Nutrien Livestock agents penned a capacity yarding of 1400 head of cattle at the Boyanup store sale last week.
Quality and weights were generally of a very high standard, especially considering the long dry period cattle have endured this season.
SALE SUMMARY
- Beef steers: 242-312c/kg ($527 to $1394)
- Beef heifers: 100-262c/kg ($225-$1332)
- First cross steers:
- 116-214c/kg ($264-$929)
- Friesian steers: 94-152c/kg ($318-$929)
- Friesian poddies:
- 118-172c/kg ($245-$388)
- First cross heifer poddies: $260-$280.
Weights and type had a major bearing on the degree of success, with beef cattle continuing a slight upward trend, while mature Friesian steers showed a downward trend and the small offering of dairy poddie types improved over last month's sale.
Beef steers topped at $1394 and 312c/kg, marginally lifting by $2 per head but up by 8c/kg.
Beef heifers sold to $1332 for a single heavy animal, with the highest price for a pen at $942, a sizeable lift of 22c/kg.
A small number of light condition beef cross steers saw the best line make $911 and top at 214c/kg to be back by 20c/kg.
Quality had nothing to do with the lack of support for the heavier Friesian steers, with these topping at $929, down a full $300 and 48c/kg on top price.
Interestingly the dairy poddies lifted to $388 and 172c/kg, compared to $153 and 80c/kg last month.
The strength in the beef section was demonstrated with 39 pens selling for above $1000, where a few months ago sales were struggling to reach this price.
The top of $1394 was paid for three Angus steers weighing 566kg, going to Kookabrook Livestock Trust, Pinjarra, at 246c/kg.
The first four steers, also sold by Damper Gully Farms, made $1387 when the 568kg steers went to Kookabrook at 244c/kg.
Leno Vigolo, Nutrien Livestock, Midlands and Wheatbelt, started his buying spree with the last pen of Damper Valley steers, paying $1056 for a single steer of 480kg.
Rodney Galati, Galati Family Trust (GFT), Brunswick, snapped up nine steers from AW Pitts, Dardanup, with the 541kg Charolais costing $1255 at 232c/kg.
Mr Vigolo added nine of the Pitts steers weighing 451kg at 230c/kg to cost $1038.
The best of the three pens from J Bryne, Capel, cost Kookabrook Livestock $1358 when the 535kg Angus cross steers sold at 254c/kg.
The first line of Angus cattle from PMV & GV Butler, Waterloo, went to GFT when the 11 steers weighing 381kg sold at 284c/kg to return $1084.
Several pens of heavier steers from Bancell Falls, West Coolup, saw Harvey Beef pay $1139 and 262c/kg for the first 10 Shorthorns, while AuctionsPlus secured three pens to a top of $1171.
Black steers from this vendor later reached $1226, also going to Harvey Beef.
AuctionsPlus took both pens sold account JP & LJ Andony, Harvey, with the top line weighing 408kg making $1241.
Four Angus steers weighing 505kg from Cosy Creek Farms, Manjimup, were among the cattle bought by Kookabrook Livestock with these selling for $1282 and 254c/kg.
Later in the sale, another pen of Cosy Creek steers made $1186 when bought by Harvey Beef.
As the weights dropped below 400kg, other buyers were entered in the clerking sheets with Errol Gardiner, Nutrien Livestock, Brunswick/Harvey, selecting several pens from JS Stowe, paying to $1110 for 12 weighing 370kg as well as eight steers sold by IR & RB Staples, Harvey, costing $1090 at 302c/kg.
John Gallop also secured suitable steers for his lotfeeder client, paying to $1051 for eight steers sold by B & M Avery.
While he had purchased earlier, Richard Pollock, Nutrien Livestock, Waroona, lifted the intensity as weights decreased, paying $1070 and $1069 for Butler steers weighing about 350kg, before adding lighter weights for $1007 and the top price of 312c/kg.
A run of South Devon steers, both red and black, from regular vendors DW & MJ Rees, Collie, saw Mr Gardiner pay $820, $721 and $718 at up to 306c/kg.
Mr Pollock then snapped up the remaining five pens to $721.
A single Charolais heifer weighing 600kg topped at $1332 when Kookabrook Livestock bid to 222c/kg.
A pen of 13 weighing 406kg from M & JC Puljiz, Bridgetown, sold for $927 when Ben Cooper, Nutrien Livestock, Bridgetown, bid to 228c/kg for his client.
Mr Cooper later paid $862 for 12 weighing 399kg from J Shine & Co, Brunswick.
Mr Vigolo bought six Angus from AL Exelby weighing 455kg for $911.
Other better returns included six Simmental heifers from RM & MMC Italiano, Harvey, which made $900 at 238c/kg when bought by GFT.
Well into the heifers, a line of 10 Gelbvieh heifers weighing 364kg from Tiamo Holdings were bought for S & C Epiro costing $947 at 260c/kg.
The pen of Murray Grey heifers in the next pen from Pinjarrah Park made the top of 262c/kg when knocked down to Waddingham Rural to cost $973.
The first beef cross steers from G, G, D & M Tartaglie topped the section at $911 when 490kg steer went to Mr Vigolo at 186c/kg.
Another five in the pen weighing 352kg went to Jacques Martinson, Elders, Busselton, for $408 after bidding to 116c/kg.
Mr Martinson also paid the top of 214c/kg for 10 weighing 344kg from Tiamo Holdings to spend $736.
The heavy Friesian steers reached a top of $929 paid by Mr Vigolo for seven weighing 636kg as well as $920 for another six weighing 657kg with both lines sold account Wallingford Farms, Manjimup.
Alex Tunstill, Elders, Capel, paid the top of 152c/kg for seven Wallingford Farms steers that cost $901, followed by another line for $892 and 150c/kg.
The dairy poddies saw a top of $388, paid by Mr Gardiner for 14 weighing 242kg and sold by regular vendor of quality calves NL & E Haddon, Yoongarillup.
The top of 172c/kg went to 12 poddies weighing 221kg from JS Crimp & Co when bought by Paul Curulli & Son.
The sale finished with several first cross bucket-reared poddie sized heifers of good quality from Shade River Dairy Farms, with these selling from $260 to $280 to Bob's Plain Agriculture.
WHAT THE AGENT SAID
NUTRIEN Livestock auctioneer and Capel agent Chris Waddingham said it was a full yarding for the first of the April store sale fixtures.
"The yarding consisted of a good quality offering of yearling steers and heifers more than 400kg," Mr Waddingham said.
"Cattle lacking condition were met with subdued bidding from the buying gallery, with heifers less than 300kg presenting a challenge in the market and demonstrating the results of seasonal conditions in the area.
"Beef steers were a positive and met greater enquiry from lotfeeders.
"There was a clear distinction between heifers suitable for the future domestic slaughter market and those lacking condition and conformation with buyers very selective on type.
"Friesian steers experienced limited enquiry for feeder weights while steers suitable to finish in the spring met stronger competition."
