NARACOORTE
Yarding: 4732
Steers to $1360, av $1034
REPEAT buyers bid with confidence at last Thursday’s Naracoorte Christmas calf sale where most steers made about $3 a kilogram.
It was an exceptional yarding of largely autumn-2018-drop steers with about half of the 4732 head weighing more than 370 kilograms.
This reflected the buoyant SE season and because of this dollar a head returns were not far behind last year.
Landmark International’s live export order for 300-350kg Angus at $3.00/kg to $3.10/kg, was a big part of the sale’s success buying about 700 steers.
“It was an extremely good yarding, you could have sent a blind man to buy here today,” Landmark buyer Frank Glenane said.
The $1360 top price of the sale was paid for 24 Angus from Kennella, Pinnaroo.
The October/November 2017-drops which weighed 475.4kg were knocked down to Teys Charlton for $2.86/kg.
WV James & Son, Cooranga, Lucindale, were the sale’s biggest sellers with 842 outstanding EU steers averaging $1135, equating to an impressive $3.12/kg.
The tops of their March/April 2018 drop Angus steers – a pen of 24 weighing 428kg were knocked down for $1280.
But it was a pen of 359kg Speckle Park-Angus that had buyers ten-deep, making $1305.
The 359kg steers sold to Thomas Degaris & Clarkson account Merrett, equating to $3.64/kg.
It was the James family’s first offering of Speckle Park crosses after buying several bulls from NSW stud, Minnamurra.
S&R DiGiorgio & Sons, Lucindale, kicked off the sale with 560 Sterita Park Angus steers topping at $1302 and averaging $1056.
Their top pen which weighed 442kg sold to Princess Royal feedlot, Burra, for $2.94/kg.
Elders Lucindale branch manager Ronnie Dix said agents had been “incredibly nervous” prior to the sale but it exceeded expectations with the live export order the “saving grace.”
“There are limited places with grass to put cattle out, here and Gippsland and they seemed to be buying yearlings rather than calves,” he said.
“I said to a lot of clients if we get $2.90/kg to $3/kg anything better and we would have had a hell of a day which we did.”
Mr Dix said “homework and relationships” were big factors in the prices and it was good to see vendors rewarded for the quality of cattle with many repeat buyers.
TDC director Darren Maney said steers were 10-15c/kg better than expected based on recent sales.
“The shipping order was key and it has been the same for the last five years,” he said.
“The problem will be going forward if Labor gets into government and bans the trade – without it you could have taken 20c/kg off those steers below 350kg.”
Mr Maney said there was a 10-15c/kg premium for calves which were both weaned and EU, especially in the heavy end of steers.
Other notable sales:
LS Johnson & Son, Naracoorte: 185 Simmental-Hereford and Simmental-Hereford-Angus to $1320, av $1117
SA&GE Smith, Lucindale: 163 Angus to $1170, av $1043.
K&R Sherriff & Son, Keith: 114 Angus to $1086, av $1020
