GLOOMY grey skies didn't seem to deter cattle buyers from an afternoon of strong bidding on the first day of the Elders June Special Super Store cattle sale at Boyanup last Wednesday.
Easing rain as the sale started encouraged buyers and onlookers to take to the rails as the sale progressed and bid up.
In the sale, the Elders South West livestock team yarded a total of 844 head of cattle which was made up of predominantly beef steers and heifers.
Strong buying support from both lotfeeders and graziers helped the sale average an impressive $1796.
The spread of buyers at the sale consisted of both local and interstate buyers, who were able to purchase quality cattle which suited their needs, and there was also strong local agent support present throughout the sale.
The sale got off to a strong start with a good run of Angus steers, with Harvey Beef a dominant buyer of these pens.
Harvey Beef buyer Campbell Nettleton secured multiple pens of steers early in the sale including the day's $2731 top-priced pen.
Mr Nettleton went to $2731 and 572 cents per kilogram for two Angus steers weighing 478 kilograms from K & AL Payne, Boyanup.
The first three pens of Angus steers were all sold by Baypoint Holdings Pty Ltd.
Its first pen of steers averaging at 488kg also headed to Harvey Beef at 538c/kg for $2623.
A pen of five Angus cross steers from Millview Grazing, Coolup, came in at an average weight of 474kg and sold for a competitive price of $2664 to Harvey Beef.
Graham Brown was a strong buyer right through the sale for multiple local and interstate accounts.
Included in Mr Brown's purchases were five Angus steers averaging 436kg from Baypoint Holdings Pty Ltd at $2442 and a pen of 13 Gelbvieh cross steers weighing 391kg, with both headed to Princess Royal Trading, South Australia.
Elders, Capel representative Rob Gibbings had a big impact on the result, securing a number of cattle for clients on the day, including for a Great Southern lotfeeder.
This client purchased nine Angus steers weighing 312kg from FG & LV Venables, Harvey/Yarloop, at $2036 and five Murray Grey steers averaging 317kg from RE & LM Clarke, Waterloo, at $2073.
Mr Gibbings included a pen of eight Shorthorn steers with an average weight of 421kg and sold for $2027, as well as a number of Angus steers, to his order.
A pen of 10 Shorthorn steers averaging 392kg went to a Wheatbelt feedlot when Elders, Boyanup representative Alex Roberts bid to $2357 and 602c/kg for the steers from Tara Grazing, Boyup Brook.
Alcoa Farmlands, Pinjarra/Wagerup, sold three pens of Angus steers, all with 11 steers in each weighing between 313kg and 328kg, for between $2064 and $2130 to Rodney Galati, who was buying for a Myalup enterprise.
Williams lotfeeder Gordon Atwell, Welldon Beef, bought five pens of steers throughout the afternoon which included a mix of Angus, Angus cross and Murray Grey steers.
Mr Atwells's top bid was $2509 for 19 Angus steers weighing 406kg from P & F Giadresco & Sons, Stratham/Lake Muir.
The top liveweight price was 714c/kg and it was bid by Elders Brunswick/Harvey agent Craig Martin, twice.
Mr Martin bid this value for three Murray Grey steers from JK & SJ Gleeson, Manjimup, weighing 227kg and three Angus cross steers from Telarah Farms, Roelands, averaging 237kg.
A major vendor in the steer run was Bonza Farm & Yallalong Station.
It offered seven pens of lightweight Angus cross steers that ranged from 150-254kg and sold for between 530-612kg.
Its top price was $1556 for 14 Angus steers averaging 254c/kg.
Mr Gibbings was a multiple pen buyer of the Bonza Farm & Yallalong Station's steers purchasing 14 Angus cross weighing 209kg for $1116 at 534c/kg and 15 Angus cross steers averaging 212kg for $1144 at 540c/kg.
Prices were just as strong on the heifer offering with prices topping at $2310 for a pen of five Angus heifers weighing 423kg from EL Simpson & RS Simpson, Coolup, when it sold at 546c/kg to Semini Enterprises, Cowaramup.
After buying numerous pens of steers, Harvey Beef was also active in the heifer offering including in its purchases a pen of five Limousin cross heifers weighing 374kg from KS & EN Roberts & Sons, Elgin, that sold at $2154 as well as 11 Angus cross averaging 348kg from RW Bevan, Manjimup at $1950 and 560c/kg.
Among the heifers were another three relatively heavyweight Angus pens weighing 285-353kg from RM Bevan and these went on to reach prices of $1647-$2125.
Mr Brown was back at it again in the heifer run after his steer purchases earlier on in the sale.
He was one of the dominant buyers in the heifer offering purchasing nine pens containing Angus, Red Angus, Angus cross, Hereford and Murray Grey heifers for Princess Royal Trading.
Mr Brown paid to a top of $2105 for three Angus heifers averaging 403kg from vendor M & L Herceg, Manjimup, as well as $1784 for five Murray Greys from Karri Hill Meadow Pty Ltd and $1628 for five Red Angus averaging 383kg from GD Fee & Sons.
Westcoast Wool & Livestock representative Clint Wardle purchased three pens of Angus heifers in a row from Devereaux Corporation Pty Ltd, which included the 632c/kg top-priced liveweight pen that contained 14 heifers weighing 214kg to cost him $1395.
Mr Wardle also bid to 624c/kg for one of the pens that contained 11 averaging 203kg.
What the agent said:
ELDERS auctioneer and Donnybrook representative Pearce Watling said there was a large buying fraternity at the day one feature beef sale.
"Beef bred steers and heifers met strong competition," Mr Watling said.
"Heavyweight beef steers sold 20-30c/kg dearer than the previous market and lighter weight steers met strong demand from backgrounders and local graziers.
"Heifers also met strong competition from lotfeeders, backgrounders and exporters."
