Elders Boyanup cattle sees beef steers top $1739

The Elders South West team presented just shy of 1100 head in a decent quality yarding of beef and dairy origin store cattle in what was a true winter sale.

Heavy rain leading up to the sale and light showers throughout the fixture didn't deter a brave gallery of buyers and onlookers attending the sale, while there was some interest on AuctionsPlus for beef cattle.

A wider selection of feeder weight beef cattle and quality attracted stronger lotfeeder competition in a dearer market for suitable cattle, while graziers competed on lightweights which continue to be value buying.

Dairy origin cattle values were comparable to last month's corresponding fixture and also prove to be value buying.

Feeder steers 370-415kg topped at $1716 and 420c/kg and lighter weights of 240kg sold to 430c/kg, while feeder weight heifers topped at $1336 and 340c/kg while graziers bid to 328c/kg.

Liveweight first cross steers topped at $1560 and 310c/kg

for 500kg drafts, while grown Friesian steers topped at $1389, going to a processor, with value to be found in the mediumweight steer drafts, with graziers bidding to 280c/kg and 230c/kg respectively.

Appraisal first cross steers topped at $690, Friesians steers $800 and first cross heifers $830 on age and quality, while young Friesian poddies topped at $410.

Cows with young calves at foot which had been running back with a bull sold to $2600 for a younger quality draft.

After calling sale-o, Elders auctioneer Pearce Watling kicked off the sale with a quality run of beef steers, however it was one heavy steer in a mixed pen which took the section's $1739 top price honours.

The 475kg Murray Grey steer was offered by Alec C & CJ McNab Grazing Co, Nannup and was knocked down to the 366c/kg bid of Alex Tunstill, Elders, Boyanup, representing a South West lotfeeder order.

Mr Tunstill secured several pens of heavier steers and heifers for this order including two pens of Ludlow Grazing Company, Busselton, Angus steers weighing 476kg and 494kg paying to 330c/kg and $1629 and a line of seven Angus yearling steers averaging 510kg from LC Gorton & SJ Maisey, Uduc, costing 320c/kg and $1632.

John Gallop was successful on 11 pens of steers for his southern lotfeeding order including eight of the first 10 pens.

Among his haul was four pens from Kandalee Grazing Company, Bridgetown, containing 13 Angus steers each weighing from 374-417kg which he paid to $1716 and the equal second top liveweight price of 420c/kg.

Mr Gallop also secured seven pens of medium and lighter weight beef steers and heifers for a northern lotfeeder account.

He bid to the sale's 430c/kg top liveweight price for 13 quality Charolais cross steers averaging 239kg offered by ED & JS Hoddell, Collie, to cost $1027 and the previous pen of 12 Hoddell steers of the same description weighing 257kg for 420c/kg and $1080.

Feeders continued their buying on suitable weight and type beef heifers including Mr Tunstill paying the section's top price double of $1336 and 340c/kg for a well-presented pen of 12 Charolais cross heifers weighing 393kg offered by The Searle Family Trust, Capel.

Mr Tunstill also paid the next highest price of $1229 at 270c/kg for a 455kg Black Simmental heifer in the previous pen offered by

G & S Whitburn, Yallingup Siding and a duo of Murray Grey heifers averaging 380kg from the McNab Grazing Company's draft for $1193 and 314c/kg.

Jacques Martinson, Elders, Busselton, bid up on eight Angus cross heifers averaging 369kg offered by JJ Fitzpatrick, Waroona, paying 328c/kg and $1210 for a grazier client.

Kevin Armstrong, Willowbank, Benger, snapped up two pens totalling 24 Angus heifers weighing 350kg and 317kg from Mt Ferguson Grazing Company, Dardanup, paying to 310c/kg and $1057.

Attention swung to the line-up of dairy origin cattle starting with a short run of liveweight first cross steers.

Values topped from the outset with Brendan Millar, Elders, Margaret River, paying the section's top price double of 310c/kg and $1560 for eight Angus cross steers weighing 503kg from BFT Hire, Capel, for a grazier client.

BFT Hire's following pen of five steers of the same description averaging 465kg were collected by a grazier account for the next highest values of $1302 and 280c/kg.

There was value buying in the remaining pens with D & A Campbell's, Warner Glen, two pens of Angus cross steers topping at $1104 at 240c/kg for three averaging 460kg snapped up by Errol Gardiner, Nutrien Livestock, Harvey/Brunswick.

Liveweight Friesian steer values reached $1389 on weight, with the section's opening heaviest pen of seven steers weighing 609kg from Riverton Farms, Harvey, knocked down to Jo Dragicevich, Western Meat Packers, with a 228c/kg bid.

SALE SUMMARY

Elders, Nannup agent Terry Tarbotton, collected three pens of Friesian steers for a grazier client paying to the top liveweight value of 230c/kg and $1229 for nine steers weighing 534kg offered by M Tosana, Donnybrook.

Mr Gardiner dominated the clerking sheets from this point on and finished with nine pens of Friesian steers for a Wokalup client costing to $1159 at 222c/kg for seven steers weighing 522kg offered by J Italiano & Co, Dardanup and 226c/kg liveweight for nine steers averaging 394kg from Range Lee Grazing Company, Capel, to cost $891.

The appraisal section of the sale kicked off with a run of first cross steers with Peter Lofthouse, PR & MG Lofthouse, Wokalup, paying the $660 top price for three Angus cross steers from the Whitburn's draft.

Alex Roberts, Elders, Boyanup, secured five pens of young first cross steers for four different orders paying to $540 for two Angus cross steers offered by Rodwell Farms, Boyanup.

Stronger numbers of young Friesian steers saw values top at $800 for eight to 10 month old drafts paid by Mr Lofthouse for 10 steers from Milners Farm, Busselton.

Paul Fry, Crendon Irrigation, Donnybrook, snapped up two pens of 12 Friesian steers each offered by Taylor Agricultural Contracting, Uduc, for $760 and $740.

Poddie values reached $410 for two pens of 18 steers each from the quality draft of regular vendors West & Haggerty, Capel, both going to the bid of Mr Tunstill for a local backgrounder.

A handful of young first cross Angus-Friesian heifer pens sold to $830 for five heifers from CA Panetta, Harvey, paid by Mr Roberts, while Mr Martinson secured two pens of heifers paying to $750 for six heifers from the West & Haggerty draft.

A selection of cows and calves rounded out proceedings with values topping at $2600 on age and quality for six second to fourth calving Angus cows with Angus calves at foot which had been running back with a Keston Vale Angus bull since May 25, offered by KM Sanders & TL Kilner, Kojonup, knocked down to the successful bid of Deane Allen, Elders, Bridgetown.

WHAT THE AGENT SAID:

ELDERS auctioneer and Donnybrook representative Pearce Watling said it was another good line-up of quality cattle presented for the time of year.

"Beef steers and heifers suited to feedlots met strong competition to sell 20-30c/kg stronger and lighter weights also met strong grazier competition," Mr Watling said.

"Liveweight Friesians and beef cross Friesians sold at similar rates to the previous sale with Friesians selling from 208-230c/kg.

"Appraisal Friesian and beef cross cattle met solid grazier demand and remained in check with pricing from the previous sale.

"This however presents buying opportunities going forward.

"Solid demand was still shown for quality breeders which saw them sell to $2600 for good young second and third calvers which had been back to the bull."