Steer calves top the prices paid at combined agents weaner sale in South West
Another successful combined agents weaner sale at Boyanup last week had vendors and agents smiling alike, with one vendor saying a pen of his heifers made 150c/kg more than last year.
A full capacity yarding of calves weaned for a minimum of 10 days was presented.
Weights dropped a little compared with the previous sale but overall, values were very similar.
Steer calves topped at $1898 per head and 558c/kg liveweight with heifers selling to $1610 and 458c/kg.
Sale summary
- Beef steers: 400-558c/kg ($1156-$1898)
- Beef heifers: 340-458c/kg ($918-$1610)
The average weight of calves in the Elders catalogue lifted to 330kg while in the Nutrien Livestock section, weights eased by 28kg to 302kg.
Elders sold 500 weaners to $1898 and 548c/kg, averaging $1474, while Nutrien Livestock's calves topped at $1820 and 558c/kg, with 900 weaners averaging $1381.
A similar buying gallery was present with a larger percentage of the offering bought for graziers to put in the paddock.
Elders
Elders was the first seller and topped its steer offering with the first pen sold, 12 Angus steers weighing 435kg from MR & AJ Billing bought by Elders Margaret River agent, Jacques Martinson, for $1898 at 436c/kg.
The next pen from this vendor with 13 head went to Graham Brown, Brown's Cattle Consulting, at 452c/kg to cost $1649.
Limousin cross steers from Cavoto Brothers, Donnybrook, then made $1548 when Alex Tunstill, Elders Capel, bid to 430c/kg.
The first of the Black Simmental and Murray Grey calves from RP Bass and KR Pinch, Boyup Brook, went to Daniel Delaney, Delaney Livestock Service, with the 10 weighing 399kg making $1723 at 432c/kg.
Chris Waddingham, Nutrien Livestock, Capel, paid $1644 at 448c/kg for seven 367kg SimAngus from RA Scott and M Wilson for his lotfeeder client.
The first of the Angus weighing 341kg from P & A Macleay, Busselton, went to Brad McDonnell, Elders Pemberton, making $1585 and 464c/kg.
Later another pen of 12 weighing 314kg cost Lexden Park, Capel, $1652 at 526c/kg.
Motts Natural Agriculture, Busselton, topped at $1806 paid by Mr Martinson for eight weighing 406kg.
Six Angus weighing 335kg sold by GJ & GM Allen, Boallia, went to Lexden Park making $1522 at 542c/kg, with Ben McColm, Elders Busselton, snapping up another 10 for $1637.
Lexden Park added 11 sold by Jelf Super Fund at $1549 and 530c/kg followed by 10 sold by WA College of Agriculture (WACOA) - Harvey at $1556 and the top price of 548c/kg.
Several pens of Murray Grey calves from Bass and Pinch saw Alex Roberts, Elders Boyanup, pay $1578 at 468c/kg for the first 13 weighing 337kg later adding two more pens for $1597 and $1545.
Another pen containing nine calves went to Mr Delaney at 434c/kg to cost $1627.
Jock Embry, Nutrien Livestock Busselton, was active in both agents, paying $1665 at 508c/kg for seven Limousin cross sold by Cavoto Brothers weighing 327kg.
It took a few pens of heifers before the top price line was sold, five Angus weighing 431kg from ML & BR Parsons, Donnybrook, going to Greg Jones at $1603 and 372c/kg.
Mr Jones had bought earlier pens from Bass & Pinch at $1532 and 400c/kg as well as the neighbouring pen from CM & DJ Forrest at $1458, with the seven weighing 377kg making 386c/kg.
WACOA-Harvey sold pens of lightweight heifers to the top price of 458c/kg, bought by Welldon Beef, Williams, for $1279.
Nutrien Livestock
Nutrien Livestock's top steer price was paid for nine mixed breed steers weighing 415kg from PE Singleton, Manjimup, when Mr Martinson paid $1820 at 438c/kg for these in the fourth pen offered.
The first three pens were filled with calves from PH & CE Moyes, Bridgetown, with Mr Brown taking the first 11 weighing 397kg at $1789 and Mr Delaney the next two pens of 11 and 12 weighing to 380kg and costing $1725 and $1615 at 460c/kg.
Mr Embry took over the buying for the feedlot client from auctioneer Mr Waddingham, starting with 10 Angus sold account Creekside Holdings for $1526.
Soon 13 weighing 386kg from Capel Creek, Donnybrook, were added at $1787 and 462c/kg followed by 12 of the Len Blyth steers weighing 386kg at $1664 and 454c/kg.
Three pens of the Capel Creek calves went to Mr Delaney to a consistent $1633, $1667 and $1660, for up to 466c/kg.
Regular vendors of well-bred and quality Angus, G Tassos & Co, saw Brett Chatley, Nutrien Livestock Manjimup, unbeatable when buying all four pens for his Northcliffe client.
The first 12 weighing 364kg sold for $1675 at 460c/kg and the other lines with 12 in each made $1619, $1698 and $1708, for up to 542c/kg.
A second run of Capel Creek calves saw Mr McDonnell pay the top of $1715 for the eight weighing 323kg making 530c/kg.
Mr Embry took the last pen of 10 weighing 279kg at 552c/kg to spend $1542, adding the 17 in the next pen sold by Torridon Farms for $1588 and 550c/kg.
Hampton Farms, Donnybrook, sold several pens of Murray Grey calves, with the top pen weighing 322kg making $1613 at 500c/kg when bought for AH & SM Padman, Capel.
Three other pens of the Hampden Farm greys also went to the Capel property for $1590, $1609 and $1493 for up 534c/kg.
Pearce Watling, Elders Donnybrook, secured several pens of the Len Blyth Charolais calves, paying $1524 for the first pen of 12 weighing 338kg and later adding eight more at $1257 and $1235 for 500c/kg.
The top of 558c/kg was paid for the last pen sold containing 11 Angus weighing 207kg from P Princi with F & KA Shore outlaying $1156 for them.
The top price double for heifers was achieved by PE Singleton when its pen of 10 mixed breed heifers weighing 389kg, topped at $1610, when Chris Dunlop, Nutrien Livestock, Collie, bid to 414c/kg.
Angus heifers from PH & CE Moyes, Bridgetown, reached $1487 and 402c/kg when bought by Mr Embry, with Ben Cooper, Nutrien Livestock, Bridgetown, paying $1274 for 10 weighing 344kg.
The top price of 432c/kg was paid by Adam Becker Livestock for 12 mixed breeds from Capel Creek, Donnybrook, with the 287kg heifers costing $1243.
Welldon Beef then bid to 430c/kg for the next 12 of these to spend $1191 for the 277kg females.
Mr Dunlop took the first two pens of Hampden Farm heifers, paying to $1386 at 428c/kg.
Geoff Willis, Capel, picked up the odd pen throughout the sale, but lifted the tempo on the final run, snapping up 10 lines in succession of the Hampden Farm heifers.
The first 11 weighing 285kg cost $1140 at 400c/kg
with 16 Murray Greys weighing 256kg selling at 412c/kg to cost $1055, to be the higher priced units.
What the agent said
Elders auctioneer and Donnybrook representative, Pearce Watling, said it was another good quality yarding of weaned new season feeder and backgrounder calves.
"Weights were quite similar to recent Boyanup weaner fixtures," Mr Watling said.
"The sale attracted another full gallery of buyers with bidding competition across all categories seeing a firm to fully firm market.
"Feeder steers sold from 420-450c/kg and steers going back to the paddock from 450-530c/kg while heifers sold in the 370-400c/kg price range."
