Quality and prices at Mt Barker sale a reflection of good southern season

There were cattle to suit all buyers' preferences at the ninth annual Elders Great Southern All Breeds Feeder and Weaner Show and Sale at the Mount Barker Regional saleyards last week.

A consistent line-up of quality weaners and yearlings filled the saleyards and attracted plenty of interest from local buyers, lotfeeders, backgrounders and graziers, seeing values significantly improve from last year's sale.

The Elders Albany and Mt Barker teams yarded just short of 950 steers and heifers, which all sold successfully under the hammer to an overall average of $1549, which was up $459 on last year's average.

The 604 steers offered, made up 64 per cent of the offering, and sold to an average of $1647, while the 338 heifers that went up for auction, averaged $1372.

Sale summary

• Weaner steers: 410-510c/kg($994-$1966)
• Weaner heifers: 370-444c/kg ($731-$1652)
• Yearling steers: 362-422c/kg ($1207-$2147)
• Yearling heifers: 360-412c/kg ($1242-$1678)

Broken down, the 515 weaner steers offered sold to a $1606 average, and the 89 yearling steers sold to a $1886 average, while the 240 weaner heifers sold to an average of $1342 and 98 yearling heifers sold to a $1448 average.

It was the third year the Elders Feeder Ready Program was implemented into the sale, resulting in 38 steers and heifers marked with the Elders Feeder ready pink ear tags, indicating they were a part of the program and accredited.

The program is specially designed to prepare cattle for background or feedlot entry, while complying with the industry standard animal welfare protocols.

The criteria is for cattle to have been yard weaned for a minimum of 10 days prior to the sale, have had a Clostridial vaccination - primer and booster (no greater than eight weeks between doses), a Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) vaccination, and recommended to have a Pestigard and a vitamin/mineral vaccination too.

The sale kicked off with the small run of yearling steers from Gamezon Enterprises, Narrikup, which is where the sale's top price of $2147 was recorded.

The pen of 12 Angus weighing an average of 526 kilograms was snapped up by Harvey Beef at 408 cents per kilogram.

Harvey Beef dominated the yearling steer portion, buying eight of the nine pens up for grabs.

Along with securing the top-priced pen from Gamezon Enterprises, they also purchased another pen of 12 Angus weighing 485kg from the Narrikup enterprise for $2026 at 418c/kg.

Included in Harvey Beef's other purchases were four lines of mixed breed steers from Mountain Valley, Narrikup, ranging in price from $1207 and $1857 and 362c/kg and 418c/kg, as well as two lines of Angus cross yearling steers (30 head) from DM & JM Burke, Denmark, at 422c/kg and $1824 and 418c/kg and $1926.

Next to sell were the weaner steers, which was where the highest cents per kilogram price of 510c/kg for the sale was recorded.

It was achieved by a pen of 25 Angus weaner steers from GI & DL Harland, Gairdner, weighing 278kg, which were snapped up by Elders Boyanup, representative Alex Roberts which cost a Bunbury account $1420.

Kalgrains paid the $1966 highest price for weaner steers, when it secured eight Angus weighing 437kg at 450c/kg from P & F Billeskov, Narrikup.

Kalgrains also bought two pens of weaner steers from one of the sale's volume vendors, the Matthews family, Kangarabbi Farms, Narrikup.

The first pen secured was made up of 15 Gelbvieh-Angus cross weighing 369kg at 454c/kg and $1675, while the second pen containing 14 Angus weighing 343kg was secured at 460c/kg and $1576.

John Gallop buying for A O'Meehan & Co, also secured five pens of weaner steers from Kangarabbi Farms, paying to a high of $1878 and 452c/kg for 11 Gelbvieh-Angus cross weaner steers weighing 416kg.

Springfield Farms, Newdegate, was also a notable buyer, securing nine pens of weaner steers.

It paid a high of $1802 and 464c/kg for 16 Angus weighing 388kg from MJE Grazing, Mt Barker.

The heifers kicked off with a small run of yearlings, with the majority of them again coming from Mountain Valley.

The highest price of $1678 was paid by Harvey Beef for five Charolais cross from Mountain Valley weighing 428kg at 392c/kg.

Reaching the highest cents per kilogram price of 412c/kg was Ocumup, Bremer, when it paid $1417 for 10 Angus cross weighing 344kg from Samwell Grazing Co, Napier.

A lotfeeder order secured three pens of Angus yearling heifers, paying to a high of $1652 when it secured 14 heifers from Mountain Valley, weighing 415kg, at 398c/kg.

The sale rounded out with weaner heifers, where prices reached a high of $1652 when Kalgrains bought six Charolais cross weaner heifers weighing 410kg from Cosla Pty Ltd, Marbellup, at 402c/kg.

Kalgrains continued its buying streak, buying four pens in total, including a pen of 18 Gelbvieh-Angus cross from Kangarabbi Farms weighing 377kg at 410c/kg and $1544.

Chimera Trust, Mt Barker, bid the 444c/kg top cents per kilogram value for weaner heifers when it had the final bid on 15 Angus weaner heifers weighing 263kg from GI & DL Harland, to return them $1168 a head.

Harvey Beef was a prominent buyer again through this section as well, securing eight pens, paying a high of $1373 for 17 Gelbvieh-Angus cross weaner heifers weighing 343kg at 400c/kg, from Kangarabbi Farms.

Also on the Harvey Beef buying book were two pens of Angus heifer weaners 14 averaging 315kg and 16 averaging 293kg from Jamie Dunross, which were secured for $1299 and $1208 after both being knocked down at 412c/kg.

What the agent said

Elders, Albany livestock manager and sale auctioneer Wayne Mitchell said the Elders team was very happy with the quality of the cattle presented.

"It was good to see a quality line-up of feeders and weaners at this year's weaner show and sale," Mr Mitchell said.

"The quality is a reflection of the good season that's been had, and the weight of the cattle in the sale were considerably higher than last year.

"It was also very pleasing, that with very few exceptions, the total yarding had been weaned prior to the sale which was reflected in the prices.

"Once again, the Elders Feeder Ready Cattle sold very well at high prices."

Mr Mitchell congratulated the show winners which were judged by Brett Page, A O'Meehan & Co feedlot manager, Borden, before the sale.

"It's a credit to the vendors and winners on the presentation of the cattle, they are well-deserving winners," he said.

"We appreciate the effort the vendors put into their weaning, animal health, and vaccination programs."