STRENGTHENED demand swung most sale indicators 90 degrees amid stronger results at the Nutrien Livestock store cattle sale at the Muchea Livestock Centre last Friday where beef cattle sold to 604 cents a kilogram and $2221.
Increased support from local and northern WA graziers with lotfeeder and Eastern States' competition, drove a much-improved market across most descriptions. with some sectors up by more than 100c/kg.
The beef store cattle market has felt the impact of uncertainty around processing and FMD in recent months, but the sale's solid results showed signs of positivity returning to the industry on the eve of what looks to be a favourable spring across large parts of the country.
The Nutrien Livestock team yarded slightly below advertised numbers in the company's third winter store sale for the season, with 985 local and pastoral store cattle penned.
The sale averaged $1138 across all weights and descriptions which was up by $122 compared to last month's overall sale average of $1016.
Forward condition quality 440kg yearling beef steers sold to a feeder/processor to $2221, while graziers bid to 604c/kg for lightweight 150kg beef steers.
A small yarding of yearling beef heifers topped at $1995 to a South Australian buyer for 430kg Euro cross heifers and a backgrounder/feeder paid to 510c/kg for light heifers of 215kg.
A good yarding of quality well-bred pastoral yearling milk-tooth steers appealed to feeders, selling to $1926 for 365kg steers and 554c/kg for 315kg steers.
Dominant numbers of pastoral heifers sold topped at $1575 and 470c/kg on quality to graziers for 280-345kg well-bred and presented milk-tooth yearling heifers.
Pastoral bulls were in short supply topping at $1321 for 345kg bulls with Euro influence, while a small run of PTIC plain condition pastoral heifers topped at $1152 and 335c/kg.
The sale kicked off with moderate numbers of local beef steers and featured a draft of Speckle Park and Speckle Park cross steers offered by Iain and Lucy Nicholson, New Norcia.
The well-bred, soft and forward condition yearling steers were by Kamarah Speckle Park bulls and deservingly topped the sale with Jono Green, Harvey Beef, paying $2221 at 502c/kg for six grey Speckle Park steers weighing 442kg.
A few pens earlier Mr Green paid $2106 at 482c/kg for a duo of grey Speckle Park steers weighing 437kg from the Nicholsons.
Other sales on the Harvey Beef account included two pens of well-bred Angus steers from the Dewar family's, Ardcairnie Angus stud, Guilderton, paying to $2163 at 520c/kg for four steers averaging 416kg.
An excellent draft of Angus-Droughtmaster milk-tooth yearling steers from Haseley Stud, Carnarvon, were penned up front of the local steer section, with Mr Green paying their $1956 top price for a line of nine steers weighing 382kg.
AMB Consolidated Pty Ltd topped the sale's liveweight values with four light Angus steers weighing 150kg, knocked down to Clint Fletcher, Elders Moora, for 604c/kg to cost $903.
Nutrien Livestock, Central Midlands and Wheatbelt representative Leno Vigolo was kept busy filling multiple orders, starting with several pens of local beef steers for a Three Springs client paying to $2106 and 520c/kg for Nicholson's Speckle Park steers.
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The sale's other prominent buyer Adam Becker, ABL and V&V Walsh, was armed with a significant eastern Wheatbelt feeder order and started with a handful of local lightweight beef steer pens paying to 600c/kg.
Mosterts Dairy Pty Ltd, Keysbrook, topped the limited numbers of beef heifers with a single 430kg Simmental cross heifer going to a South Australian buyer operating on AuctionsPlus.
This buyer collected a further four pens of heifers (three from Mostert Dairy), while Mr Becker paid the section's
510c/kg top liveweight price for six Angus heifers weighing 216kg from Leo's Livestock.
The pastoral origin section of the sale started with a run of steers headed by Haseley Stud with an excellent draft of well-bred Droughtmaster steers.
It topped the section's values for both parameters with the opening line of 12 steers averaging 365kg snapped up by Jamie Davies, Kalgrains, Wannamal, for 528c/kg to cost $1926, one of four pens of pastoral steers he acquired.
Mr Green paid the 554c/kg top liveweight price for the following large line of 19 steers weighing 316kg to cost $1753 before collecting another two pens of Haseley Stud steers including a line of 24.
Jimba Jimba station, Gascoyne Junction, offered a large draft of light to mediumweight Shorthorn steers.
Nutrien Livestock agent Simon Green purchased six pens on behalf of a local backgrounder, paying to the draft's top prices of $1326 and 484c/kg and Mr Vigolo sourced four pens for a backgrounder.
Pastoral heifers again dominated the yarding and featured some quality drafts including an extensive draft of mainly Charbray milk-tooth heifers from Mount Florance station, Tom Price.
Mr Becker tallied 11 pens of Mount Florance heifers, ranging from 220-353kg for his feeder order and paid the draft's $1469 top price for six heaviest heifers with a 416c/kg bid.
Mr Vigolo was prominent throughout the pastoral heifers and finished with 17 pens of Mount Florance heifers for four orders, 11 of which are heading to Toodyay, which topped the draft's liveweight values at 464c/kg for five heifers averaging 225kg to cost $1045.
However it was Haseley Stud's milk-tooth Droughtmaster heifers which recorded the section's top-price honours with Mr Vigolo paying $1576 at 456c/kg for 13 heifers averaging 346kg, while Mr Fletcher earlier bid 470c/kg for 17 heifers weighing 283kg to cost $1328.
Killara Pastoral Company, Killara station, Meekatharra, offered decent numbers of well-bred lightweight Santa Gertrudis heifers which sold to strong northern backgrounder enquiry, with Mr Vigolo paying their top prices of 442c/kg and $1260 for an even line of deep red heifers weighing 285kg.
Jimba Jimba station and Strelley Pastoral Company, Port Hedland, offered the balance of the pastoral heifer yarding, with graziers snapping up the mainly lightweight Shorthorn and Droughtmaster cross heifers at good value.
There was limited numbers of pastoral bulls yarded with Mount Florance station again heading values with a pen of seven Charbray bulls averaging 346kg purchased by Kevin Fowler for a Peel order at $1321 and 382c/kg.
Strelley Pastoral Company offered a majority of the bulls which topped at $1302 at 324c/kg for a single 402kg Droughtmaster bull snapped up by Mr Vigolo, while Mr Becker paid the section's 435c/kg top liveweight price for six light 151kg Shorthorn cross bulls for his feeder order.
A small run of PTIC pastoral heifers from Mardathuna Pastoral Company, Mardathuna station, Carnarvon, rounded out the sale, with Mr Green buying the first three pens of heifers in their first trimester paying to 335c/kg and $1152 for two Droughtmaster cross heifers averaging 344kg.
