Heavy beef steers top demand in the second sale of the week at Boyanup yards

A younger and slightly lighter yarding of cattle filled the Boyanup saleyards last Friday, when the Elders South West team yarded just short of 1400 head.

It was the second store cattle sale Elders hosted last week, following a combined trade and store sale held on Tuesday.

The yarding was made up of beef steers and heifers, Friesian steers, first-cross steers and heifers, resulting in good buying support and ensured firm, and slightly elevated prices throughout the majority of the sale.

The quality lines of cattle sold to higher values, with beef steers ranging from 290-745 kilograms reaching $2727 per head and 496 cents per kilogram, while the beef heifers, which weighed from 221-523kg, realised to 406c/kg and $2041.

Sale summary

• Beef steers: 342-496c/kg ($1030-$2727)
• Beef heifers: 268-406c/kg ($591-$2041)
• First-cross steers: 352-406c/kg ($1499-$1784)
• First-cross steers (appraisal): $650-$1430
• First-cross heifers: 300-362c/kg ($1200-$1950)
• First-cross heifers (appraisal): $290-$1020
• Friesian steers:
• 220-330c/kg ($647-$1513)
• Friesian steers (appraisal): $400-$920

When it came to the first-cross steers, in the liveweight section prices reached $1784 and 406c/kg, ranging from 369-478kg and appraisal first-cross steers made to $1430.

First-cross heifers sold by appraisal reached $1020, and the few pens of heifers sold by liveweight ranged from 400-542kg and reached $1950 and 362c/kg.

Friesian steers sold by liveweight ranged from 207-515kg and made a high of $1513 and 330c/kg, while appraisal Friesian steers reached $920.

The sale kicked off with a good run of beef steers and heifers, which is where the sale's top price of $2727 was paid by an online buyer through AuctionsPlus, bidding to 366c/kg for one Murray Grey steer weighing 745kg from G & C White, Coolup.

The highest liveweight price of 496c/kg was paid by Kookabrook Livestock Trust, Pinjarra, when it took a liking to four Murray Grey steers weighing 360kg from Rock View Grazing, Harvey, for $1785.

The Pinjarra account bought several, smaller pens of beef steers to high values, including a $2372 Angus steer weighing 409kg at 402c/kg from Camden Hill Grazing, Bridgetown, and two Angus steers from Valley View Grazing, Kudardup, weighing 573kg at 406c/kg and $2324.

The biggest pen of 18 Angus steers weighing 522kg, offered by R & R Robertson, Busselton, was snapped up by Elders Capel representative Alex Tunstill, for $2191 and 420c/kg.

John Gallop bought on behalf of a large order, purchasing eight pens of beef steers to a top of $1963, for 10 Angus steers weighing 457kg from KN & JT Tucker, Capel, at 430c/kg.

Also a fan of the Tucker family's Angus steers was Elders Harvey/Brunswick agent Craig Martin, which bid to 426c/kg on behalf of a client for 10 steers weighing 430kg to cost $1830.

Buckingham Beef, Collie, offered three larger pens in the beef steer offering, with Semini Enterprises, Treeton, paying the highest price for one of these pens being $1620 and 432c/kg for 12 Charolais-cross steers weighing 375kg.

Norsca Holdings Pty Ltd, Donnybrook/Bridgetown, also offered some larger pens of beef steers, one of which was snapped up by Mr Martin on behalf of a client for $1654 and 452c/kg for 10 Angus steers weighing an average of 366kg.

A pen of nine Angus heifers from Norsca Holdings Pty Ltd recorded the top beef heifer price of $2041, which was snapped up by Kookabrook Livestock Trust bidding 390c/kg for nine heifers weighing 523kg.

A South West account paid the highest cents per kilogram price of 406c/kg and $1732 for six Simmental heifers from NR Wren, Yanmah, weighing 427kg.

Mr Jones collected 12 pens of beef heifers for a South Coast account, paying a high of $1893 and 364c/kg

for a Murray Grey heifer weighing 520kg from R Danti, Manjimup, and $1870 for nine Angus heifers weighing 479kg at 390c/kg from Sandro Cicolari, Waroona.

The Waroona account also sold two lines of cattle to Mr Tunstill, who was buying for a local client.

He paid $1609 for eight Angus heifers weighing 404kg at 398c/kg and $1364 and 370c/kg for seven Angus heifers weighing 369kg.

Mr Tunstill bought four additional pens on behalf of another client, paying $1486 for three Angus-cross heifers from J & I Cilemanoff, Manjimup, weighing 402kg at 370c/kg.

It was an AuctionsPlus account that bought the $1784 top-priced pen of first cross steers from GR & VG Jackson, Collie, made up of 10 Angus cross weighing 477kg at 374c/kg.

The same account also bought three 433kg Angus cross steers at 368c/kg from Valley View Grazing, for $1595, and four Murray Grey-cross steers at 352c/kg, weighing 466kg from PJ Cusack, Stratham, $1641

Mr Tunstill continued buying for a separate account, this time paying the highest cents per kilogram price of 406c/kg for seven Angus cross steers from Allison Fergie, Collie, weighing 369kg for $1499, and another pen for the same account for $1612 and 402c/kg, for nine Angus cross steers weighing 401kg from G & S Whitburn, Yallingup Siding.

The first cross steers sold appraisal were dominated by Harvey Beef, when it bought four of the pens.

Harvey Beef bought four Murray Grey cross steers weighing 478kg to a high of $1776 and 372c/kg from BLM Trust, Dalyellup.

Only four pens of first cross heifers sold by liveweight were up for grabs, with the top price of $1950 paid by a local account at 360c/kg for three Hereford cross heifers weighing 542kg from Paradise Creek Dairies, Waterloo.

Springdale Cattle Co, Ferguson, sold a pen of seven Angus cross heifers weighing 479kg at the highest liveweight price of 362c/kg to Mr Jones for $1732.

When it came to Friesian steers sold appraisal, prices reached $1513.

It was a Cowaramup account that bid to 322c/kg and paid the $1513 sum for seven Friesian steers weighing 470kg from BD, DM & SJ Yates, Witchcliffe.

Three pens from Newbrook Investments, Metricup/Courtenay, achieved the highest cents per kilogram price of 330c/kg.

All three pens of Friesian steers were bought by Jacques Martinson, Elders Busselton/Margaret River, on behalf of a client, paying $1173 for 12 steers weighing 355kg, $1165 for 12 steers weighing 353kg and $1088 for 16 steers weighing 330kg.

Newbrook Investments was a prominent vendor and sold three large pens of Friesian steers to Terry Tarbotton, Elders Nannup, for a client.

Mr Tarbotton bought two pens made up of 20 Friesian steers in each, paying $1374 and 320c/kg for 430kg steers and $1150 and 300c/kg

for 383kg steers, while the third pen was made up of 10 Friesian steers weighing 384kg selling at 302c/kg and $1158.

Mr Martinson bid on two pens of Friesian steers from BA, CW, LA & YR Elson, Karridale, paying $1231 and 324c/kg for nine head weighing 380kg and $1131 and 318c/kg for seven head weighing an average of 356kg.

The sale was rounded out by the appraisal portion of the fixture.

The appraisals kicked off with first cross steers, which topped at $1430 when LJ & RA Brennen, Witchcliffe/Forest Grove, sold 16 Angus cross steers to Mr Martinson.

The same vendors also sold 14 Angus cross steers for $1410 and 13 Angus cross steers for $1290 to Mr Tarbotton on behalf of a client.

Mr Martin also bought numerous pens of first-cross steers sold by appraisal on behalf of one of his clients, which included lines of Angus cross steers from Kingsley McSwain, Busselton and Karnet Prison Farm, Wooroloo, Serpentine/Denbarker.

Mr Martin paid $1070 for six head, $1080 for three head and $660 for two head from the Busselton account and $1000 for five head, $700 for three head and $700 for three head from the Prison Farm.

Next up were the Friesian steers which topped at $920, when SH Fry & Sons, Brunswick, paid the highest price for four Friesian steers from Uduc Brook Farms Pty Ltd, Harvey.

The Fry family bought a total of four pens in the sale, two of which were from JP Giumelli & Son, Benger, for one Friesian steer at $900 and 13 Friesian steers at $850.

Alex Roberts, Elders Boyanup, bought pens on behalf of a client, all from D Panetta, Harvey, for nine Friesian steers at $850, two head also at $850, a pen of four for $910 and 10 steers for $910.

Paradise Creek Dairies had four pens of Friesian steers in the offering, two of which were snapped up by Pearce Watling, Elders Donnybrook, for $800 (13 head) and $760 (12 head).

The sale finished up on first cross appraisal heifers, which topped at $1020 when Mr Roberts bought 12 Angus cross heifers from West & Haggerty, Capel.

Another notable pen of four Angus cross heifers from Kingsley McSwain were snapped up by SH Fry & Sons, for $800 each.

What the agent said

Elders auctioneer and Donnybrook/Bridgetown representative Pearce Watling said heavy beef steers sold between 380-430 cents per kilogram.

"Feeder steers weighing 350-430kg sold up to 456c/kg and backgrounder steers sold between 440-480c/kg, to remain firm on previous sales," Mr Watling said.

"Feeder heifers sold between 370-410c/kg and lighter heifers between 350-390c/kg, with a mix in quality.

"First-cross steers sold by liveweight made from 370-404c/kg to remain firm and liveweight Friesian steers sold from 280-328c/kg to be 10-15c/kg dearer.

"Appraisal first-cross steers sold to $1430, to be up $80-$100 per head.

"Appraisal Friesian steers sold between $750-$910, up $40-$50 and appraisal Friesian poddies sold between $600-$820, and were up $40-$50."