purchases included four weighing 420kg at $1743 and 415c/kg, eight averaging 326kg at $1725 and 530c/kg and seven weighing 314kg at $1571 and 500c/kg.
Mr Bentham's purchases also included the top liveweight price pen at 545c/kg when he bid this value for four heifers weighing 276kg.
The small run of bulls, which were a mix of local and pastoral types, sold to a high of $1465 for five Droughtmasters weighing 255kg from Haseley Stud when Graeme Brown bid 575c/kg for the pen.
Mr Brown also bid the 610c/kg liveweight price in the section for nine 150kg Droughtmasters and two 138kg Droughtmaster crosses to return $912 and $842 to Browne Livestock Contractors Pty Ltd, Namban.
Five 345kg bulls from IJT & WL Claxon made $1364 when they sold at 395c/kg to an AuctionsPlus buyer.
WHAT THE AGENT SAID
NUTRIEN Livestock auctioneer and Dandaragan agent Brad Keevers said it was a strong sale throughout all descriptions.
"The few local steers penned were fully firm to trending dearer while the young local heifers were fully firm to dearer compared to our last sale," Mr Keevers said.
"The number of pastoral steers was down due to a slow start in mustering, but buyers were keen to secure any well-bred lots on offer and as a result pastoral steers were 20-30c/kg dearer than recent sales at the venue.
"The pastoral heifers on offer were of very good quality and met strong competition from both local and online buyers.
"They were up 20-30c/kg on recent sales also across both the PTE and PTIC lines."
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