MOUNT GAMBIER
Yarding: 1487
Steers to $1300
Heifers to $920
Cows with CAF to $1650
PRICES headed south at the September store cattle sale held last Friday at Mount Gambier, with none of the weighed cattle breaking through the $3 a kilogram mark.
A few lines of good quality animals stood out in a generally plain yarding.
Buyers were hard to find among one of the smallest galleries in recent times.
Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson’s Darren Maney was upbeat in his assessment of store cattle prices, saying that, relative to prime cattle values, he has never seen the gap between store cattle and fat cattle so profitable in the past 30 years.
“You can sell bullocks for $2100 and buy a good little steer back in for $700, whereas this time last year, you were selling for $2100, but paying $1200 or more to buy a store steer back in,” he said.
T Hunt & Son, Kalangadoo, sold 13 Angus-cross steers, 459kg, for the market high of $1300 or $2.83/kg to regular buyer, Nampara.
Nampara also bought 15 Angus/Hereford steers, April/May 2017-drop, 448kg, at $1250 or $2.79/kg, offered by Milroy Pastoral Co, Mingbool, and 14 European Union-accredited Banemore-blood, Hereford and Hereford-cross steers, 438kg, at $1270 or $2.89/kg from Nayook South, Allendale East.
The Estate of L Morutto, Bray, sold 14 Angus steers, 12-14 months old, 414kg, at $1100 or $2.65/kg to Scott Creek Livestock, and a second draft of 13 Angus steers, 399kg, to $1050 or $2.63/kg to Thomas Foods International.
Hammer Springs sold 17 Angus steers, April/May 2017-drop, 430kg, at $1060 or $2.46/kg to Scott Creek Livestock, with its second draft, 389kg, sold at $1070 or $2.75/kg to Ray White Keatley.
Talisbrae Merino, Vic, sold 40 Bassano-bld Angus steers, 14-17mo, 308-415kg, to $1020 or $2.45/kg, averaging $932.
Kumara SE Pty Ltd, Kalangadoo, sold 76 Pathfinder-bld Angus steers, 11-13mo, 313-369kg, to Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn & Steen, with the top draft at $1050 or $2.84/kg.
Borderdowns, Strathdownie, sold 48 EU TeMania and Adrossan-bld Angus steers , 10-11mo, 271-369kg to $935 or $2.84/kg.
CT Atkin & Co sold 16 Melville Park-bld Hereford steers, March/April 2017-drop at $1200 with a a second draft, 411kg, at $1,100 or $2.67/kg.
Hillside, Mingbool, sold 11 Spotshill-bld Hereford steers, 362kg, at $1080 or $2.98/kg, and a second draft, 327kg, at $940 or $2.87/kg.
Nayook South sold six EU Banemore-bld Hereford and Hereford-cross steers, April/May 2017-drop, 360kg, at $920 or $2.55/kg.
GT Trading, Lucindale, sold 16 Hereford steers, 9-10mo, 353kg, $1040 or $2.94/kg.
Twenty four cows with calves at-foot, were sold by a single vendor, Dycer Nominees, Burrungule, with the top draft of five black baldy second-calvers, with five Pathfinder and Boonaroo-bld Angus CAF, sold at $1650 and a run of mixed-age Angus cows sold at $1550.
LR&CM Kent, Millicent, sold 10 Angus heifers in light condition, pregnancy-tested in-calf to Charolais bulls at $450.
Beechwood, Heywood, Vic, sold 13 Angus heifers, 407kg, at $920 or $2.26/kg to Creek Livestock, who also bought three Angus heifers, 465kg, at the equal top price at $920 or $1.98/kg, offered by P Saffin.
Talisbrae, Merino, Vic sold 42 Bassano-bld Angus heifers 14-17mo, 341kg, at $765 or $2.24/kg, with two lighter drafts, 315kg and 294kg, sold at $630 or $2/kg and $610 or $2.07/kg respectively.
Borderdowns, Strathdownie, Vic sold 13 TeMania and Ardrossan-bld Angus heifers 10-11mo, 304kg, at $655 or $2.15/kg, with a second draft, 218kg, at $460 or $2.11/kg.
JW,PJ&KM Black sold 10 Shorthorn heifers, 16mo, 395kg at $890 or $2.25/kg.
Wirey Swamp, Casterton, Vic, sold eight Boonaroo-bld Angus heifers, 328kg, at $690 or $2.10/kg and a second draft, 272kg, at $600 or $2.20/kg.