‘Outstanding’ prices for Casterton heifers

The two agents had previously run separate smaller sales.

Friday's pens were full for the final sale of a long fortnight of western Vic sales.

The 2567 weaners sold to bidders from Gunnedah, Hay and Holbrook in NSW, as well as Mount Gambier, Naracoorte and Lucindale. Vic was well represented with buyers from Ballarat, Leongatha, Hamilton and Echuca, along with some local buying support.

The yarding of predominately Angus and Herefords and their crosses sold to $818 averaging $569, and rates were up to 30 cents/kg better than in 2014.

Top-price dollars/kg honours at $2.44/kg went to Troy O'Connell, Tora Downs, Wando Vale, Vic, with 21 Boonaroo-blood Angus.

Mr O'Connell was clearly surprised by the strength of the bidding on his 306kg heifers, which made $747.

"I didn't think they were as good as last year but the price is outstanding," he said. They were bought by Ray White Keatley Mount Gambier's Scott Creek for Benara Pastoral, Mount Gambier.

He bought 100 for Benara at $713 on the 315kg calves, or $2.26/kg. They will become part of Benara's breeding herd and will be joined to Angus for a February 2016 calving.

Mr Creek took two more B-double loads to become one of the major buyers. These were 104 Angus heifers at $2.15/kg or $608 to go on grass at Albury, NSW, before going into a feedlot, and 100 Angus and black baldies for another client at $2.13/kg or $594.

"It was about $20 a head more than I was hoping to pay for them but it is about where the other sales have been," he said.

Stonehaven topped the sale in dollars a head with 11 Charolais-Shorthorn heifers, 364kg Morgiana-blood, at $819 or $2.25/kg to Peter Tuohey Livestock, Avoca, Vic.

In total, Stonehaven sold 32 heifers av $756.

Shane and Jodie Foster, Boonaroo Angus stud, Casterton, were active on the top-end Angus heifers, buying 118 from their clients. Among their purchases were 21 Angus from EL&LA Short, Curramulka, at $2.35/kg.

The Fosters recently bought a neighbouring property and will AI-mate the heifers to one of their low birthweight, calving-ease sires before selling them next year as a line of PTIC heifers.

"It is a way of rewarding our clients, many who have been buying bulls off us for a decade now," Ms Foster said.

"Angus cattle in the Casterton area have come a long way in the past 10-15 years when the top lines were dominated by Herefords."

She said they had expected to pay about $700 for replacement heifers and averaged $674.

Elders continued its tradition of awarding a shield for the best-presented pen to one of their clients. It was won by Paul and Lowanne O'Brien, Sunnyside, Casterton, who were commended for the length, growth and weight-for-age of their April 2014-drop heifers. The 30 Pathfinder-bloods, which had been weaned for six weeks, sold to Nampara Pastoral, Penola, at $2.32/kg.

Other major buyers included Landmark Leongatha's Adam Sutton, who took 250 Angus and Herefords, 280kg to 320kg to go into the paddock at Traralgon, Vic. He said the sale was a bit easier than at Hamilton, Vic, and while the cattle had good frame they did not have the "meat cover".

"They were still good cattle," he said.