Memorial sale PTIC Angus heifers top $3600

Prices hit a high of $3600 for PTIC Angus heifers while proven PTIC breeders sold to a high of $3300.

There was solid competition from the 37 registered buyers throughout which helped the Elders selling team, led by auctioneer Wayne Mitchell, clear all 341 females offered for an average of $2792.

Despite the average being back $355 on last year's record-breaking sale average of $3147 when the cattle market was at an all-time high, there were still plenty of smiles to be seen as buyers, vendors and agents left the yards.

Broken down the yarding included nine unjoined heifers that sold at $1550, 218 PTIC heifers which averaged $2925, while 108 second calvers through to mature females averaged $2641 and six cow and calf units averaged $2533.

The sale, which is named after former Elders Albany livestock agent and auctioneer Ray Norman, who lost his battle with cancer in 2018, not only gives producers with an opportunity to purchase quality replacement females, but it also provides an opportunity for the industry at the start of the sale to raise funds for the Albany Community Hospice.

This year the charity component of the auction consisted of three PTIC Angus heifers donated by A & G Perrella, Albany, Gatti Grazing, Albany and Merinvale Grazing, Redmond, along with nine unmated 2022-drop Angus heifers donated by an undisclosed Napier producer and one PTIC Angus second calver donated by Hillcrest Farms, Walpole.

All three PTIC heifers were purchased by regular supporters of the charity auction Ken and Angela Zambonetti, K & A Zambonetti, Napier, who bid the sale's $3600 top price, while the Hillcrest Farms' second calver sold for $3100 to AJ & SJ Frost, Narrikup.

The nine unmated heifers were knocked down at $1550 to Elders, Albany representative Jai Newman.

These sales along with another donation saw just under $30,000 raised for the Albany Community Hospice.

Like the charity pens, the rest of the females on offer also received good support from buyers.

Outside the charity pens the highest price paid was $3300 and it was achieved in both runs of PTIC heifers and the PTIC second and third calvers.

The PTIC heifers may have been offered second, but they made up the majority of the yarding.

Along with being the largest vendors in the run with 50 Angus heifers, Geoff and Margaret Davy, G & M Davy, Albany, also recorded the $3300 top price three times.

After purchasing heifers from the Davys last year Joshua Mead, Castleview Farm, Porongurup, buying through Elders, Albany agent Nigel Hawke, purchased two pens of Davys heifers which contained eight and six head at $3300.

The remaining heifers sold by the Davy family were all purchased by another return buyer H Wolfe & Co, Bornholm, paying $3300 for a pen of 10 as well as $3250 for two pens of six head and a pen of seven head and $3050 for a pen of seven.

All the heifers sold by the Davys were PTIC to low birthweight Coonamble Angus bulls and due February 25 to April 22.

Another to see good returns was ST Lonergan, which sold three pens of Gelbvieh-Angus heifers.

KR Beal, Torbay, paid $3250 for a pen of eight while EP & TJ Johnston, purchased a pen of six at $3250 and a pen of eight at $3000.

All three pens were PTIC to Lawsons Angus bulls and due to calve in March and April over an eight week window.

Youngs Siding-based O Moreth sold six pens of Angus heifers (46 head), which were all PTIC to Gandy and Ballawinna Angus bulls and due to calve from February 20 to April 30.

FDF Farming, Albany, purchased four of the pens (31 head) for between $2850 and $3050, while Mr Mead paid $2900 for eight and EP & TJ Johnston picked up seven at $2800.

Gatti Grazing and Roy Rural, Narrikup, also saw returns of more than $3000 for their heifers.

Gatti Grazing sold six at $3200 to MJE Grazing, Youngs Siding and six at $3000 to Mr Mead, while Roy Rural sold 10 to BI & SN Lynch at $3000.

Both lines were in calf to Ballawinna Angus bulls.

The Gatti heifers are due to calve from February 17 to May 20 while the Roy Rural heifers are due from April 23 for seven weeks.

NJ Skinner, Scenic View Grazing Co, Cranbrook, offered 40 May/June calving Ardcairnie and Koojan Hills blood Angus heifers which were in calf to Arkle Angus bulls and these sold between $2300 and $2700.

Hillsea Farm purchased six at $2700 while AJ & SJ Frost purchased a pen of six at $2550 and two pens of eight at $2500.

There was a good number of PTIC second and third calvers offered and they sold to a high of $3300.

In the second calvers it was a pen of seven Gelbvieh-Angus cross females from ST Lonergan, Youngs Siding, which made the $3300 top price when sold to Johnson Bros, Albany.

Johnson Bros also purchased a second pen of seven Gelbvieh-Angus second calvers from ST Lonergan at $3200.

Both pens of females were PTIC to Coonamble Angus bulls and due to calve in March and April for eight weeks.

SALE SUMMARY

The other major vendor of second calvers was the Young family, Hillcrest Farms, Walpole, who offered three pens of Angus females which were PTIC to Landfall and Te Mania Angus bulls and due to calve from February 20 to May 8.

Their best price was $3200 paid by BI & SN Lynch, Denbarker, for seven, while Mr Mead, purchased seven at $3100 and AJ & SJ Frost also bought seven at $3000.

Hillcrest Farms also sold two pens of Angus third calvers which were PTIC to Landfall and Te Mania Angus bulls and due to calve from February 20 to May 8.

The two pens, which contained seven and eight head, sold to Mr Mead, who was the day's volume buyer, at the $3300 top price.

Pardelup Prison Farm, Mt Barker, was the largest vendor in the mature cow offering with 47 Angus cows which were PTIC to Summit Gelbvieh bulls and due to calve from April 2 to May 6.

Its five pens sold between $1950 and $2200.

The $2200 priced pen which contained 10 females was purchased by David and Erin Hutton, D & E Hutton, Witchcliffe, who also purchased a second pen of seven from the offering at $2100.

The sale rounded out with a handful of cow and calf units and these topped at $2600 for three Angus units sold by AG & JC Murray and purchased by MJE Grazing.

What the agent said:

Elders, Albany livestock manager Wayne Mitchell said everyone was happy with the final sale result.

"Going into the sale the vendors were realistic with their pricing and in the end we achieved over and above their expectations which ensured a pleasing result," Mr Mitchell said.

"The females on offer presented well and were a credit to the vendors and it was good to see a good number of buyers on had to operate on the offering.

"The second and third calvers sold particularly well and the early calving heifers sold to solid demand from repeat buyers while a number of later calving heifers sold well to buyers who were looking to change calving patterns.

"Overall it was a good solid sale with both buyers and vendors walking away happy."