MOUNT GAMBIER
Yarding: 2259
Steers to $1680
Heifers to $1460
Cows with CAF to $2850
THERE was no sign of a slowdown in cattle prices at Mount Gambier’s monthly store on Friday.
Local agents with large orders battled it out with restockers and feedlot buyers for steers.
Heavy Angus steers, weighing 400 kilograms-plus sold at firm to dearer rates of $3.30 to $3.81/kg, while heavy coloured steers were firm at $3.09-$3.78/kg.
Midweight Angus steers, 350-400kg, were up, selling from $3.64-$4.20/kg and coloured steers in this weight range were firm to dearer, at rates of $3.36-$4.05/kg.
Angus steers in the 300-350kg weight range sold firm to significantly dearer - between $3.60-$4.34/kg - while coloured steers in this weight range were dearer at rates from $3.75-$3.99/kg.
Lighter Angus steers weighing less than 300kg sold from $4.27-$4.58/kg, about 30c/kg dearer, while lighter coloured steers sold about the $4 to $4.25c/kg mark, up 20-50c/kg.
Top price went to Cataze Park for four older Hereford-Simmental steers, 601kg, at $1680 or $2.80/kg, selling to RL Jones, Mt Gambier, while a second draft, 530kg, sold at $1640 or $3.09/kg to Elders, account Nampara.
Mt Gambier agents Ray White Keatley Livestock secured more than 240 steers, including 22 Angus steers, 10-12 months, 304kg, at $1300 or $4.27/kg, from Willowbank, Millicent, 22 Angus steers, 288kg, at $1230 or $4.58/kg, from Sandown Park, Bordertown, and 15 Angus steers, 8-10 months, 276kg, at $1180 or $4.27/kg, from Scotchmans Hill, Condah, Vic.
Keatley Livestock also bought the entire run of 62 TeMania-blood Angus steers, 11-13 months, from Double Scotch Pastoral Co, Furner, for an average of $1493. The top draft, 420kg, sold at $1520 or $3.78/kg, the second and third drafts, 356kg and 353kg, sold for $4.17/kg and $4.20/kg respectively, and eight younger Angus steers from the same vendor, 10-12 months, 311kg, made $1270 or $4.08/kg.
Landmark Kingston’s Richard Miller bought 150 steers from 300-400kg, including 11 Angus steers, 396kg, at $1470 or $3.71/kg from SM Watson, Macarthur, Vic, eight Angus steers, 328kg, at $1310 or $3.99/kg from Gralan, Mt Gambier, seven European Union-accredited Murray Grey steers, 7-12 months, 388kg, at $1490 or $3.84/kg, from DB&AM Slattery, Wannon, Vic, 12 Angus steers, 6-7 months, 300kg, at $1100 or $3.93/kg from AR&KJ Lucas, Kongorong, and 12 Angus-Limousin steers, 10 months, 303kg, at $1210 or $3.99/kg from Karrowa, Eight Mile Creek.
Thomas Foods International secured about 100 steers with weights from 390-450kg including 10 Angus steers, 17-18 months, 439kg, at $1560 or $3.55/kg from Redwood Park, Casterton, Vic, eight Angus steers, 12 months, 401kg, at $1460 or $3.64/kg from Hilltop, Burrungule, 17 Weeran and Nampara-bld Angus, 11-13 months, 392kg, at $1455 or $3.71/kg from Millanda Estate, Mt Gambier, and eight Rosewood-bld Limousin-cross steers, 13-14 months, 390kg, at $1450 or $3.72/kg from Rosewood Partnership, Hamilton, Vic.
Hopkins River Beef, Dunkeld, Vic, bought 60 EU-accredited, TeMania and Ardrossan-bld Angus steers, 10-12 months, with weights from 323-351kg, for an average of $1435, from Borderdowns, Strathdownie, Vic. The top draft of Borderdowns steers, 351kg, sold at $1455 or $4.15/kg, with a second draft, 323kg, selling at $1395 or $4.32/kg.
Wrights Swamp, Drumborg, Vic, sold 15 Pasturefed Cattle Assurance Scheme-accredited Pathfinder and Banquet-bld Angus steers, 9-11 months, 348kg, at $1415 or $4.07/kg to Hopkins River Beef, and a second draft of 16 steers, 328kg, at $1350 or $4.12/kg to Ray White Keatley Livestock.
Wattle View, Strathdownie, Vic, sold 59 Boonaroo-bld Angus steers with weights from 369-430kg for an av of $1537. The top draft, 430kg, sold at $1640 or $3.81/kg to Elders Mt Gambier, account Nampara. A second draft, 404kg, sold at $1520 or $3.76/kg to Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson Penola.
Bull Island, Lucindale, sold 30 Glatz’s Black Angus-bld steers, 11-12 months, 433kg. at $1630 or $3.76/kg to Elders, account Nampara, and a second draft of 29, 395kg, sold at $1500 or $3.80/kg to TFI.
Killarnie, Mingbool, sold 17 Pathfinder-bld Angus steers, 320kg, at $1320 or $4.13/kg to Miller Whan & John, Kingston SE, and their second draft of 22, 297kg, sold at $1340 or $4.51/kg to Ray White Keatley Livestock.
G&G Glare, Mumbannar, Vic, sold 19 EU-accredited Landfall-bld Angus steers, 322kg, at $1340 or $4.16/kg to Landmark Kingston, and a second draft of 23, 291kg, at $1260 or $4.33/kg to Ray White Keatley Livestock.
Tuscanna, West Avenue, sold 208 Angus steers, 8-9 months, with weights from 200-368kg, for an average of $1143. Scott Creek Livestock Mt Gambier bought 96 of the Tuscanna steers, paying from $1340 or $3.64/kg to $1070. Tuscanna’s top draft, 332kg, was bought by Landmark Kingston at $1330 or $4/kg.
The Wool Shed sold eight Hereford steers, 15 months, 426kg, at $1495 or $3.51/kg to RL Jones; LR&LR Leake sold 18 Hereford steers, 14-15 months, 409kg, at $1530 or $3.74/kg to Ray White Keatley Livestock.
Seymour Park sold 11 EU-accredited and PCAS-eligible Oakdown-bld Hereford-cross steers, 413kg, at $1555 or $3.76/kg to Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson, and a second draft. 363kg, at $1470 or $4.05/kg to Landmark Kingston.
Notawuri Park, Callendale, sold 12 Woonallee-bld Angus-Simmental steers, 12-14 months, 441kg, at $1630 or $3.70/kg to TFI, and a second draft, 418kg, sold at $1580 or $3.78/kg to O’Connor & Graney.
Friesian-cross steers sold to $3.75/kg,with Miller Whan & John paying $1250 or $3.75/kg for five Angus-Friesian steers 10-12 months, 333kg, from Kent Properties, Canunda, and also buying 11 Angus-Friesian steers, 393kg, at $1320 or $3.36/kg from Garden Flat, Allendale East.
Kongorong Dairies, Kongorong, sold 14 Friesian bull calves, four months at $460, and a second draft of 16 at $440.
Very strong competition for heifers between agents Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson, Landmark Kingston and Spence Dix & Co lead prices to be driven up to unprecedented levels.
Heifer prices were equal to those paid in the steer run, consistently making from the mid $3.90/kg to $4.50/kg.
Ray White Keatley Livestock principal Dale Keatley said good cattle were good buying, with the plainer, inferior types making only slightly less at ‘ridiculous money’.
Nangkita, Eight Mile Creek, sold 18 Nampara-blood Angus heifers, 12-14 months, 323kg, at $1460 or $4.52/kg, and a second draft, 359kg, at $1410 or $3.93/kg, with both selling to Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson, account Baamoo, Lucindale.
Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson also bought 19 Nampara-bld Angus heifers, 12-13 months, 352kg, at $1400 or $3.98/kg from G&D Dobbe, Dartmoor, Vic, and 13 Angus-crosses, 349kg, at $1250 or $3.58/kg from Glenora, Strathdownie, Vic.
Landmark Kingston secured six EU-accredited Banemore-bld Hereford heifers, 12 months, at $1350 or $3.68/kg from Nayook South, Allendale East, and a second draft from the same vendor, 304kg, at $1100 or $3.62/kg and 28 Angus heifers, 285kg, at $1120 or $3.93/kg from Jarrup Pty Ltd, Digby, Vic.
Landmark Casterton, Vic, bought five Granite Ridge-bld Angus heifers, 369kg, at $1420 or $3.85/kg from JG&CK Clarke, Kingston SE, and a draft of 22 Boonaroo-bld Angus heifers, 318kg, at $1270 or $3.99/kg from Ruthven, Lake Mundi, Vic.
Tuscanna, West Avenue, sold 117 Angus heifers, 8-9 months, for an average of $1156, the tops, 335kg, sold at $1330 or $3.97/kg to Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson, Penola, and a second draft, 298kg, sold at $1230 or $4.13/kg to Spence Dix & Co and Landmark Kingston bought 42 unweighed Tuscanna heifers at $1100.
Wrights Swamp, Drumborg, Vic, sold 18 Pathfinder and Banquet-bld Angus heifers, 9-11 months, 306kg, at $1290 or $4.22/kg to Spence Dix & Co, and a second draft, 274kg, at $1160 or $4.23/kg to Miller Whan & John.
G&G Glare, Mumbannar, Vic, sold 26 EU-accredited Landfall-bld Angus heifers, 312kg, at $1280 or $4.10/kg to Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson, and two lighter drafts, 288kg and 271kg, selling to Spence Dix & Co at $1240 or $4.30/kg and $1,190 or $4.37/kg respectively.
An increased yarding of cows with calves at-foot were offered with good quality units selling to a top of $2850.
The top price was made for seven Angus-cross first and second calvers, not rejoined, with seven January/February-drop Angus CAF sold Woolabree Properties, Lucindale, and a further nine Angus-cross cows with nine CAF, with both drafts selling to Elders Millicent.
Berean Equation, Port Macdonnell, sold 10 Angus sixth calvers, not rejoined, with 10, 9-12 week Angus CAF, at $2720 and a second draft of 10 mature aged Angus cows with Angus CAF at $2360, both to O’Connor & Graney, Mt Gambier.
K&L Verrall, Burrungule, sold six Angus-cross cows, not rejoined, with six Warrawindi Limousin CAF at $2220 to Elders Millicent.