A QUALITY yarding of cattle continued store cattle's resurgent trend in values at the Nutrien Livestock monthly store cattle sale at the Muchea Livestock Centre.
The Nutrien Livestock selling team yarded very similar numbers to last month's sale with 1452 local and pastoral origin/breed store cattle penned.
Like the previous fixture, a full cross section of the State's industry buyers were represented and competed strongly with increased demand from Eastern States' feeders and graziers, operating through AuctionsPlus and buyer representation at the sale.
Interfaced through AuctionsPlus, the platform received 1352 catalogue views which yielded 209 online bids from two active buyers with 19 lots sold online.
At the completion of selling, Nutrien Livestock auctioneer Brad Keevers had recorded an improved overall average of $1466, up $197 on last month's average of $1269 from a yarding of 1550 cattle.
Local yearling beef steers topped the sale at $2515 for heavy 590 kilogram plus Angus steers to feeders and 540c/kg liveweight for 290kg European breed infused milk-tooth steers to backgrounders.
Local yearling beef heifer values peaked at $2127 for 500kg Angus types to feeders with future breeder Speckle Park heifers topping at 568c/kg liveweight.
Quality pastoral bred cattle with strong local content sold with local descriptions to $2025 for 420kg weight steers and $1917 for 380kg heifers, both to feeders.
Pastoral steers topped at $2138 to feeders but a large feature draft of Braford yearlings sold to feeders and backgrounders from $1964 and 530c/kg for steers and $1453 and 465c/kg for heifers with weights ranging from 200kg to 415kg across the 400-strong draft.
A selection of pastoral bred Angus cross PTIC heifers sold strongly to $2192.
Several live export orders competed on 250kg plus bulls, paying to $1824 for locals and $1559 for pastorals while graziers/backgrounders bid to 640c/kg and 502c/kg for light local and pastoral bulls respectively.
Following a moment of reflection to honour the recent passing of well-known and respected pastoral stock agent Todd Walsh, Mr Keevers got the sale underway on the run of local steers.
Two South Australian (SA) orders overseen by Graham Brown and Dean Ryan, Central StockCare (CSC), dominated the clerking sheets in this category combining for 22 pens of steers heading across the Nullarbor.
Mr Brown snapped up the first eight pens of heavier steers at the top of the market paying to the sale's top price of $2515 at 422c/kg for a marked out 596kg Angus cross yearling steer offered by C & G Brocklehurst, Bindoon.
Mr Brown's other high prices included another single 606kg Angus yearling steer from Yiragan Grazing, Toodyay, costing $2388 at 394c/kg and an excellent line of eight Angus yearling steers averaging 524kg offered by JR, LH & JJ Sweet, Mount Helena, for $2358 and 450c/kg and nine weighing 508kg from NL & C Fewster, Chittering, at $2345 and 462c/kg.
Haseley stud, Boolathana and Wandagee stations, Carnarvon, offered a quality draft of Angus-Droughtmaster yearlings with Mr Brown paying the draft's $2025 top price for 15 steers weighing 424kg at 478c/kg.
Mr Ryan was the sale's most prominent buyer and represented almost a third of the total yarding for his own Central Stockcare, SA and live export orders.
He collected all the Tunney Cattle Company, Dongara, steer draft weighing 295-330kg mostly for SA at top liveweight values including the 540c/kg top price for seven Charolais cross weighing 295kg to cost $1591.
Pastoral breed and origin steer values topped at $2138 for four Droughtmaster cross steers tipping the scales at 473kg, presented by the Fewsters knocked down to Mr Brown's SA order at 452c/kg.
The Glenn family, Ashburton Downs station, Paraburdoo, was the sale's volume vendor with an outstanding draft of 400 well-bred and mouthed milk-tooth Braford yearling steers and heifers.
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Mr Ryan secured numerous pens of the Ashburton Downs steers paying to $1964 for 18 Braford steers averaging 418kg to bidding 470c/kg.
Nutrien Livestock pastoral agent Daniel Wood handling an eastern Wheatbelt lotfeeder order collected a couple of Braford steer pens paying to $1887 at 516c/kg for a large line of 48 steers averaging 366kg.
Nutrien Livestock agent and sale co-ordinator Simon Green paid the section's 530c/kg top liveweight price on behalf of a Gingin grazier for 23 Braford steers averaging 309kg to cost $1637.
A SA buyer on AuctionsPlus found value in the large draft of Shorthorn cross steers offered by Clare Downs, Wiluna, and was successful on four pens.
The sale turned the corner for the line-up of heifers with the Fewster name again featuring among the top local values peaking at $2127 for a heavier marked out 504kg Angus heifer knocked down to Mr Brown's SA order at 422c/kg and the opening pen of three Murray Grey cross heifers weighing 523kg costing $2041 at 390c/kg.
Gingin Brook Cattle Company's run of beef heifers sold well with Mr Brown's SA order securing a couple of pens paying to $2114 at 456c/kg for four Murray Grey cross heifers weighing 464kg.
An outstanding draft of 39 yearling Speckle Park heifers were offered by GW & NL Thomas, Tungamah stud, Gingin, which appealed to the online SA buyer who claimed five pens at strong liveweight values topping at 560c/kg for four heifers averaging 285kg to cost $1596.
Adam Becker, ABL, snapped up two pens of the Tungamah heifers for an order likely as future breeders at the draft's top prices including the section's 568c/kg top liveweight value for a draft of eight heifers averaging 329kg to cost $1794.
SL & ME Cockram's, Gingin, consignment of 66 Gelbvieh and Simmental cross heifers was cleaned out by the SA buyer on AuctionsPlus paying to 526c/kg and $1699 while Mr Ryan paid Haseley stud draft's $1917 top heifer price at 498c/kg for 24 Angus cross heifers averaging 385kg for CSC with Mr Wood claiming three pens of Haseley heifers for the same lotfeeder account.
Ashburton Down's large draft of baldy Braford heifers was quite a sight and headed the pastoral heifer run with values topping at $1453 from the outset for 10 averaging 339kg knocked down to Jono Green, Harvey Beef, for 428c/kg.
Mr Becker purchased a couple of pens of Braford heifers for an eastern Wheatbelt backgrounder/feeder paying the section's 465c/kg top liveweight price for 22 weighing 204kg to cost $948.
Mr Brown accounted for 18 pens of pastoral heifers for a live export and New South Wales order including six pens from Ashburton Downs and the entire draft of Shorthorn and Droughtmaster cross heifers offered by Willbanj Holdings, Beermullah.
The Cockram's selection of local bulls topped the section's values at $1824 for two Gelbvieh bulls averaging 493kg knocked down to Mr Ryan for live export for 370c/kg, one of 13 pens of local bulls going to this account.
A draft of 80 Hereford weaner bulls offered by FA Grigson, Jurien Bay, also sold well with Mr Green paying the section's 640c/kg top liveweight price for 17 light bulls averaging 178kg on behalf of a Coolup grazier.
Mr Ryan was also strong on the line-up of pastoral bulls cleaning out Middalya station's, Carnarvon, draft of 88 Droughtmaster bulls paying the section's $1559 top price for two bulls weighing 336kg at 464c/kg.
The 502c/kg top liveweight price was paid by Mr Brown's NSW order for 19 red Shorthorn cross bull weaners offered by Bulloo Downs Trust, Newman/Gillingarra, to cost $1173.
Haseley stud rounded out the sale with a quality selection of PTIC Angus-Droughtmaster heifers which sold strongly to local graziers.
The $2192 top price was paid by Leno Vigolo, Nutrien Livestock, Central Midlands and Wheatbelt, representing a Regans Ford account, for a single heifer which topped up the 19 PTIC heifers in their first and second trimesters purchased earlier from $2031 and $2173
Mr Wood bid the 588c/kg top liveweight value for six heifers in their second trimester.
