NUTRIEN Livestock's dairy origin and breeder store cattle sale produced mixed results in what was largely a buyers' market at Boyanup last week.
The sale was the first leg of Nutrien Livestock's two-day June Special store cattle sales with the South West team yarding almost smack on the advertised numbers of 1072 head of cattle.
The yarding was dominated by medium/heavyweight and young Friesian steers, with a quality run of first cross steers ranging from poddies to medium/heavyweights, all sold liveweight with a selection of first-cross heifers and decent numbers of mated cows and cow/calf units sold appraisal.
A feature was the annual offering of 38 commercial yearling Angus bulls from Hydillowah Angus, Hyden, to conclude proceedings in excellent fashion, with values reaching $10,500 twice.
The few pens of grown finished Friesian steers sold well to processors to $2131 and 346c/kg.
With numerous graziers not in the market, reduced demand for the big numbers of Friesian steers allowed buyers to be selective on their purchases, particularly on quality, with this market down on last month's sale, with some descriptions significantly discounted.
Medium to heavy first cross steers sold firm to top at $2131 and 674kg on quality, while cow/calf units were even on recent sales to $3950.
The sale kicked off with first-cross steers and values topped at $2131 for the third pen offered containing eight Angus-Friesian steers weighing 484kg offered by MK & RE Barnes and knocked down to Jacques Martinson, Elders Busselton, for 440c/kg.
One of two pens of Angus-Friesian steers to open the sale offered by V & G Ieraci & Sons sold for the next highest price of $2042 with the nine steers averaging 466kg, snapped up by Rob Gibbings, Elders Capel, for 438c/kg.
The sale's volume vendor was Gundagai Dairy, Boyanup, and included in their draft was 128 Angus-Friesian steers consisting of 14-month-old steers weighing from 352-433kg which sold to $2036 and 510c/kg and nine month old steers 229-273kg which topped at 674c/kg.
Nutrien Livestock, Bridgetown agent Ben Cooper sourced four pens of the heavier Gundagai Dairy steers paying the draft's top price of $2036 at 502c/kg for 10 averaging 406kg, while Nutrien Livestock Margaret River/Busselton agent Jock Embry also took a liking to them, sourcing six pens for three orders.
Nutrien Livestock Brunswick/Harvey agent Errol Gardiner bid the draft's 674c/kg top liveweight price for 12 steers weighing 229kg to cost $1542.
Armed with a poddy order, Phil Musitano, Brunswick, snapped up three consecutive pens of young Angus-Friesian steers paying to the sale's 864c/kg top liveweight price for 11 averaging 130kg offered by M Angi & Sons to cost $1162 and two pens of steers from JS Crimp & Co costing to 800c/kg and $1400 for five steers averaging 175kg.
The sale swung the corner to the dominant numbers of Friesian steers, starting with a draft of heavy-grown steers from Minninup Pastoral Company weighing from 654-741kg, with the heaviest pen of five topping at $2371 at 320c/kg, one of two pens knocked down to VA & MP Wright.
Greg Jones purchased the other two pens of steers for Western Meat Packers, paying to $2320 at 320c/kg for five steers weighing 725kg.
P & T Curulli's, Harvey, draft of Friesian steers topped the medium/heavyweight values at $1773 with nine averaging 507kg knocked to Nutrien Livestock, Waroona agent Richard Pollock for 350c/kg.
This was one of four pens he sourced for a grazier order including nine steers weighing 457kg from Nuwarine Equine's draft costing $1662 at 364c/kg.
Regular sale vendor NL & E Haddon, Busselton, trucked in 42 Friesian steers weighing from 427-458kg which sold to the next highest price of $1732 at 378c/kg for the draft's eight heaviest steers to P & TA Treasure which went on to collect the next three pens of Haddon steers.
Greycliffe Farm outlaid $1624 at 362c/kg for 10 Friesian steers averaging 449kg from V & G Ieraci & Sons, while Mr Jones snapped up two pens of the same description for another order, paying to $1634 at 364c/kg for 10 steers averaging 449kg from RL Britza's draft.
Mr Gardiner's name frequented the clerking sheets throughout the balance of the Friesian steer yarding with 20 pens of steers going to his clients paying to $1630 at 360c/kg for one of two pens from the Curulli's draft consisting of nine steers averaging 468kg.
Gundagai Dairy's significant draft of 135 Friesian poddies aged five months topped the section's liveweight values with a pen of 15 steers weighing 172kg, snapped up by DA & RE Runco.
Another larger draft of 65 Friesian steers was consigned by Stenelees Pastoral Company with Nutrien Livestock Southern cattle manager Bob Pumphrey paying its $1443 top price for 14 steers weighing 268kg, one of six pens of young steers for a grazier order.
It was then onto the breeder section of the sale starting with a short run of unjoined first cross heifers which topped at $1700 for 10 Angus-Friesian heifers from the draft of 26 heifers aged 16-18 months from B Brooksby and purchased by well-known producer of mated first cross heifers Bernard Ridley, BW & RB Ridley, Brunswick.
Mr Martinson paid $2350 for five Angus heifers running with an Angus bull from May 10 offered by L McKay & Son.
Cow/calf values topped at $3950 for a quality pen of six first calving Murray Grey cows with Murray Grey calves at foot (not rejoined) knocked down to Michael Lynch, Nutrien Livestock, Denmark, who also paid the next highest price of $3800 for four Angus cows and calves from DN Hyde.
A handy line of 10 second calving Angus cows PTIC to an Angus bull due to calve from July 6 for six weeks offered by Kelly-Brae sold to F & J Logrande for $3500.
JT & CA Warwick offered a draft of 38 mixed age Simmental/Angus cross cows PTIC to Red Angus and Angus bulls and due to calve July-September.
Wattle Brook Grazing Company paid $2050 for its three pens of five cows each, while Mr Pollock secured five pens for clients.
The fixture finished with 38 well-bred and presented young bulls from Hydillowah Angus which continues to attract a growing following every year.
A big crowd lined the rails to see a total clearance of the excellent quality draft of bulls with a strong Mordallup influence, selling to $10,500 on two occasions at an improved average of $7295, up $2295 from last year's sale.
Mr Pollock, Hydillowah's agent, said the presentation of the bulls was better every year which was reflected in the feedback from the large gallery of buyers and underbidders.
"Hydillowah's June sale is increasingly becoming a calendar event for producers looking for quality Angus bulls later in the year," he said.
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"The temperament of the bulls is a credit to the Hydillowah staff and a lot of people noted how settled the bulls were in their pens considering their amount of travel."
Mogale Pty Ltd paid top dollar from the outset for a 642 kilogram bull by a Thomas Up River bred sire Mordallup Yira Bilya P128 that scanned 39cm scrotal (SC).
First time buyer Kim Dunnet, OM Dunnet & Co, Nannup, paid the equal top price for the third bull offered, another Yira Bilya son weighing 616kg.
Mr Dunnet said they lost a couple of bulls during the first month of their joining period with the timing of the sale convenient for them.
He said the bull will go in with straightbred yearling Angus heifers.
"It was my pick of the sale team, good length, thickness and square hindquarter and out of Mordallup breeding," Mr Dunnet said.
Mr Pollock secured nine bulls for his clients paying to $10,000 for a 528kg son of Millah Murrah Paratrooper P15 (by EF Commando).
Return buyers the Quartermaine family, Ucarty Holdings, Dowerin, paid $9500 twice for Paratrooper sons in their team of three bulls.
Tom Page, Elders Geraldton, purchased five bulls for a client paying to $9000 for a 556kg Paratrooper son while a repeat buyer on AuctionsPlus, also collected four bulls at good value along with DD & EM Hutton with three bulls.
