BUYERS were out in force at last week's Elders Boyanup store sale and bid up strongly on their preferred cattle.
A quality line-up of first-cross unjoined heifers were a feature of the sale and buyers, who were looking for replacements after selling mated lines this season, responded accordingly pushing prices to a high of $2020.
The line-up of 243 heifers, which ranged from four months through to 20 months, averaged $1468 and nearly half the offering sold for more than $1500, even those in the four to eight-month-old bracket made more than $1000.
Not only were buyers strong on the first-cross, unmated heifers, they also bid hard on the other classes as well to ensure prices maintained current rates.
Friesian steers liveweight sold to $1445 and 285c/kg, while appraisal lines made up to $1130 and a few pens of Friesian bulls peaked at $650.
Liveweight beef steers sold to $1512 and 360c/kg and appraisal drafts peaked at $1190, while beef heifers liveweight made up to $1222 and 324c/kg.
A good run of mated cows topped at $2060 and cow/calf units returned a top of $2500.
Overall the sale averaged $1170 for the 794 head yarded.
The sale kicked off with the first-cross, unmated heifers and heifer-preparer specialists, who had sold mated lines late last year, were out in force to secure new heifers to mate and prepare for next season's mated sales.
Taking top price honours in this feature run was a pen of 12 well-grown, Angus-Friesian cross, offered by RJ & G Parravicini & Son, Harvey, when it was knocked down at $2020 to Elders Capel representative Rob Gibbings, who was bidding on behalf of the Roberts family, KS & EN Roberts & Son, Elgin.
A second pen of 10 Angus-Friesians from the Parravicini family also headed the Roberts family's way when Mr Gibbings secured them at $1880.
Mr Gibbings then went on to secure a pen of eight and a pen of 12 Murray Grey-Friesians for $2000 and $1840 respectively, from Uduc Brook Farms, Harvey, for the Roberts family.
Boyanup producers KL & AL Jilley were also prepared to bid up on the lines ready to mate and paid $1950 for five Angus-Friesians from GG Fry & Co, Brunswick, as well as $1940 and $1870 for two pens of eight Angus-Friesians from KD Rose & Co, Burekup.
Other buyers securing lines of heifers suitable to mate now were G & JM Perrella, who paid $1880 for eight Angus-Friesians from FE & PA Parravicini & Son, Cookernup, while VS & C Dimitriou secured 11 Angus-Friesians from Glamm Investments for $1720.
NR Love & VJ Roche, Pemberton and Norsca Holdings both bought two pens paying to $1550 and $1440 respectively.
As impressive as the prices were for the older lines it was probably the younger lines - those in the four to eight month age bracket - which attracted even stronger demand.
Twelve Angus-Friesians from J Marshall led the way when they were knocked down at $1240 to KL & AJ Jilley, while 11 Angus-Friesians from West & Haggerty made $1200 when purchased by LM & EA Crouch, Nannup.
The Crouchs also paid $1180 for 13 Angus-Friesians from Kaleden Farms and $1160 and $1140 for pens of five and 15 Angus-Friesians from Ryeland Dairy.
Saunders Beach was another operation to operate in these pens, securing four pens. It paid to $1190 for 14 Angus-Friesians from Bramley Dairy Trust and $1180 for seven Angus-Friesians from Ashvale Pastoral Co.
The small run of liveweight beef steers topped at $1512 for a pen of four Angus-cross averaging 522kg offered by SJ & TJ Cross Contracting when they were knocked down to DV Brockman & Co at 295c/kg.
The Brockman account also became home to six Hereford-cross weighing 463kg offered by HD Harrison & Co when they were pencilled in at 290c/kg and $1341.
Seven Angus-cross, averaging 429kg, sold at 250c/kg ($1071) to VA & MP Wright, while MR & L Piggott purchased five Angus-cross averaging 400kg, from DJ & GP Matheson at 285c/kg and $1140.
The best of beef heifers sold liveweight, saw Harvey Beef Farms pay $1222 (290c/kg) for eight Angus-cross averaging 421kg offered by LE Smith.
Two pens of eight Angus-cross heifers from DJ & GP Matheson and weighing 408kg and 364kg sold at 270c/kg to J Galati Family Trust.
Only a handful of beef steers were sold by appraisal and the top for these was $1190 paid by RD Cattle for six Angus-cross offered by Bramley Ventures.
It was a single Friesian steer weighing 615kg from LE Smith which attracted the $1445 top price in the liveweight Friesian steer pens when it was knocked down at 235c/kg to V&V Walsh.
Two pens of Friesian steers from SJ & TJ Cross Contracting attracted good money with a pen of 10 averaging 530kg selling at 245c/kg ($1297) to VA & MP Wright while a line of 11 weighing 491kg sold at 255c/kg ($1251) to JM Thompson.
Melrose Enterprises picked up two pens of Alf and Rose Russo Family Trust's steers bidding to 265c/kg for a line of 10 weighing 435kg and 255c/kg for another 10 averaging 460kg.
The top cents per kilogram price in the run was 285c/kg paid by PR & ML Lofthouse for a 15 steers weighing 353kg to return $1006 to vendor Mystic River Pty Ltd.
Appraisal Friesian steers got off to a good start when the first pen of 12 offered by WM Lane sold for the $1130 top price to Dairydale Pastoral, before Greenwood Grazing paid $1020 for 14 head offered by IJ & MP Sharp two pens later.
Other pens picked up by Greenwood Grazing included 15 head from S Furfaro at $950 and six at $900 from Glenarden.
The younger lines also sold well with 11 from West & Haggerty aged 4-6 months making $740 when knocked down to HJ Carter.
After selling older lines earlier, Alf and Rose Russo Family Trust replenished its paddocks with two pens of six and 16 head from Negus Enterprises Pty Ltd at $700 and 11 from Kaleden Farms at $710.
Three pens of Friesian bulls were offered by First Australian Farmland, with EA Barnes paying $650 for 16 and SH Fry & Sons picking up 16 at $610.
The small run of cows and calves peaked at $2500 for an Angus unit from Harris Beef Enterprises when it was picked up by PJ & BJ Tognolini, while Willowbank Agistment paid to $2420 for six Angus units from MJ & HE Harris.
The sale was rounded out by a good run of mated cows and prices peaked here at $2060 when GP & CM Coffey bid to this value for seven Angus from EA Barnes.
Another five Angus from EA Barnes made $1810 when knocked down to KM & BJ Giudici, while Ironwood Farm Pty Ltd paid $1750 for another five.
Ironwood also picked up three Angus cows from TP & SA Aldridge at $2000 and two Murray Grey crosses from Willowbank Agistment at $1650.
Sylvania Farms Pty Ltd also bid to $2000 for an Angus cross cow from Carbon Plus.
Other better prices were $1900 paid by Glamm Investments for two Murray Greys from TP & SA Aldridge and $1800 for five Murray Grey crosses offered by Willowbank and purchased by NC & LB Paine.