QUALITY proved the cornerstone to a firm even market throughout at the Nutrien Livestock Weaner and Breeder Cattle Sale at the Muchea Livestock Centre,
The 'Black Friday' sale featured mostly Angus weaners in the yarding of 1700 local beef cattle and along with a selection of other British and European breed weaners (all weaned for a minimum of 10 days), and was widely touted as one of the best, even quality yardings of cattle seen at the venue.
Lotfeeders, grass fatteners, backgrounders and restockers with strong representation from agents bid consistently throughout the sale and while it was interfaced on AuctionsPlus with online interest, it yielded no buying activity.
The sale also hosted two genuine herd dispersals which saw strong interest from restockers and continued the strong recent market trend throughout WA for quality breeding females.
In the Angus line-up light weaner steers (200-280kg) sold to 484c/kg, steers (281-330kg) also to 484c/kg, steers (331-380kg) to 468c/kg and heavier steers (381-420kg) to 450c/kg, while Angus weaner heifers of the same weight categories topped at 402c/kg, 440c/kg, 420c/kg and 414c/kg respectively.
The line-up of weaners of other beef breeds saw steer values reach 430c/kg, 444c/kg, 448c/kg and 444c/kg from light to heaviest weight categories as above and heifers 420c/kg, 410c/kg and 422c/kg with no heavier heifers in this section penned.
The two herd dispersals saw PTIC females sell to $3250 and cows and calves to $2200, however values ranged widely depending on age and quality.
The sale opened with the 'Black Friday' yarding of Angus steers and heifers with steer values topping at $1839 for seven Angus steers weighing 416kg offered by Tebco Enterprise Pty Ltd, Dongara, knocked down to Jono Green, Harvey Beef, for 442c/kg.
Mr Green purchased 15 pens of Angus steers mostly in the mediumweight weight range including the three pens of Angus steers from the Walton Family Trust, Gingin, paying to his next highest price of $1692 at 450c/kg for 11 averaging 369kg.
His top liveweight (LW) value in this section of 482c/kg was bid for 17 Angus steers weighing 274c/kg from one of the sale's biggest individual vendors Bettini Beef, Gingin, to cost $1319.
Jamie Davies, Kalgrains, Wannamal, was a prominent buyer throughout the sale, both filling his own requirements and orders.
Included in his haul were 20 pens of Angus steer weaners ranging from 240kg lightweights to 405kg but his $1776 top price went to the sale opening pen of three milk-tooth Angus yearling steers weighing 507kg offered by Gabyon Pastoral Company, Irwin, at 350c/kg.
His $1745 top weaner value went to one of two pens of 11 Tebco Enterprise steers bidding 460c/kg for the 379kg steers, with his next highest price of $1711 going to 15 Angus steers averaging 407kg offered by Caraban Limestone, Gingin, with a 420c/kg bid while Mr Davies bid to 460c/kg LW on a few occasions including for a large line of 36 Angus steers weighing 259kg from another bigger individual drafts of BA Nangetty Enterprises, Mingenew.
Other higher prices were $1749 at 450c/kg paid by Allen Bentham for 21 Angus steers averaging 389kg, trucked in by Kyanneby Grazing, Gingin and $1748 at 446c/kg for three Walton Family Trust steers weighing 392kg going to Central Stockcare (CSC).
The sale's 484c/kg top LW value was paid by Nutrien Livestock, Gingin agent Greg Neaves for five Angus steers weighing 250kg, offered by WM & SL Cail, Wanerie, to cost $1210.
A line of 31 PTE 2021-drop Angus heifers offered by Mt Samuel, Mingenew, topped the Angus heifer prices at $1668 for a draft of nine averaging 476kg, while Angus heifer weaner values peaked at $1581 for a duo of 414kg heifers from the Cail family's consignment knocked down to Mr Neaves at 414c/kg.
This was one of 13 pens of Angus heifers Mr Neave's purchased for a Badgingarra grazier.
He said the heifers were potential trade cattle for a winter turn off but subject to marketing conditions could be used in an AI breeding program.
Included in this haul was the top LW price of 440c/kg paid for 13 Angus heifers averaging 327kg presented by Tiver & Hamersley, Walkaway, to cost $1440.
Clint Fletcher, Elders Moora, sourced six pens of Angus heifers at good value for money, paying to $1108 at 400c/kg for eight heifers averaging 277kg from D & C Geraghty Pty Ltd, Gingin.
Following the Angus run, the sale swung to the yarding of mainly Murray Grey and Charolais weaners and topping this steer market was AC Nielsen, Goomalling, with seven silver Murray Grey steers averaging 469kg knocked down to Harvey Beef for $1799 at 384c/kg.
A duo of Red Angus steers weighing 403kg from the Tebco draft was snapped by Kalgrains for $1757 at 436c/kg, while Mr Bentham also continued his buying into this section paying above $1700 for two pens of steers with his $1736 top price going to 12 grey coated Murray Grey cross steers weighing 391kg from the Caraban Limestone draft with a 444c/kg bid.
CSC outlaid $1635 at 436c/kg for four Charolais steers averaging 375kg from the large draft of steers from Gabyon Pastoral Company, draft, while Kalgrains secured 12 Red Angus steers from Howatharra Grazing, Howatharra, for $1628 and 452c/kg.
The following pen of 26 Red Angus steers averaging 323kg from the same paddocks recorded the section's 464c/kg top LW price costing Harvey Beef $1497.
The next highest LW price of 448c/kg was bid by CSC for 17 grey and silver Murray Grey steers, tipping the scales at 358kg from the paddocks of Hopeland Farm Views, Hopeland.
The Gabyon Pastoral draft took out the double in the other breeds heifer-prices with seven red factor Charolais heifers weighing 348kg snapped up by Michael Princi, M & M Princi Butchers, North Perth, for both top prices of $1467 and 422c/kg.
Mr Princi collected several pens of heifers including the following pen of Gabyon Charolais heifers at 324kg costing $1327 and 410c/kg and also paid the next highest LW price of 420c/kg at $1171 for five Speckle Park cross heifers weighing 279kg consigned by Chittering Valley Beef.
Leno Vigolo, Nutrien Livestock, Central Midlands and Wheatbelt, representing a Three Springs account, paid the next highest price of $1378 at 400c/kg for 13 Murray Grey heifers averaging 344kg offered by Hopeland Farm Views, while CSC outlaid $1372 at 400c/kg for eight Murray Grey heifers weighing 400c/kg from the AC Nielsen draft.
The genuine herd dispersal of Murray Grey females PTIC to Border Reivers Angus bulls (bull in July 1, 2022 for 12 weeks) of Martindale Pty Ltd, New Norcia, headlined values with a line of nine roomy 5.5-5.7-year-old grey cows knocked down to Nutrien Livestock pastoral agent Daniel Wood for a local order for the $3250 top price.
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Mr Wood also paid the next highest price of $3100 for the previous pen of seven 4.5-4.7yo cows.
Marriott Farming Co, Dandaragan, collected nine 2.5-2.7yo cows and five 3.5-3.7yo cows for $3050 and $2950 respectively, while Mr Vigolo sourced two older pens and the PTIC yearling heifers for two orders.
The genuine herd dispersal of Murray Grey and Angus cows PTIC to Monterey Murray Grey bulls of P & E Valli, Bakers Hill, topped at $2150 twice for Murray Grey and Angus cows in their third trimester of pregnancy both purchased by Maverick De Burgh, Bullsbrook.
Mr De Burgh also paid the dispersal's $2200 top price for five Angus cows and Monterey Murray Grey sired calves at foot.
WHAT THE AGENT SAID:
NUTRIEN Livestock auctioneer and Dandaragan agent Brad Keavers said the consistent values achieved throughout the sale reflected the even quality of the yarding.
"The quality of the cattle presented was really good," Mr Keevers said.
"The 'Black Friday' Angus weaners were good even quality and received values in line with recent sales.
"These values held all the way through to other breeds and crossbred cattle for both steers and heifers and this was with no activity from AuctionsPlus.
"Like the steers, heifers were fully firm on recent values and consistent in values pen after pen.
"Vendors were over the moon with the dispersal females and these sold above our expectation."
