Buyers prepared to bid more for quality weaned calves at store cattle sale
Nutrien Livestock penned 1320 cattle at its store cattle sale at Boyanup last Friday, made up of beef steers and heifers.
The quality was mixed, with buying support dictated by weight and quality of individual pens.
Both yearling and new season weaned and unweaned calves were presented.
Heavy cattle eased in value with lotfeeders buying suitable weight yearlings for the local market holding to recent values.
Sale summary
- Beef steers: $1009-$1926
- 500kg+: 340-360c/kg
- 450-500kg: 340-402c/kg
- 400-450kg: 270-444c/kg
- 350-400kg: 270-456c/kg
- 300-350kg: 280-538c/kg
- 250-300kg: 200-528c/kg
- 250kg: 300-596c/kg
- Beef heifers: $740-$1756
- 450kg+: 346-362c/kg
- 400-450kg: 250-412c/kg
- 350-400kg: 200-490c/kg
- 300-350kg: 200-508c/kg
- 250-300kg: 212-396c/kg
- 250kg: 220-390c/kg
With both weaned and unweaned calves offered, it was encouraging to see buyers prepared to bid more for weaned calves of quality.
Emphasising this was one vendor who sold weaned calves at the weaner sale on Wednesday and unweaned calves at this sale.
The calves were of similar weight and quality but returned a 30c/kg premium for weaned calves.
Steers topped at $1926 with lightweights less than 250kg reaching 596c/kg.
Heavy heifers sold to $1756, with heifers in the 300-350kg weight range topping at 508c/kg.
Several buyers dominated the clerking sheets, no more than Jamie Davies, Kalgrains, Wannamal, who bought 53 lots for Kalgrains and Western Meat Packers (WMP) that he will feed on before processing.
Nutrien Livestock agents, Jock Embry, Margaret River, Jamie Abbs, Boyup Brook, Richard Pollock, Waroona and Ben Cooper, Bridgetown, were also strong buyers for various clients.
The first pen of heavy steers weighing 520kg from RM & MJ Nix, Boyup Brook, made $1872 when WMP paid 360c/kg for them.
Four pens of Angus and Murray Grey steers just more than 500kg sold by Lyndith Farm, Bridgetown, all went to WMP for $1827, $1824, $1839 and $1812 costing from 350-360c/kg.
Murray Grey steers weighing 491kg from Shorelands Pastoral Co, Williams, joined them at $1839 and 350c/kg, before the next 11 Shorelands steers were clerked to Kalgrains at $1770 and 404c/kg.
Mr Abbs started with a pen of Shorelands steers, paying $1772 at 374c/kg for ten weighing 474kg.
The first line of quality Angus steers sold by Gan Family Trust, Winnejup, took the top steer price when WMP spent $1926 at 360c/kg for four weighing 535kg.
Semini Enterprises, Treeton, selected several pens for the feedlot, starting with nine Angus from Norweb Agriculture weighing 432kg and costing $1859 at 430c/kg.
Just missing the top price by $2 was a line of 11 Angus weighing 445kg from Matt Armstrong, Nannup, when selling to Semini Enterprises for $1924 and 432c/kg.
Other early pens from Mr Armstrong sold for $1883 and $1856 bought by Alex Tunstill, Elders Capel, for a southern lotfeeder.
Illustrating the benefit of breeding and quality were pens of unweaned Angus weaners sold by G Tassos & Co, Bridgetown, with Graham Brown, Browns Cattle Consulting, paying $1751 at 446c/kg for 11 weighing 392kg, with Mr Abbs snapping up two pens for $1650 and $1560 costing to 454c/kg, with RL Guidici taking the fourth pen of 325kg calves at 478c/kg to cost $1553.
The best of the Roslyn Farms calves sold to Kalgrains making $1538.
Lighter weight weaners saw a pen of 11 weighing 306kg from MW Baldock, Bridgetown, go to Lexden Park, Capel, with these making $1607 at 524c/kg, with the next pen costing Lexden Park, $1512 when the 295kg steers sold at 512c/kg.
Lexden Park later paid $1616 at 538c/kg for 11 steers from KW Dunnet, Manjimup.
Lanstal Pty Ltd, Pinjarra, had several pens of mainly lightweight Angus with Mr Pollock buying five pens to a top of $1399 for 14 weighing 265kg before adding the steer top price at 596c/kg with the 220kg calves costing $1313.
The start of the yearling heifers saw Errol Gardiner, Nutrien Livestock, Brunswick/Harvey, kick into gear, snapping up the first four pens offered for a regular buyer who was unable to attend the sale.
The first two lines of Simmentals from IR & RB Staples, Harvey, saw six weighing 501kg make $1735 at 346c/kg and the next seven weighing 456kg cost $1652 and 362c/kg.
Four heifers of 428kg from Farris Family Trust, Busselton, sold at 360c/kg
to cost $1540, with two weighing 406kg sold by DE King & VJ Nix, joining the load at $1455 and 358c/kg.
Murray Grey heifers sold by Elysian Fields, Harvey, saw Mr Gardiner take the first eight weighing 458kg for $1649 and 360c/kg, with WMP paying $1579 at
364c/kg for the next line of nine weighing 433kg.
Mr Embry bought two lines of nine in each pen for $1482 and $1439 at 368c/kg and 380c/kg respectively.
He later paid the top female price of $1756 for a pen of four Limousin heifers weighing 426kg sold by RM & MJ Nix, paying 412c/kg.
Among the sale's higher returns included five Angus from Gan Family Trust weighing 478kg bought by Mr Gardiner at 350c/kg to return $1675, followed by Mr Embry bidding to 390c/kg and $1618 for two Angus cross heifers sold account EP & DK Gardiner, Brunswick.
A run of Angus and Shorthorn heifers from Lanstal Pty Ltd, Pinjarra, topped at $1011 when WMP bid to 306c/kg for the 330kg cattle, then adding two pens for $913 and $908.
Ten Lanstal Angus went to WMP with the 317kg heifers selling at 310c/kg to return $984.
Ben Cooper, Nutrien Livestock, Bridgetown, paid $1330 for five Murray Grey heifers weighing 350kg sold by T & FM Logrande, adding a single for $1313 after bidding to 370c/kg.
Mr Cooper finished the sale by taking 10 pens of lightweight Angus heifers from the Lanstal offering, mainly holding 10 or 11 heifers with weights varying from 245kg down to 194kg.
These mainly sold from 370c/kg to a top of 390c/kg
for the heaviest weighing 245kg and costing $957.
What the agent said
Nutrien Livestock auctioneer and Capel agent, Chris Waddingham, said the company yarded 1320 beef steers and heifers at this month's store sale.
"The yarding was mixed in quality, with the majority of the offering being forward in condition," Mr Waddingham said.
"The composition of the yarding included yearlings and new season calves, both weaned and unweaned.
"Heavy yearling steers and heifers eased 15-20c/kg, with lack of competition evident, however yearlings light enough to feed for the domestic market sold fully equal.
"New season calves varied in pricing based on quality, type and whether they were weaned.
"A very clear preference was on display for the weaned article from the buying gallery."
