YOUNG future breeding heifers stole the show, selling to $2090 at the 31st annual Independent Rural Agents Pemberton Elite Weaner, Vealer and Breeder sale on AuctionsPlus last week.
Vendors and buyers joined IRA Pemberton principals Colin and Kerry Thexton and their family at the Pemberton Sportsground to watch the sale live on big screens where an outstanding catalogue of almost 2500 cattle was offered.
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After more than two hours of online bidding, the sale saw 63 lots of cattle sold to gross $3,343,958 at an impressive overall average of $1839 onfarm across all weights and descriptions.
With the beef market tempering from this time last year, values were back $316 on overall average from their record-breaking heights reached at last year's sale.
But interestingly they were still considerably up by $386 on the 2020 IRA sale overall average of $1453.
The sale attracted 2600 catalogue views seeing 83 buyers logged into the sale at the Pemberton Sportsground, WA, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland and a further 84 viewers watching the auction online.
This resulted in 486 bids from online buyers with cattle remaining locally and heading to new homes across the Nullarbor to New South Wales and Queensland.
The IRA sale is Australia's longest running online cattle sale and with the catalogue representing about 95 per cent Lawsons Angus breeding, it is also the country's largest offering of commercial Lawsons Angus cattle.
Mr Thexton said it was an outstanding result given the market has softened from the highs of last year.
"I know how tough it is out there at the moment so I was wrapped to get this sort of money onfarm with cattle going all over Australia," Mr Thexton said.
"The results are testament to the sale vendors' disciplined approach to their breeding.
"There was strong interest from Eastern States buyers who are attracted to these cattle because of the genetic merit of the carcases these cattle will produce.
"The lighter end of the steers didn't quite meet expectation this sale but the beauty of this system is they remain in the paddock with plenty of feed around for vendors to run on to slightly heavier weights for later resale."
The buying contingent was made up of WA and Eastern States' feeders, South West graziers and processors and local trade.
Beef steer weaners topped at $2055 to feeders and 539.5c/kg liveweight to graziers but it was their female counterparts which stole top young cattle price honours, with strong South West grazier demand pushing heifer values to $2090 and 609.8c/kg.
PTIC Angus heifers sold to $3200, PTIC cows made $2825 and heavy processing cows made 495c/kg.
Weaner steers
A few lines of heavier steers which have remained on mum, headed the sale and all sold to a local feeder who secured numerous pens of the heavier steers at the top of the market.
Original sale vendor G & B Bendotti, Pemberton, topped the sale's steer values with the heaviest draft of 79 Angus steers averaging 454.5kg selling to a WA feeder for $2055 at 452.2c/kg (liveweight).
R & M Humphrey, Quinninup, sold 27 Angus steers weighing 429.1kg to the next highest price of $1930 at 449.8c/kg, while BJ & KA Hulcup, also of Quinninup, sold 33 Angus steers averaging 422.1kg for $1900 at 450.1c/kg.
DW & MA Radomiljac, Pemberton, topped the weaned steer values at $1915 with 29 Angus steers averaging 407.7kg also going to the same lotfeeder at 469.7c/kg.
The Bendotti's draft of 42 Angus steer weaners averaging 391.5kg returned $1910 at 487.9c/kg, while JCC Love Family Trust, Northcliffe, received $1900 at 499.2c/kg for 81 Angus steers averaging 380.6c/kg and the next highest price of $1890 was shared by PW & SM Barnsby, Pemberton and JS & EN Bagshaw, Boyup Brook.
The Barnsby's 32 Angus steers averaging 388.9kg sold for 486c/kg, while the Bagshaw's big draft of 110 Angus steers weighing 364.3kg made 518.8c/kg.
Liveweight steer prices topped at 539.5c/kg ($1665) for a younger line of 20 Angus steers averaging 308.6kg offered by DA Macdonald & CM Iversen, Northcliffe.
Henderson Glendale, Mayanup, received 538c/kg and $1650 for 18 Angus steers weighing 306.7kg, while Collins Brothers Grazing, Pemberton, sold 50 Angus steers averaging 312.8kg for 537.1c/kg at $1680.
Weaner heifers
The Bendotti's heifers also sold at the top of the market with 15 Angus heifer weaners averaging 379.9kg selling to a well-known South West grazier to be joined for $2090 at 550.1c/kg, along with a further 15 heifers weighing 369.2kg for $2035 at 551.2c/kg.
A line of 30 Angus heifers weighing 357.4kg from the Humphrey draft sold to a Southern grazier for $1990 at 550.1c/kg.
The Radomiljac's line of 18 Angus heifers went to another South West grazier at $1980 at 535.1c/kg as did Balingup graziers MR & EM Walker's line of nine Angus heifers for $1980 at 530c/kg.
The same South West buyer paid the second top liveweight price of 609.2c/kg for 22 Angus heifers averaging 312.7kg to cost $1905 also from the Walkers.
Top liveweight price honours of 617.7c/kg went to 33 Angus heifers averaging 291.4kg from JCC Family Trust to return $1800, while Collins Brothers Grazing's line of 22 Angus heifers weighing 317.5kg made the next highest price of 592.1c/kg to cost $1880.
Breeding Females
Avago Grazing sold a line of 20 PTIC Angus heifers for $3200.
The heifers are due to calve to Lawsons Angus bulls from March 11 to April 30.
The Barnsby family sold 18 PTIC rising 5th and 6th calving Angus cows due to calve to Lawsons Angus bulls from January 20 for eight weeks for $2825.
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