Heifers in high demand at Mt Gambier

But the female offering achieved the highest prices, with 1617 heifers topping at $1790, up from a top of $1480 in February, and a limited selection of cows and calves selling to $2675, up from last month's best result of $1610.

Heavy Angus steers weighing more than 450 kilograms sold from $3.25/kg to $3.55/kg, with coloured steers in this weight range selling from $3.13-$3.41/kg.

Angus steers from 360-450kg made from $3.28-$4.14 /kg, while coloured steers 360-450kg sold from $3.22-$4.08/kg. Angus steers from 320-360kg sold at prices from $3.14-$4.21/kg, with coloured steers of the same weights selling from $3.03-$3.87/kg.

Lighter Angus steers 280-320kg sold from $3.28-$4.06/kg, while coloured steers in this weight range made $3.09-$3.78/kg. Angus steers under 280kg sold from $3.54-$4.26/kg, and lighter coloured steers made from $3.23-$3.78/kg.

Nutrien Ag Solutions Mount Gambier's Sam O'Connor said prices held up well, despite the yarding being much larger than advertised.

Related reading: Prices surge from start to finish at Mt Gambier

"With such big numbers yarded, grown steers lacked a bit of expected competition but once we turned the corner and got onto the weaner steers, the job picked up again and was very strong all the way through on all breeds.

"A couple of outstanding pens of dispersal heifers sold above expectations and the rest of the heifer job followed suit."

Brendan Jacobsen, buying for Schubert Boers, Albury, NSW, twice paid the top price a head of $1780; the first for a draft of 15 Angus steers, weighing 515kg at 14 months, from LA Young & A Lee, Jye Park, Portland, Vic, and again for 14 Angus steers, 14-16-months-old and 505kg, from The Farm, Mingbool, for $3.52/kg.

Mr Jacobsen bought 430 weighed Angus and coloured steers, including six Bassano-blood Angus, 465kg, at $1650 or $3.55/kg from GJ&KF Carr, Heywood, Vic; 27 Nampara and Banquet-bld Angus and Angus-crosses, 335kg, at $1410 or $4.21/kg from Kleenview, Casterton, Vic; 27 Angus, 372kg, at $1450 or $3.90/kg from G&D Koenig, Dartmoor, Vic, and 19 Angus, 15-18mo and 353kg, at $1370 or $3.88/kg from MJ&BJ Little, Mumbannar, Vic.

Regular vendors DC McEachern, Kongorong, sold their annual draft, with 119 Pasturefed Cattle Assurance System-eligible Angus-Hereford and Hereford steers yarded.

The McEachern Angus-Hereford draft averaged $1318, with the 343kg tops making $1390 or $4.05/kg to Elders Naracoorte. The Hereford steer draft averaged $1287 and topped at $1400 or $3.59/kg to Schubert Boers.

Sunnyside, Casterton, sold 24 Boonaroo blood Angus steers 9-11 months, both the top draft, av 287kg selling at $1100 or $3.83/kg and a second draft av 249kg selling at $1060 or $4.26/kg went to Elders Casterton.

Clover Flat, Heywood, Vic, sold eight Red Angus steers, 429kg, at $1750 or $4.08/kg to Teys Australia; MC Northcott, Suttontown, sold 12 Speckle Park steers, 391kg, at $1480 or $3.79/kg to Nutrien Ag Solutions, and RK&SM Johnson, Benara, sold 19 Warrensville-bld Hereford steers, 355kg, at $1375 or $3.87/kg

Kanowa, Allendale East, sold 12 Angus-Limousin steers, 251kg at 10mo, at $950 or $3.78/kg to Elders Lucindale.

Heifers sold to a high of $1790 for 22 PCAS, Te Mania and Stoney Point-bld, 11-12mo Angus heifers, 420kg, from Dukalskis Farming, Mumbannar, equating to $4.26/kg.

A second draft at the same weight made just under the top money at $1780 or $4.24/kg, with both drafts selling to Nampara Pastoral, Kingston SE.

Related reading: Cattle prices still to pass the record in real terms

DC McEachern's heifer draft also sold well, with 58, 10-12mo Angus and Angus-Hereford heifers averaging $1187. Their 327kg top heifer draft sold at $1320 or $4.04/kg to Miller Whan & John.

Benara Pastoral, Mount Gambier, sold 172 Coolana and Sterita Park-bld Angus and Hereford heifers with weights from 259-328kg, for an average of $1086. The 328kg top draft of Angus heifers sold at $1130 or $3.45/kg to Elders while the remaining 138 Angus and Hereford heifers were snapped up by Apsley through Miller Whan & John.

GJ&KF Carr, Heywood, sold 23 Bassano-bld Angus heifers, 390kg, at $1500 or $3.85/kg to Nampara, and MC Northcott sold 18, 12-14mo Speckle Park heifers, 375kg, at $1440 or $3.84/kg to Sam O'Connor.

Twenty cows with calves at-foot sold above expectations. Thirteen Angus heifers with 13 January/February-drop Black Simmental CAF, not rejoined, from O'Connor & Graney a/c Fitzgerald made $2675 to Miller Whan & John - more than $1000 up on February's top cow and calf price.

Five Angus cows with five Boonaroo-bld Angus CAF, not rejoined, were sold by Redruth, Casterton, to John Chay & Co, Millicent, at $2200.

Miller Whan & John bought seven Angus heifers, pregnancy-tested in-calf to a low birthweight Angus bull, from RA,SM&AR Cameron at $1200.