Positive outlook pushes prices up at Mt Gambier

Extraordinarily good rainfalls across the general area and the promise of one of the best seasons on record in plain sight all contributed to Friday's grass-driven price hike.

With a full gallery of buyers all fiercely bidding for a smaller yarding of 1014 head, the laws of supply and demand kicked in, driving prices to never before seen rates at the Glenburnie saleyards.

Heavy Angus steers weighing 450 kilograms and above sold from $3.53/kg to $4.28/kg, and heavy coloured steers returned $4.01-$4.07/kg.

Angus steers from 360-450kg made $3.92-$4.46 /kg; coloured steers 360-450kg sold from $3.99-$4.39/kg; Angus steers weighing 320-360kg sold at prices from $3.69-$4.77/kg, and coloured steers in this weight range made $3.90-$4.65/kg.

Lighter Angus steers, 280-320kg, were the only class that didn't record huge increases compared with last month, selling from $4.11-$4.79/kg. Coloured steers in this weight range made to $4.18/kg. Angus steers under 280kg sold from $4.12-$5.37/kg and coloured steers under 280kg made up to $4.79/kg.

Thomas Foods International paid the top price per head of $2080 or $4.17/kg for 16 Angus and Angus-cross steers, weighing 499kg, from Desert View, Mount Gambier.

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Holmes Livestock, Mumbannar, Vic, also cracked the $2000 barrier, selling five Pasturefed Cattle Assurance System-eligible Angus steers, 488kg at 18 months, at $2020 or $4.14/kg to Teys Australia. Teys also paid $2010 or $4.03/kg for 18 Shorthorn steers, 499kg, from AC&BL Beggs, Kingston SE.

J Patterson, Drumborg, Vic, sold three PCAS Angus steers, 567kg, at $2000 or $3.53/kg to Creek Livestock, Mount Gambier, with their 429kg lighter draft selling to Garrison Cattle Feeders at $1680 or $3.92/kg.

Garrisons also bought a line of eight PCAS Angus steers, 14-15 months old and 453kg, at $1940 or $4.28/kg from Glenora, Strathdownie, Vic.

Avonlea, Strathdownie, sold 8 PCAS Hereford-crosses, 14mo and 506kg, at $2030 or $4.01/kg to local restockers Nampara Pastoral, through Elders Penola, and a draft of 410kg Angus-cross steers at $1830 or $4.46/kg to Miller Whan & John account Smith.

Making the highest price/kg at the sale were DA&LF Firth, Melrose, Dartmoor, Vic, for 23, 260kg Pathfinder-blood Angus-crosses at $5.37/kg or $1395, bought by Creek Livestock. Their draft of 23, 310kg Angus steers sold to the Smith Family at $1485 or $4.79/kg.

Creek Livestock was right amongst the action filling client orders, and paid $1250 or $5.36/kg for seven PCAS Lawson-bld Angus, 233kg, from Spotted Gums, Suttontown. Creek Livestock also bought 10 PCAS Angus, 255kg, at $1320 or $5.18/kg from AM&AJ Earl, Allendale, and 15 Hereford-crosses, 401kg at 16mo, at $1760 or $4.39/kg from BJ&MJ Gordon, Kongorong.

PJ Bridges, Millicent, sold five PCAS eligible Angus, 8-9mo and 236kg, at $1250 or $5.30/kg to Creek Livestock and a draft of five Murray Greys, 257kg at 8-9mo, at $1230 or $4.79/kg to Nutrien Ag Solutions Mount Gambier.

CJ&SM Rentsch, Dartmoor, sold seven, 18mo PCAS Angus steers, 418kg, at $1720 or $4.11/kg to Teys Australia, with their 346kg second draft selling to the Smith family at $1650 or $4.77/kg.

GT Trading sold 15 Hereford steers, 18mo and 333kg, at $1550 or $4.65/kg to Miller Whan & John Kingston.

Competition on heifers was as extreme as the steer market, with all classes dearer than last month, and the smaller, lighter types hitting tremendous highs.

Heavy heifers - 450kg-plus - sold from $3.49-$4.04/kg; 360-450kg sold from $3.73-$4.18/kg; 320-360kg heifers made from $3.85-$4.30/kg; 280-320kg heifers sold from $4.20-$4.51/kg; and light heifers under 280kg sold from $4.18-$4.91/kg.

Still Water, Penola, topped the heifer market with 18, 465kg, European Union-accredited South Bundarra and Yamburgan-bld Shorthorn heifers selling to Creek Livestock at $1880 or $4.04/kg.

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Patanga Pastoral, Avenue Range, sold 22 South Bundarra and Yamburgan-bld Shorthorn heifers, 442kg, at $1810 or $4.10/kg to Nampara Pastoral, through Elders Penola.

Regular vendors G&D Dobbe, Dartmoor, sold 6 PCAS Nampara-bld Angus and Angus-cross heifers, 376kg, at $1570 or $4.18/kg to TFI.

Spotted Gums sold eight, 7-9mo Lawson-bld Angus heifers, 234kg, at $1150 or $4.91/kg to Nutrien Mount Gambier

RJ&JD Considine and GG Cowland, Dartmoor, had 10 PCAS Angus heifers, 248kg, make $1200 or $4.84/kg to Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn & Steen, which also bought a draft of 12 PCAS Angus heifers, 240kg, from Jarup, Digby, Vic, at $1160 or $4.83/kg.

Elders Mount Gambier's David Creek said it was by far the dearest sale he had seen at Mount Gambier, with the result reflecting the positivity in the market.

"It looks as though we're going to have the best season we've seen for many a decade," he said.

"Graziers have been holding off buying stock for the last few months - they've considered the prices to be too expensive but have just watched the market go up. Now with an excess of feed, they have little choice and found they've just had to buy in".

Mr Creek said the calves he had seen across the area were the best he had ever seen, and with well in excess of 75 millimetres of rain falling in the region in the past couple of weeks, it was shaping up to be a bumper season.

"It's the most exciting time I've ever seen in the industry and we've had tremendous enquiry for agricultural land in the area."