Yarding: 942 sheep and lambs, 214 cattle
Lambs to $176
Steers to $1420
Cows to $1260
Numbers were up for both sheep and cattle on offer at the Mt Pleasant market on Thursday last week, with buyers willing to pay for quality.
An ample number of competitive buyers were in attendance, and many farmers also brought their kids along to the action with school holidays in full swing.
Landmark Fawcett Mount Pleasant principal Colin Fawcett was happy with the numbers and quality of stock available for sale.
“Numbers were on par, with close to one thousand sheep and lambs and 200 odd cattle on offer,” Mr Fawcett said.
With 783 lambs going at an average of $112.92 per head, Mr Fawcett said there were “solid prices for the quality on offer”, with Thomas Foods International and Australian Lamb Company among the bidders.
“There wasn’t a heap of weight there or anything, but lambs were met with pretty good demand, from light trade lambs right through to store lambs,” he said.
The top price paid for lambs was $176, for the largest pen of 15 offered by Poltallach Plains, Ashville.
M Kelcher, Nairne sold six lambs for $170, while G & JR Koopman, Charleston, secured the same price for a line of 12 lambs and AG & HC Mason, Forest Range with 13 lambs selling for $140 per head.
RM & M McGorman, Milendella had 10 hoggets fetch the top price of $120 per head and MC & LK Schneider, Dutton East had 20 ewes go for $152 each.
Mr Fawcett said there was “certaintly some grazier support” among the sheep buyers and that feedlotters were interested in cattle that were heavy enough.
“The quality of cattle was probably back a little bit, mainly due to the time of the year, but overall there was still pretty solid demand,” Mr Fawcett said.
“It’s much in line with what’s happening around the traps albeit I thought the small cattle sold pretty well.”
In the cattle shed, 122 steers, 62 heifers, 7 bulls, 14 cows and a couple of calves of predominantly Angus and Murray Grey breeding went to various buyers.
Steers went for an average of $697.21 per head, cows at $823.57 and bulls averaged $780, with Princess Royal and Austral Meat the main competitors in the bidding.
The top priced steer from SJ & TJ Walding, Mypolonga, sold for $1420 and the top bull, an Angus grown by Brian M Linke, Angaston went for $1080.
Top quality cows were also in demand, Len Owen, Netherby, sold two cows out of his five on offer for $1260 each, and Timothy Freund, Callington sold three cows for $980 each.
Dennis Rohrlach, Williamstown, HW & AD Andretzke, Angaston and Poonawatta Nominees Pty Ltd, Angaston, all took home $1000 for heifers.
NH & DM Kies, Lyndoch reached $1440 for a Murray Grey cow with calf at-foot, and AJ Watts, Brunkunga made $1320 for seven black cows with calves.
The next Mt Pleasant sale will be held on August 9.
