NARACOORTE
Yarding: 1281
Steers to $1210, av $785
Heifers to $1100, av $639
Cows with calves to $1910
PRICES were cheaper across most pens at the Naracoorte combined agents’ monthly store cattle sale on Thursday last week, but South East restockers paid a premium for European Union accredited backgrounder cattle.
The biggest falls were seen in steers 340 kilograms plus which were 20 to 30 cents a kilogram cheaper than the previous month.
Elders Lucindale branch manager Ronnie Dix said these cattle topped at $2.90/kg, whereas last month they were making $3.15/kg to $3.26/kg “all day”.
“Most feedlots are full for two to three weeks and it doesn’t help that the price of grain is going up about $5 a tonne a day,” he said.
Mr Dix said heavy heifers sold well but lighter heifers made the lowest prices for a long time, with 200kg heifers selling down to $300.
“Any heifers over 340kg were very strong – if it was EU 350-430kg it was $2.70-$2.90/kg or if not it was $2.50-$2.75/kg, but then you came back to $2.20-$2.40/kg for 200-260kg (heifers),” he said.
“We have not seen these prices for seven or eight years but 70-80 per cent of the country is in drought.
“They (buyers) are never going to get out of them before Christmas so they are reluctant to get into them.”
Mr Dix was confident the market would rebound quickly when rain returned to the eastern states.
Steer top price honours went to RM&GM Walter, Bordertown, who sold 15 June/July 2017-drops for $1210.
The 412 kilogram Angus were snapped up by Teys Charlton.
Their second pen of 11 weighing 385kg made $1095 to Thomas Foods International.
They also snapped up 23 Speckle Park steers from Hayward Props, Lameroo, for $995, equating to $2.86/kg.
Yalkuri, Meningie, also had a good run of 70 spring 2017 drop Angus-Hereford steers.
The tops of these weighing 344kg sold to Danny and Peta Fraser, Padthaway.
PG&SL Byrnes, Mildura, Vic, offloaded 257 well-bred, Bendulla blood Poll Hereford steers and heifers due to dry conditions.
Three pens of the August/October 2017-drop steers were knocked down to Rob Loechel, through Elders Lucindale, including the top pen of 11 weighing 302kg for $705.
“They are magnificent cattle- we love the reds,” he said.
His aim is to be fatten them to about 420 to 440kg by February next year.
The Byrneses also sold 161 heifers which topped at $625.
The best of the heifers at $1100 were eight Angus-Shorthorns from RJ Williams, Lochaber, which were knocked down to Princess Royal.
Other notable heifer sales included 15 EU, Simmental cross heifers from DL&AM Kilsby, which sold for $1070.
Most of the 1281 head yarding remained locally but commission buyer Geoff Wellington bought more than 150 head for Oster Family Trust, Pinnaroo, and Princess Royal, Burra secured 91 head.
A highlight of the Naracoorte sale was 105 magnificent Angus matrons from Weeroona Pastoral Company, Keith, with 107 March/April 2018-drop calves weighing about 260 kilograms.
All the cows were seven, eight and nine year old and rejoined to Roseleigh Angus bulls.
They were only being sold as Weeroona has sold a couple of its properties.
Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson Penola made the most of the opportunity snapping up both the top pen of 25 cows with calves in the first stage dispersal at $1910, as well as the 26 seconds at $1890.
“The cows with calves were very good units but they only just made around what you would get to split them,” Southern Australian Livestock auctioneer Mat MacDonald said.
‘People have been hesitant on the cattle job but with numbers down in the north prices can only improve.”
