SEVERAL volume buyers ensured the Nutrien Livestock store cattle sale at Boyanup last week was a success, with 1374 cattle penned for buyers' perusal.
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Some large lotfeeders were absent but extra support from AuctionsPlus and local stock agents filled the gap admirably.
Beef steers sold to $2097 and 642c/kg on the lighter cattle to be up a little on the previous store sale in liveweight values, with some outstanding weaners offered.
Beef heifers topped at $1888 and 562c/kg, but buyers were selective on quality and bloodlines for the higher-priced animals.
Some excellent beef cross steers sold to $2091 and 580c/kg to be back a little in gross but up by 70c/kg liveweight, indicating a weight difference between the two sales assessed.
Friesian steers dropped in both price and c/kg, but this was not due to a lower quality as some very good steers were offered.
Only two pens of Friesian poddies less than 220kg were offered with these back considerably to top at $782 and 364c/kg, partly quality driven.
Just two pens of first cross heifers were sold to reach $1320, while very light conditioned cows and calves reached $2600.
The sale overall averaged $1622 to be back around $50 on the company's previous sale.
Pearce Watling, Elders Donnybrook, helped the sale to a strong start by paying the top beef price of $2097 for six Angus steers weighing 582kg at 360c/kg with the vendor GL Langley.
Mr Watling also paid $2085 at 344c/kg for another four Langley steers weighing 606kg.
Harvey Beef again secured some of the heavier steers, starting with eight sold by KL & SA Payne with the 476kg steers selling at 414c/kg to cost $1974.
Jock Embry, Nutrien Livestock, Margaret River, started his run to be the volume buyer on the day buying 39 pens for different clients.
The first pen of eight Payne steers weighing 456kg sold for 448c/kg to cost $2055, with the next eight costing Mr Embry $2061 when the 458kg sold at 450c/kg.
The last pen of these steers weighing 449kg stayed with their mates when Mr Embry outlaid $2066 at 460c/kg.
The Logrande Trust, Harvey, saw its pen of seven steers weighing 436kg go to Harvey Beef at 436c/kg to return $1902.
Mr Embry managed to buy the first and last of the excellent calves from RH Omedei & Sons, Eastbrook, paying $1946 at 450c/kg for the first pen and $1803 at 514c/kg for steers weighing 350kg.
AuctionsPlus purchased 23 pens at the sale including the other five pens of Omedei calves, all containing 10 steers in each.
These sold from $1847 to $1946 and 450c/kg to 496c/kg.
Presenting numbers was Mogale Pty Ltd, Bridgetown, who sold several pens of Angus calves to $1940 when AuctionsPlus bid to 478c/kg for the 406kg cattle.
Several pens of quality Angus from G Tassos & Co, Bridgetown, sold consistently to top at $1835 when nine steers weighing 351kg sold at 522c/kg to AuctionsPlus.
Lightweight calves from P & S Barbetti, Waterloo, took top price of 642c/kg with a pen of Angus weighing 253kg bought for KL & SA Payne at $1629, their best result.
A pen of 10 Angus heifers from JP & LJ Andony weighing 366kg topped the young females at $1888 when Jamie Abbs, Nutrien Livestock, Boyup Brook, bid to 516c/kg for the future breeders.
Mr Watling paid $1860 at 548c/kg for 11 weighing 339kg from Mogale Pty Ltd, followed by Errol Gardiner, Nutrien Livestock, Brunswick, outlaying the top of 562c/kg for another 11 of the Mogale heifers costing $1834, before adding another four pens from this vendor.
Rob Gibbings, Elders Capel, was unbeatable on the first eight pens of beef cross steers, including the top price of $2091 for seven weighing 633kg at 320c/kg from
B Versaci, with another seven costing $1926.
Four weighing 618kg cost Mr Gibbings $1980 and 320c/kg from H & C Royendyk, while seven offered by Riverton Farms sold at $1823 when the 600kg steers sold at 300c/kg.
Mr Gibbings went on to pay $2050 at 322c/kg for steers weighing 636kg sold by Braes O'Gleniffer, Donnybrook, as well as several other lines from this vendor costing more than $1900.
The top of 580c/kg was paid for Hereford cross steers of poddy weight at 213kg sold by GR & SA Rowe, also bought by Mr Gibbings for $1238.
Heavy Friesian steers lacked nothing in quality but buyers are reticent to buy approaching summer.
The top of $1811 went to five steers weighing 666kg from GA Cavallo in their first pen bought by Mr Embry at 272c/kg.
Most of the heavy dairy steers were bought by Mr Embry, Mr Gardiner and Mr Abbs in supporting company clients.
The exception was Neville Foster, FJ Foster & Sons, Cowaramup, who bought several pens to $1720 when buying five steers sold by K & M Taylor, Capel, at 318c/kg.
Steers weighing 486kg sold by DE & CP Payne, Nillup, topped at $1712, to Mr Embry, with another pen bought by David Lofthouse for $1631 at 366c/kg.
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Mr Embry later added the top price of 420c/kg paid for 13 steers weighing 271kg from GR & SA Rowe that cost $1140.
Regular sellers of quality dairy steers, NL & E Haddon, Yoongarillup, had several pens of lighter weight Friesians which topped at $1424 when bought by Mr Abbs. The top poddies weighing 215kg from Kimlie Pty Ltd sold to Austin Gerhardy, Nutrien Livestock, Manjimup, for $782.
Unmated first cross heifers reached $1320 bought by a South West grazier, with these sold account Casad Pty Ltd.
Three pens of cows and calves from Old Man River were all plain and lightweights with small calves at foot, topping at $2600, bought by K Prowse, Capel.
What the agent said:
NUTRIEN Livestock auctioneer and Capel agent Chris Waddingham said this month's sale comprised of an excellent quality offering.
"As has been the case for the past three to four weeks, the market continued to soften across all classes," Mr Waddingham said.
"Feedlot enquiry was minimal with most of the new season calves on offer unweaned.
"Restockers are limited in the current market as they haven't been able to sell all this year's yearling cattle.
"Grown and younger Friesian steers also had reduced enquiry and values softened accordingly."
