Whiteface weaner sales got off to a solid start this season with strong demand for purebred and Hereford cross steers and heifers.
The market reached a top of 350 cents a kilogram and $1413 a head.
Herefords Australian general manager Andrew Donoghue said the weaner sales opened up quite strongly and were well supported.
“Once again it was evident that there was demand for good EU-accredited Hereford steers as well,” he said.
The Naracoorte summer weaner sale season ended on a high on January 18 and 19, with prices lifting up to 10c/kg on the previous sale, held a fortnight earlier.
Topping the sale at $1413 were 20 Poll Hereford steers from T&ME Davis, Benbacula, Penola. The May/June 2016-drops, 466kg, sold to JBS Australia, which bought 241 steers at the sale.
MacLachlan Props, Pewsey Vale, also had a wellbred line of Poll Hereford heifers that sold up to $3.16/ kg for a pen of 21 weighing just less than 300kg.
Yarding Herefords at Casterton, Vic, on January 8 and 9 were WE and GJ Lambert, Taronga, Paschendale, Vic, with 178 European Union-accredited calves weighing from 290-390kg.
The tops of the Taronga steers made $3.30/kg for 71, which headed to Gippsland, Vic.
Hereford cross heifers attracted big prices in Naracoorte on January 5, and topping the sale was David and Wendy Lawrie, Bloomfield, Lochaber, with 12 Woonallee-blood Simmental-Herefords, 371kg, that made $1300 or $3.50/kg, selling to Elders Naracoorte.
The Lawries also sold a further 10 Simmental-Herefords at 327kg for $980 or $2.99/kg and six at 255kg for $800 or $3.13/kg.
At the Mount Gambier store sale on January 12, the top price for Herefords was $1190 or $2.69/kg for 12 at 442kg from Reichelt, Keith.
Making the second-highest price for Herefords was SA Cattle Co, Kingston, with 13 EU steers, 407kg, sold for $1170 or $2.87/kg to Princess Royal.
Heifers reached a high of $1140 with RE&MJ Wittwer’s, Penola, 20 Herefords, 428kg, that sold for $2.66/kg to Princess Royal.
Day three of the Hamilton, Vic, weaner sales in January had the best-presented pen winners Debbie and Bruce Miller, Nareen, Vic, sell 28 Hereford steers, 375kg, making $3.31/kg.
Leon and Sally Wheeler, Wallacedale, Vic, topped the sale with 23 EU-Hereford steers, 431kg, at $1297 or $3.01/kg.
In the Hereford section at Casterton, Vic, on January 18, the best of the day was a pen of 22 heifers, account Butchers, that sold for $3.06c/kg or $1047 on average weights of 342kg.
Karingal sold 16 Injemira and Yarram Park-blood heifers at $3.06/kg or $980, while K,S,M&G Davies sold 21 heifers for $3.13/kg or $973.
