Beef steers sell to $1418 at Nutrien Livestock Boyanup store sale

The Nutrien Livestock South West team presented close to advertised numbers with a mixed yarding of 750 beef and dairy origin cattle consistent with store fixtures this time of year.

Given the inevitable forecast of rain and even the chance of thunderstorms, a decent crowd still attended.

But as the sale wore on, the heavens opened which saw the rails thin to the selling team and a few determined buyers and agents.

Again the market trended towards buyers' advantage across the board.

SALE SUMMARY

A few WA lotfeeders operated with selective competition on the small offering of feeder beef types available, while South West graziers operated tentatively on lighter beef and dairy origin cattle through strong agent representation at the sale with processor competition on the heavy finished cattle yarded.

The sale was also interfaced on AuctionsPlus with more than 607 catalogue views seeing 27 registered buyers and 31 viewers logged into the sale from throughout the country.

This resulted in three active online bidders placing 164 bids across 33 pens, with 17 pens selling to WA feeder and graziers buyers.

Feeders paid to $1418 for 380kg beef steers and graziers to 382c/kg liveweight for 280kg steers, while beef heifers topped at modest prices of $1090 to feeders for heavy 465kg heifers and to 294c/kg liveweight for better bred larger framed mediumweight heifers.

First cross steers sold to $1069 for heavier 495kg forward store pens and 256c/kg for 275kg weights, while Friesian steers made up the biggest percentage of the yarding with processor competition on finished 650 to 740kg steers selling to $1626, backgrounders bid to 230c/kg on quality for 230kg steers and appraisal poddies to $495.

A couple of pens of appraisal first cross heifers topped at $540.

Nutrien Livestock auctioneer Austin Gerhardy took first shift with the gavel, opening the sale with a run of beef steers.

Representing his southern lotfeeder client, John Gallop sourced a few pens of feeder Angus steers paying the section's $1418 top price for nine steers weighing 381kg offered by C & P Odorisio & Co, Waroona, with a 372c/kg bid.

Jordan Dwyer, Nutrien Livestock, Bridgetown, paid the next highest value of $1388 a 310c/kg for the first pen of seven Angus cross yearling steers averaging 448kg, trucked in by KJ & SH Prowse, Capel, on behalf of an Esperance feeder order.

An eastern Wheatbelt lotfeeder was active online throughout the beef section and finished the sale with 10 pens of steers paying to $1351 at 324c/kg for 10 Charolais steers weighing 417kg from Amber Valley Orchards, Balingup and 358c/kg liveweight for seven Murray Grey yearling steers averaging 323kg from the paddocks of D & H Phelps, Williams, to cost $1156.

Ralph Mosca, Nutrien Livestock, Peel, sourced a handful of steers around 250-280kg at top liveweight values for a grazier client and paid the section's 382c/kg top price for seven silver and grey Murray Grey steers weighing 282kg offered by F Slee & Son, Hithergreen (via Busselton), to cost $1076.

Nutrien Livestock, Mt Barker agent Harry Carroll made the trek north and sourced two pens of steers from Williams River Produce, Williams, for a South West grazier bidding to 368c/kg for 12 grey Murray Grey steers

weighing 245kg to cost $900, while another South West grazier operating online also bid to 368c/kg for eight Angus yearling steers tipping the scales at 340kg offered by The Darke Family Trust, Boyup Brook, to cost $1251.

With buying duties completed with several pens of steers for a couple of grazier orders, Nutrien Livestock auctioneer Chris Waddingham took over the reins with a short run of beef heifers which topped from the outset with eight Charolais cross yearling heifers averaging 466kg from MF & MA Hutton, Capel, knocked down to the eastern Wheatbelt feeder buyer on AuctionsPlus at $1090 at 234c/kg.

This buyer collected a further two pens of heifers including the next highest price of $1074 at 260c/kg for eight Angus yearling heifers weighing 413kg presented by A Fiorenza, Waroona.

Mr Dwyer snapped up two consecutive pens of heifers for his feeder order, paying to the next highest value of $1051 at 266c/kg for a large line of 14 silver Charolais heifers weighing 396kg from the Amber Valley Orchard sale draft.

Another South West grazier using the online platform collected three pens of mediumweight heifers at top liveweight values including the section's top price of 294c/kg

for eight silver Murray Grey heifers weighing 326kg from NA Innes, Cowaramup, costing $959 and 290c/kg for 12 mixed coated Murray Grey heifers averaging 321kg from the paddocks of D & H Phelps, Williams, to cost $932.

Nutrien Livestock, Waroona agent Richard Pollock entered the market on lighter heifers and continued to be a strong buyer of light cattle throughout the dairy origin yarding.

A good quality run of first cross steers reached $1069 for the heaviest first pen of eight Angus-Friesian steers weighing 495kg offered by Quininup Holdings, Wilyabrup (via Dunsborough), knocked down to the 216c/kg bid of Greg Jones.

Mr Jones secured the first five pens of first cross yearling steers weighing upward from 377kg for a southern client bidding to 222c/kg.

Adam Becker, ABL, secured numerous pens of cattle at value throughout the yarding including four pens of first cross steers bidding to the section's 256c/kg top

liveweight price for seven Angus-Friesian steers weighing 274kg from the paddocks of Mahaffey Family Trust, Harvey, to cost his order $702.

Fellow Harvey vendors

M Angi & Sons, sold two pens of Angus-Friesian steers weighing 225-260kg for the next highest price of 250c/kg.

It was then onto the largest class of Friesian steers starting with an excellent run of finished heavyweight steers offered by PP & B Edwards, Roelands, weighing from 654-739kg.

All three pens totalling 24 steers were knocked down to Jo Dragicevich, Western Meat Packers, from 218-226c/kg and $1426-$1626.

Laureldene Farms, Boyanup, presented a quality draft of 46 Friesian steers across eight pens weighing from 488-567kg which were all snapped up by Nutrien Livestock, Margaret River/Busselton agent Jock Embry for a grazier client and paid from 192-208c/kg and $938-$1180.

Mr Embry also secured all three pens totalling 31 Friesian steers weighing from 353-384kg offered by KJ & SM Gardiner, Catterick, for another order paying from 224-228c/kg and $805-$859.

With rain now falling heavily, Nutrien Livestock, Brunswick/Harvey agent Errol Gardiner was among the buyers to remain on the rail to be the dominant buyer of light and mediumweight Friesian steers which included 10 pens ranging from 230-430kg costing from 180c/kg to the section's top liveweight price of 230c/kg and $508-$777 for a Wokalup client.

The 230c/kg top price was paid for one of the three pens of 12 Friesian steers weighing 230kg offered by AC & CA Jenkins Family Trust, Denmark, to cost $529.

Mr Gardiner went on to collect four pens of appraisal Friesian steers for a Mornington client paying to the $465 top price for 11 steers from the Mahaffey Family Trust sale draft.

A couple of pens of appraisal Angus-Friesian heifers finished the sale which topped at $540 for four heifers offered by M Angi & Sons.

WHAT THE AGENT SAID

Nutrien Livestock auctioneer and Capel agent Chris Waddingham said in general terms the quality of the yarding was not of the same standard as the previous month's sale however values were equal.

"Buyers were particularly selective on type, especially in the beef steer and heifer offering," Mr Waddingham said.

"Dairy steers met limited competition across the entire offering with all classes easing in value."