Heavier cattle sell consistently at Muchea weaner sale

The Nutrien Livestock team presented a large quality yarding of more than 1500 local beef steers and heifers and a small selection of yearlings which featured the 'Black Friday' Angus weaner sale.

Angus cattle numbers featured strongly in the special sale and were joined by a selection of other British and European breed weaners and while the cattle were widely well-bred and presented, a large percentage of the yarding were lighter in weights reflecting the challenging seasonal conditions.

SALE SUMMARY

Buying support came largely from lotfeeders on their preferred medium to heavier weights and live export on lighter cattle with selective backgrounding and restocking grazier support, also a reflection of the season.

The sale was interfaced on AuctionsPlus and after attracting 858 catalogue views, 37 buyers registered for the sale along with 40 viewers from WA, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia, which yielded 68 online bids across 17 lots, with nine selling to three WA feeder and grazier buyers.

Angus weaner steers sold to 278c/kg for 350kg steers and $1082 (at 276c/kg) for 390kg weights to feeders, while Angus heifers topped at 266c/kg and $964 on quality for replacement breeders.

The line-up of weaners of other beef breeds saw steer values reach 272c/kg for Euro cross steers of about 350kg, while Euro heifers 330kg sold to 234c/kg to feeders.

The sale kicked off with the 'Black Friday' yarding of Angus steers, starting with a few pens of yearlings offered by Dalmeny Downs Company Pty Ltd, New Norcia, which topped the overall prices at $1096 for eight steers averaging 406kg, which were knocked down to the 270c/kg

bid of Damian Barsby, Harvey Beef, one of two pens of Angus yearling steers he purchased.

Jamie Davies, Kalgrains, Wannamal, was again a dominant buyer and opened his account with a trio of yearling steers weighing 371kg costing 250c/kg and $928.

Angus steer weaner values reached $1082 for eight averaging 392kg from the paddocks of Silverback Farms, Toodyay, with Mr Barsby bidding 276c/kg.

Mr Davies opened the Angus weaner steer section with a 266c/kg bid for a duo of Angus cross steers weighing 390kg trucked in by Gingin Brook Cattle Company, Gingin, to cost $1037.

He added a further 12 pens of Angus steers to his account and among his dearer purchases were eight steers weighing 371kg from the large draft of steers from volume vendor Gabyon Pastoral Company, Irwin, costing $988 at 266c/kg, 14 steers weighing 362kg from the Silverback Farms draft costing $970 and 268c/kg and also selling at $970 were two steers averaging 373kg offered by PR & PM Fletcher, Bindoon, with a 260c/kg bid.

Dean Ryan was another prominent buyer throughout the sale buying for Central Stockcare and Livestock Shipping Services.

Among his haul of 31 pens of steers were 13 from the Angus steer run where he paid to $990 at 268c/kg for six steers weighing 369kg presented by PJ & TV Hall, Chittering.

The Angus steer run featured the sale's 278c/kg top liveweight price paid by Ralph Mosca, Nutrien Livestock, Peel, for a large draft of 21 steers tipping the scales at 349kg offered by Minyulo Grazing, Dandaragan, returning $971kg.

Mingenew graziers BA Nangetty Enterprises offered a large draft of light to mediumweight Angus weaners to be among the sale's largest vendors.

Its steer draft sold to the next highest liveweight price of 274c/kg for a large line of 46 steers averaging 296kg which were snapped up by an eastern Wheatbelt lotfeeder operating on AuctionsPlus to cost $810, while Nutrien Livestock, Boyup Brook agent Jamie Abbs bid 272c/kg for another sizeable draft of 38 Nangetty Enterprises steers weighing 268kg costing $728 for a grazier order.

Other Angus steers to reach 270c/kg included 19 weighing 335kg from Coonabidge Grazing Company, Gingin, which were added to the Kalgrains truck costing $905.

The online feeder buyer also bid 270c/kg for 22 Angus steers weighing 328kg from the Silverback Farms draft costing $885.

Following the run of Angus steers, attention swung to the other British and European breed steers where Mr Ryan paid the section's highest price of $1040 at 262c/kg for five Charolais cross steers weighing 397kg offered by Lance Roydon, Muchea.

Joining Mr Ryan's account was nine Charolais steers averaging 354kg offered by The Lakes Cattle Company, The Lakes, realising the section's 272c/kg equal top liveweight price to cost $962 along with six Murray Grey cross steers averaging 364kg from the Silverback Farms draft costing $954 at 262c/kg.

Gabyon Pastoral's draft featured again with seven Charolais cross steers averaging 358kg knocked down to Mr Davies for the other 272c/kg equal top price to cost $975.

Mr Mosca opened this section of the sale with a 270c/kg bid for nine Speckle Park steers averaging 361kg from the Hall family's sale draft to cost $974, while he also paid $931 at 266c/kg for eight Murray Grey cross steers weighing 350kg from the Gabyon Pastoral draft.

Mr Barsby returned to the clerking sheets with a 250c/kg bid for five Gabyon Pastoral Shorthorn cross steers averaging 385kg to cost $962.

The selling team rounded the corner for the run of Angus heifers, commencing with a quality draft of Angus yearling heifers offered by Mt Samuel, Mingenew.

Mr Barsby secured the two major lines containing 22 head in each averaging 474kg and 434kg costing to the sale's top heifer price of $1051 and $963 respectively with a winning 222c/kg bid.

Silverback Farms again featured in the top prices with their Angus draft taking out the top price double for the weaner heifer market with a draft of 11 averaging 362kg, knocked down to Mr Mosca for $964 at 266c/kg and heading for breeding duties.

Mr Mosca also secured Silverback Farms' other line of 30 heifers weighing 331kg for 228c/kg to cost $754.

The next highest Angus heifer price went to The Lakes Cattle Company with three head averaging 335kg knocked down to Leno Vigolo, Nutrien Livestock, Central Midlands/Wheatbelt, for $234c/kg and $783.

Nangetty Enterprises' large Angus heifer draft topped at 228c/kg for a big line of 40 averaging 263kg which were snapped up by a grazier bidding on AuctionsPlus while Graham Brown, Browns Cattle Contracting, representing a live export order, also bid to 228c/kg for seven Angus heifers weighing 261kg from KLK Farms Pty Ltd, Mingenew.

Andrew O'Connor, Nutrien Livestock, Goomalling, secured a couple of pens of Angus heifers paying to $702 at 230c/kg for 14 heifers weighing 305kg offered by the Walton Family Trust, Wanerie.

Mr Ryan sourced a total of nine pens of Angus heifers for an export order bidding to 230c/kg for 12 lighter Silverback Farms heifers averaging 254kg.

The sale rounded out with a selection of heifers of various breeding, starting with a couple of pens of Murray Grey yearling heifers which topped the section's values at $809 for seven weighing 381kg from Koodiewoodie Grazing, Dandaragan, which were knocked down to Mr Davies for 212c/kg.

Gabyon Pastoral's Charolais heifers took out the section's top price double for weaners with a pen of eight weighing 334kg snapped up by Mr Ryan for 234c/kg and $781.

Mr Ryan collected 22 pens of heifers from this section for Central Stockcare and live export, including Lance Roydon's duo of Murray Grey cross heifers weighing 380kg costing $760 at 200c/kg and two pens of Silverback Farms' Murray Grey cross heifers paying to 220c/kg and $736 for weights ranging from 330-350kg.

Other higher liveweight values in this section included 228c/kg bid by Allen Bentham, WA Livestock Agency, for four Charolais heifers from the Gabyon Pastoral draft weighing 278kg, while the Hall's eight Speckle Park heifers averaging 324kg were knocked down to the 226c/kg bid from Mr Davies.

WHAT THE AGENT SAID

Nutrien Livestock auctioneer and Dandaragan agent Brad Keevers said the sale followed recent trends with heavier cattle selling consistently, while light cattle were challenging to sell.

"Good quality yarding although a large portion were light and showed the effects of the season," Mr Keevers said.

"Start of the Angus steers sold OK to feeder competition at consistent values but buying support was still limited to a few.

"Better coloured steers also sold OK on select lots but soon fell away as the weights came down.

"Best of the Angus and coloured heifers sold on par with recent rates, but changed dramatically when we got into lightweights.

"With restricted grazier enquiry due to seasonal conditions, it was difficult to attract competition on the large numbers of lightweight steers and heifers and if it wasn't for live export support, the result would have been completely different again."