The best description for the Elders January store cattle sale would be a 'smorgasbord' with almost every type of cattle known to mankind there for buyers' perusal.
The market eased slightly overall, but was propped up somewhat by a hardcore of cattle industry figures supporting the fixture.
Running through the list of different cattle types is a little like using a yo-yo, with some up and others down, with the overall sale average dropping compared to the last sale at Boyanup.
The sale started with a run of heavy beef steers which sold to $1242 which was up $40 on the top price last sale, while the top liveweight price of 272 cents per kilogram, eased by 30c/kg.
Beef heifers sold to $1025, up $50 and reached the same liveweight top of 220c/kg.
Sale Summary
- Beef steers: 210-272c/kg ($404-$1242)
- Beef heifers: 150-229c/kg ($284-$1025)
- Beef cross steers:
- 120-200c/kg ($474-$886)
- Friesian steers:
- 120-168c/kg ($386-$853)
- 1st cross heifers:
- $250-$1300
- Appraisal Friesian steers: $250-$500
- Mated beef heifers:
- $800-$1520
- Cows & calves: $800-$1280
- Mated cows: $1220-$1330
- Beef cross steers were of lesser quality compared to last sale and these eased in both gross price and c/kg, selling to $886 and 200c/kg.
A small penning of Friesian steers saw the heavy end lift to $853 and 168c/kg, with the yo-yo rising by $85 and 10c/kg for the top prices.
Beef cross steers were of plainer quality and these dropped considerably to top at $886 and 200c/kg.
The only comparison that can be made for the feature yarding of first-cross, bucket-reared heifers was between the top and bottom end drafts offered, with the best attracting strong support to top at $1300 but any requiring a two-year program were neglected.
The other highlight was a pen of mated beef heifers selling for $1520, while mated cows reaching $1320 and cows and calves sold up to $1280, both showing a lift.
The knight in shining armor during the sale in terms of buying numbers was Rodney Galati, Brunswick, who had a couple of buying orders to fill, as well as purchasing for his own requirements.
Mr Galati snapped up the first 10 pens of heavier beef steers for one order, many with one bid.
Included in these purchases was the top-priced steer pen at $1242 for nine weighing 501kg from DB Humphreys at 248c/kg.
The first pen offered from B & D Telini cost $1233 when the 493kg steers sold at 250c/kg.
Seven steers weighing 507kg sold by Tarpunda Grazing cost Mr Galati's account $1127 while 10 weighing 492kg from Toohey Farms sold at 238c/kg to cost $1170, with another 10 making $1176.
Another Toohey Farms pen was bought by Mr Galati for Galati Family Trust (GFT) for $1176.
The steer top cents per kilogram price of 272c/kg was for 15 Angus weighing 315kg from GJ & GM Allen, Boallia, costing Elders, Manjimup representative Cameron Harris $858.
Elders, Capel representative Alex Tunstill secured several pens including 11 Simmental steers weighing 377kg sold by F Pessotto & Sons, Manjimup, costing $899 at 238c/kg.
The first pen of beef heifers, eight Charolais cross sold by DJ Shine & Co topped at $1025 when an AuctionsPlus buyer bid to 214c/kg for the 479kg cattle.
AuctionsPlus had a run of nine pens clerked to it, paying to $1000 for eight Simmental cross weighing 463kg at 214c/kg.
The highest price heifers cents per kilogram price of 220c/kg also went to a pen of Simmental heifers averaging 343kg returning $754 to CA Vinci, Donnybrook, when bought by GFT.
Beef cross steers topped at $886 for Speckle Park steers weighing 443kg when Elders, Busselton representative Jacques Martinson bid to
200c/kg for the cattle from M & T Martella.
It took several pens of Friesian steers to sell before the top of $853 was reached with the 10 steers weighing 527kg from Jesmond Dairy the first of the 10 lines bought by Elders, Nannup agent Terry Tarbotton, for client Gralyn Estate, Willyabrup.
A total of eight pens of Jesmond Dairy were headed to Willyabrup after the sale with the best of the other lines costing $805.
Two lines of seven Friesian steers sold by BR & DR Marsh, saw Elders, Donnybrook representative Pearce Watling pay $821 at 132c/kg for one pen averaging 622kg, while the other pen went to Mr Tunstill for $826 and 138c/kg.
The start of the feature line-up of first-cross, bucket-reared unjoined heifers were 11 very heavy Angus-Friesian cross from the WA College of Agriculture - Harvey and these went to LM & EA Crouch, Nannup, at $1030.
It took several pens before prices escalated with seven Angus-Friesian cross from
BJ Depiazzi & Co costing Elders, Boyanup representative Alex Roberts $1210.
Buying for his family's operation, Mr Roberts was the major buyer, also taking eight Angus-Friesians from Parravicini & Sons, at $1180.
Ten Angus-Friesians sold by JP Giumelli & Sons then took top price of $1300 selling to Mr Roberts.
Tirana Farms, Nannup, secured a load, paying to $1240 for the tops of Angus-Friesians from KL & AJ Jilley, Elgin.
Mr Tunstill snapped up three pens of the Jilleys Angus-Friesians heifers, paying $1200 and $1100 twice.
The Hereford-Friesian cross heifers saw Jamie O'Byrne, Quindalup, take the first pen of eight from KG & KM Tyrell, for $1000, while Mr Roberts paid the same for four sold account BJ Deppiazzi & Co.
Uduc Brook Farms, Harvey, sold Murray Grey-Friesian cross heifers to $1120, while a small line of Speckle Park-Friesian heifers from BJ Deppiazzi & Co made $960 when bought by Mr O'Byrne.
Small and younger heifers in the run that were a longer-term project lacked any real support, selling as low as $220.
Beef cross steers selling appraisal reached $530, paid by Nutrien Livestock, Pinjarra/Mundijong representative Ralph Mosca, for six sold by NA Parker.
Young steers or mature Friesian poddie types sold to $500, paid by Elders Waroona for four from AD & EA Rowe.
The bulk of these were more in the $250 to $350 range.
Three pens of mated Red Angus heifers from J Van der Schaaf, Busselton, saw the first pen set things on fire when two bidders competed to push these to $1520, with B & T Southcott the victor.
Without the competition, the losing bidder secured the next two lines of similar quality for $850 and $800.
The top cow and calf units made $1280 when JA Cavallo paid this to Riverton Farms.
The top mated cows were 10 Murray Grey cross from RW Bevan, Manjimup and these sold to Mr Tunstill at $1330.
What the agent said
Elders, Donnybrook representative and sale auctioneer Pearce Watling said it was a good quality yarding across all categories with a feature of the sale being a run of unjoined first-cross heifers which were a quality line-up and a credit to the vendors.
"In the feature run of unjoined first-cross heifers Angus-Friesian heifers sold to a top of $1300," Mr Watling said.
"In this offering the heifers which were suitable to join this season received solid enquiry given current market and seasonal conditions.
"Heavy beef steers sold to solid demand and heavy beef heifers met with reasonable competition to be firm on our sale last month, while heavy Friesian steers were 10-20c/kg stronger than last month."
