NARACOORTE
Yarding: 746
PTIC heifers to $2030
PTIC cows to $1800
A SELECTION of fine pregnancy tested in calf females sold to $2030 at the annual Angus feature female sale at Naracoorte on Thursday.
A reduced yarding was met with strong competition from a buying crowd that included Mid and Upper South East restockers, with several pens also making their way over the border through Southern Grampians Livestock.
Spence Dix & Co director Jono Spence said the top end of the sale met expectations.
"There was some very good heifers that were a little later joined, that were certainly cheap enough," he said.
"The market really showed that buyers want them earlier joined, despite there being a trend in some quarters to moving away from those early-joined females because of calving in the heat."
Mr Spence said some later joined females were equal to or slightly below trade prices, while the top end were well and truly above trade prices.
The majority of heifers on offer were March/April 2018-drops and sold to $2030, while 137 PTIC cows sold to $1800.
The decreased yarding from 2018 was attributed to a tighter season, with more heifers being retained, and some long-term vendors building herd numbers.
Connor Pastoral, Tintinara, was the volume buyer of the heifer section, which topped at $2030 for 18 March/April 2018-drop Roseleigh-blood heifers, joined to Roseleigh bulls from May to July, from Black Range, Willalooka.
The same vendor had another run of 18 heifers make $1980 and a larger run of 27 sell for the same price.
Williup, Hynam, sold 15 heifers, joined to Stoney Point Angus bulls, for $2020, with another pen of 15 from the same vendor attracting a winning bid of $2000.
Delta Produce, Sherwood, had a successful sale as 17 of their Stoney Point/Coolana-blds, joined with Stoney Point bulls, made $1960, with another run of 20 selling for the same price.
In total, Delta sold 83 heifers for a healthy average of $1927.
Topping the cow section were 14 March/April 2016-drop cows from Gunyah Trust, Binnum, joined with Duck Island bulls, selling for the top price of $1800.
The same pen was named the best-presented pen of cows by selling agents Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn & Steen and Spence Dix & Co.
Taking out the best-presented pen of heifers was a run of 13 Te Mania-blds, artificially inseminated by Lanfall Keystone and joined with back up Te Mania bulls, from Swiss Australian Farm Holdings, off 'Naweena', Padthaway, which were then sold for $1600.
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