VALUES were widely comparable to firm on recent store sales at the Elders store cattle sale at Boyanup last Wednesday in another buyer-friendly market.
Elders yard staff copped a fair drenching the day prior to the sale, but the heavens cleared for sunny conditions.
The Elders South West team was on the mark with its advertised numbers, yarding 965 head of beef and dairy-origin store cattle and by the time Elders auctioneer Pearce Watling called everyone to attention, another strong crowd had rolled up.
There were decent numbers of weight and quality among the mixed yarding consistent with late winter sales.
Some WA lotfeeders were active in the market, providing mild competition on suitable beef types, while graziers were particularly selective on weight and quality.
The beef cattle section of the sale was interfaced on AuctionsPlus, which attracted 568 catalogue views and increased online activity.
This saw 27 registered buyers and 23 viewers log into the sale from throughout the country, resulting in four active bidders placing 271 bids across 44 pens with 32 pens selling to two WA feeders and two South West grazier buyers.
Beef steers topped at $1687 for 500kg plus weights to feeders, while graziers paid to 390c/kg for better bred lightweights and beef heifers topped at $1310 on weight and quality to feeders and to 298c/kg for quality Euro-cross lightweights to feeders.
A short run of first-cross steers topped at $1480 and 274c/kg for 500kg plus types to feeders again strongly influenced by both weight and quality, while fewer numbers of liveweight Friesian steers than typically seen at these fixtures, topped at $1496 for 680kg steers for processing and to 234c/kg for 500kg plus steers to graziers for a shorter finishing period.
In the appraisal section, the older end of the steers topped at $765 for first cross and $570 for Friesians, while young Friesian poddies topped at $340.
First cross heifers sold to $853 and 212c/kg liveweight for a few pens of older heifers and $740 appraisal for guaranteed unjoined Euro cross lines.
A selection of breeders sold to $1220 for mated heifers from a genuine complete draft and $1820 for mature cows with older calves at foot that hadn't been rejoined.
Beef steers kicked off the sale, with the day's $1687 overall top steer price recorded for a single 555kg Charolais steer offered by BP & NC McGinty, Greenbushes, knocked down to the 304c/kg bid of VA & MP Wright, Dunsborough.
The Wrights paid the next highest price of $1661 at 302c/kg for a 550kg Shorthorn steer, also from the McGinty consignment, and earlier $1622 at 306c/kg for five Angus steers tipping the scales at 530kg offered by EL Simpson & RS Simpson, Coolup.
Alex Tunstill, Elders, Boyanup, sourced nine pens of beef steers weighing 400-510kg for a South West feeder order, paying to a $1614 and 340kg top price for a large quality draft of 13 Angus steers weighing 475kg offered by R & R Robertson, Ludlow.
Mr Tunstill opened the sale paying $1591 at 312c/kg for seven Angus steers weighing 510kg offered by EC & BA Herring, Harvey.
AuctionsPlus was active throughout the beef steers with 19 pens of steers knocked down to online buyers including the sale's 390c/kg top liveweight price for seven Angus steers averaging 234kg from the paddocks of Vitali-Eddington, Balingup, to cost $913.
This was one of four pens of light and mediumweight steers going to a Catterick grazier who also bid 374c/kg for the following pen of seven Angus steers weighing 283kg from DA & AG Underdown, Dardanup.
Three WA lotfeeders shared the balance of the beef steers while Laurence Grant, Nutrien Livestock, Manjimup, snapped up three pens of lightweight steers bidding top liveweight values on quality, including 372c/kg for seven Limousin cross steers averaging 283kg from the sale draft of CR & AL Dimasi, Donnybrook.
A decent run of beef heifers topped at $1310 from the outset with Mr Tunstill bidding 270c/kg for eight Angus heifers weighing 485kg from the Simpson family's draft, again for his feeder order.
Rob Gibbings, Elders, Capel, snagged a couple of pens of medium to heavyweight Murray Grey heifers for a Peel order paying to the next highest value of $1050 at 282c/kg for four heifers averaging 373kg offered by D LA'Brooy-McIver, Capel.
An eastern Wheatbelt feeder on AuctionsPlus tallied 12 pens of beef steers and heifers bidding to the section's 298c/kg top liveweight price for 13 Limousin cross heifers weighing 277kg from the Dimasi's draft to cost $825.
The selling team rounded the corner to the dairy origin cattle starting with a short run of first cross steers headed by two quality lines of Angus cross offered by MR & JL Piggott, Yoongarillup.
The Wrights paid the top price double for the first pen of nine weighing 540kg at 274c/kg and $1480 while Mr Gibbings grabbed a couple of pens of first cross steers for a grazier client including the Piggott's other pen of nine steers averaging 519kg at 260c/kg and $1349.
Another three pens of quality Angus-Friesian steers were offered by Milners Farm, Busselton, with Jacques Martinson, Elders, Busselton, collecting all three for two grazier accounts paying to $1365 at 264c/kg for nine weighing 517kg and to 272c/kg liveweight for seven weighing 402kg to cost $1094.
Friesian steer values topped at $1496 for a single 680kg steer from PM Johnson, Hithergreen, knocked down to Jo Dragicevich, Western Meat Packers, at 220c/kg.
Ms Dragicevich earlier purchased both pens of heavier Friesian steers weighing 538-611kg offered by Riverton Farms, Harvey, paying to $1222 and 208c/kg.
Alex Roberts, Elders, Boyanup, collected the first five pens of Friesian steers weighing from 521-578kg offered by Kitchen Farms, Boyanup and San Gervasio Grazing Company, Dardanup, for a grazier client paying to $1304 at 226c/kg for eight weighing 577kg and the section's 234c/kg top liveweight price for eight weighing 552kg to cost $1291, both from the Kitchen Farms draft.
In the appraisal section a few pens of young first cross steers topped at $765 for three Angus-Friesian steers offered by A & J Commisso, Burekup, knocked down to Adam Becker Livestock.
A draft of 34 fresh young Friesian steers in three lines from PM & TL Duggan, Cowaramup, opened the section with Elders South West livestock manager Michael Carroll taking the first two pens paying $560 and the section's $570 top price.
Ashvale Pastoral Company, Stratham, also received $560 for its draft of 11 Friesian steers knocked down to the bid of Mr Martinson.
Regular vendors CA Panetta's, Harvey, draft of Simmental-Friesian heifers drafted into black, grey and red and whites topped the section at $740 for the six greys.
A selection of breeding females rounded out the sale with a genuine complete draft of 15-17 month old ex-Greenland stud Poll Hereford heifers running with a Greenland Poll Hereford bull since May 15 offered by EJ Moltoni, Pemberton, sold at value in two lines for $1220 to Mr Carroll.
Mr Roberts collected a few pens of the cows and calves on offer paying to $1820 for a mature South Devon cross cow and an older calf at foot offered by HL & DF Evans & Co, Capel, while Mr Watling paid $1800 for five first calving Angus cows with Angus calves at foot and running back with a Keston Vale Angus bull since May 25 offered by KM Sanders & Tl Kilner, Kojonup.
WHAT THE AGENT SAID
Elders auctioneer and Donnybrook representative Pearce Watling said a good quality yarding was presented in the Elders August store sale.
"Beef steers fell into line with recent sales and sold to similar rates with reduced feedlot enquiry given the time of year," Mr Watling said.
"Heifers remained firm on better quality lines of Euro cross heifers.
"Beef cross Friesian steers sold to solid buyer enquiry to remain firm on the previous sale and heavy Friesian steers suited to finishing this year sold 20-30c/kg stronger to sell to 234c/kg."
A smaller offering of appraisal Friesians met stronger grazier competition to sell in line with the previous month's sale.
