Beef steers sell to $2645 at Nutrien Livestock's Boyanup store cattle sale

SLIGHTLY more than advertised numbers of 1500 head saw 1529 cattle presented for buyers' competition at the Nutrien Livestock store cattle sale at Boyanup on May 6.

A great selection of all types was penned, resulting in strong competition through to the end of the sale.

Comparison with the company's April sale makes interesting reading and dispels pessimists' views that values are slipping.

This month's sale numbers compares with the 1546 cattle in April with average weights of 316.7kg and 317kg respectively and sale average price identical for both sales at $1770.

Beef steers topped at $2645 and 738c/kg, compared to $2471 and 694c/kg in April.

Beef heifers were a highlight of the fixture, topping at $2638 and 738c/kg also, a massive lift compared to 576c/kg in April.

This result was due to an excellent run of Angus heifers from Esperance that saw the seven pens all make more than $2600 to the one buyer.

Friesian steers returned a creditable top price of $2061 and 614c/kg, up from April's top of 588c/kg.

Friesian poddies sold consistently to reach $1278 and 672c/kg.

Several pens of bucket-reared first cross heifers sold up to $1500, with few, if any of these growthy enough for mating in 2022.

Two pens of mated cows both sold for $2500, while cows and calves were pushed to $4200 at the top end.

The usual gallery of buyers dominated the clerking sheets, with AuctionsPlus more active than recent sales, buying numerous pens for Princess Royal Trading, South Australia.

Included in this was the top priced-pen of six Limousin cross steers weighing 460kg from SA & SM Oates, Busselton, selling for $2645 and 574c/kg.

Close second went to a large line of 16 Hereford steers weighing 572kg from SF Talbot that were bought by Harvey Beef for $2616 and 572c/kg.

Two Charolais steers sold account F Grantham & Sons were the only other line of steers to top $2600 when AuctionsPlus paid $2602 and 518c/kg for the 502kg steers.

The first of the Bancell Falls steers were seven Angus making $2471 at 558c/kg when bought by AuctionsPlus.

Later another 15 weighing 429kg went to Richard Pollock, Nutrien Livestock, Waroona, paying $2515 at 586c/kg for the 429kg steers.

John Gallop, buying for O'Meehan & Co, put together several pens of suitable weight cattle, paying to $2291 in the early run for seven weighing 347kg from Jay C Higgins at 660c/kg.

Welldon Beef, Williams, secured numerous pens for the feedlot, starting with eight Angus weighing 385kg from Illginup Farms Wonnerup, costing $2317 at 605c/kg.

Three steers of 403kg from G R & LC Christian, Treeton, joined the cattle for Princess Royal when they made $2355 at 584c/kg.

The vendor with most cattle for sale was DW & MJ Rees, Collie, adding the sale's top price of 738c/kg to their excellent result with the 12 steers weighing 203kg going to Mifflin Farms.

The early pens of beef heifers were snapped up for Princess Royal with the first five lots heading east with the top price of $1966 paid for six Charolais from F Grantham & Sons.

The sale lifted several notches when the seven pens of Angus heifers from Willawayup Farms, Esperance, were offered.

Most lines contained 12 head with the top pen making $2638, while the lightest line weighing 352kg topped at 738c/kg to sell for $2600.

Ben Cooper, Nutrien Livestock, Bridgetown, had the buying order for a Nannup client and purchased all seven pens.

The beef cross steers were mainly not much above poddie size but the first pen weighing 476kg from A Figliomeno topped at $2143 and 450c/kg.

Weighing 202kg, 14 steers from Evans Dairy, Vasse, sold to Elders Busselton at the top price of 694c/kg.

The top price paid in the Friesian steers was $2061 when the steers weighing 528kg from G I Mercuri made 390c/kg, bought for RW & BM Webster, Cowaramup.

R & C Italiano saw their eight steers weighing 512kg join those at $2060 and 402c/kg.

A grazier to buy a number of pens was Lexden Park, Capel, paying to $1745 for 10 from VR Pitter, Waroona, weighing 310kg at 562c/kg.

The top liveweight price went to 14 weighing 235kg when bought by Ralph Mosca, Nutrien Livestock, Peel, at 614c/kg to cost $1447.

The heavy end of the dairy poddies reached $1278 for 13 sold by Evans Dairy and bought by Bob Pumphrey, Nutrien Livestock, Albany.

Errol Gardiner, Nutrien Livestock, Brunswick/Harvey, paid the top of 672c/kg for 12 weighing 163kg from TD & JD Norton.

The volume buyer was again Mr Pollock who buys all types at store sales.

The top of $1500 in the first cross heifers was paid for 13 Evans Dairy Angus cross bought by Mr Gardiner.

Another 15 of these went to Mr Pumphrey at $1400.

The Rees offered two pens of mated cows, due to calve from July, with both pens going to RJ & MLK Della Sale, Mullalyup, for $2500.

The top cow and calf units were nine sold by WillowBank Agistment bought by Jamie Abbs, Nutrien Livestock, Boyup Brook, at $4200.

A single Murray Grey unit from MV & CJ Harnett went to the bid of Oaklands Farm at $3400 while five Friesian cows sold by F Slee & Son, Busselton, were bought by Mr Pollock at $2950.

WHAT THE AGENT SAID

NUTRIEN Livestock auctioneer and Capel agent Chris Waddingham said "heavy beef steers were keenly sought after and lighter steers were met with strong competition, primarily from lotfeeders," Mr Waddingham said.

"The beef heifer offering was mixed in quality and buyers were selective across this category.

"A highlight of the sale was the draft of unmated Angus heifers which sold to one buyer for future breeders.

"These sold from 696-738c/kg to equate to $2616.

"Heavy Friesian steers were of good quality however competition was varied and selective.

"Poddies were in light supply, however a high quality offering of 12-18 month-old steers sold to a strong gallery of buyers.

"Cows and calves were also in strong demand."