NARACOORTE
Yarding: 1875
Steers to $1969, average $1327
Heifers to $1764, average $1226
Cows w CAF to $2230
BUYERS were on the hunt for cattle carrying good weight in a red-hot Naracoorte store sale on Thursday last week.
Returns for both steers and heifers consistently eclipsed $4 a kilogram, with lightweight steers reaching lofty heights of $5/kg.
Elders agent Josh Reeves said the sale met strong expectations, with consistently strong prices throughout.
"Feedlotters were active and buyers were chasing anything with weight," he said.
"A lot of the cattle ranged from 300kg to 380kg but those feeders were predominantly in the 350kg to 450kg range.
"There was strong competition between buyers and a premium on anything EU-accredited."
Pinkerton Palm, Hamlyn & Steen quoted 380kg+ steers from $3.75-$4.25/kg, while 300kg-380kg steers made from $3.90/kg to $4.50/kg.
Steers under 300kg attracted prices of $4.40-$5/kg.
Top price steer honours went to SM&JL Lowe, Kalangadoo, who sold 14 Angus steers, av 460kg, for $4.28/kg or $1969.
The same vendor sold another 16 Angus steers, av 353kg, for $4.16/kg or $1469, and four, av 269kg, for $4.02/kg or $1080.
Oakley Farms sold 13 Angus steers, av 390kg, for $1710 or $4.38/kg and another 16 Angus steers, av 303kg, for $1350 or $4.45/kg.
Another draft of Angus, av 284kg, attracting top dollar were 21 from Longtrail Farms, Parilla, which made $1250 or $4.40/kg.
Receiving $1510 or $4.31/kg for 19 Angus steers, av 350kg, was JT&GM McKay, Lucindale, while fellow Lucindale vendor WV James & Sons sold ten Angus steers, av 349kg, for $1450 or $4.15/kg.
Coloured cattle also sold well, with Mt Boothby, Tintinara, selling 12 Murray Grey steers, av 416kg, for $1740 or $4.18/kg.
HM Milich, Heywood, Vic, sold a large offering of 79 Red Angus cross steers, av 483kg, for an average of $3.70/kg or $1786, while HM Schinckel & Sons, Naracoorte, made $1500 or $3.84/kg for 12 Poll Hereford steers, av 391kg.
Heifer returns also lifted in comparison to April's sale, with heifers weighing 360 kilograms plus generally selling from $3.65/kg to $3.90/kg according to Pinkerton, Palm, Hamlyn & Steen.
Those in the 300kg-360kg range made $3.70/kg-$4.00/kg, while lightweights under 300kg generally sold for $4/kg-$4.60/kg.
Topping the heifer market on dollars per head were 23 Angus heifers from LD&A Zanker, Coonalpyn, which fetched $1764.
Haavmi Enterprises, Coleraine, Vic, sold a run of 25 heifers, av 392kg, for $4.04/kg or $1583, as well as 19 heifers, av 360kg, at $4/kg or $1442. Making $1460 or $3.84/kg for 22 Angus heifers, av 380kg, was Shady Grove Partners, Lucindale.
FR&JB Dixon, Kingston, sold five Angus heifers, av 376kg, for $1420 or $3.78/kg, while Derby Vale Pastoral, Naracoorte, sold ten Poll Hereford heifers, av 346kg, for $1280 or $3.70/kg.
GS&TD Parker, Kingston, sold 12 March/April 2019-drop Angus cross heifers, av 360kg, for $1430 or $3.97/kg.
On the back of strong April and May store sales, Mr Reeves said he couldn't see the cattle market dipping anytime soon.
"There's only going to be less and less numbers as we head into winter, until we start seeing numbers coming in for weaner sales later in the year," he said.
"The market is in a strong position at the moment and anything with weight is going to be in very high demand and highly valued."
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