Lighter steers met with good demand at Strathalbyn

The top price in the steer offering of $1760 a head, or $4.05/kg, was made by eight March/April/May-drop Angus and Angus crosses from Fleurieu vendor P Crafter, Parawa, weighing 435 kilograms - the heaviest pen of the sale.

The same vendor also sold 13, 365kg steers of the same drop at $1510, or $4.14/kg, 12 weighing 320kg at $1360, or $4.25kg, and also 12 heifers at $1220, or $3.62/kg.

Nutrien Ag Solutions Strathalbyn's Bradley Walker said while the price of heavier cattle had come off slightly compared to the previous market, lighter cattle were still very much in demand.

"The heavier feedlot weights were back slightly, just because of supply and demand at this time of year, but when you get into those proper restocker sort of cattle, they were still making good money, because it's still pretty hard to find lighter cattle," he said.

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A pen of nine 207kg Angus steers from AL Eichner, Kangaroo Island, sold for $1280, or $6.18/kg, with the vendor also making $1300 or $4.69/kg for 23, 277kg Angus steers, and sold another 22 heifers knocked down at $1230 or $4.61/kg, weighing 267kg.

BD&CA Hughes, Highbury, sold seven 429kg Angus steers at $1740, or $4.06/kg, as well as six Murray Grey steers of the same weight, at $1720 or $4.01/kg, and another 11 Murray Greys weighing 359kg, at $1480 or $4.12/kg.

Local vendors AE&DW Ellis, Strathalbyn, sold 18 Angus weighing 369kg at $1600, or $4.34/kg, and another eight 299kg Angus at $1280, or $4.28/kg.

Longmead Angus, Woodside, made $1615 or $4.18/kg for 10 March/April drop Angus steers, 386kg, and $1450 or $4.28/kg for another 10 of the same age, weighing 339kg.

C&J Smerdon, Strathalbyn, sold 12, 392kg Angus steers at $1625, or $4.15/kg, and another 18 weighing 338kg at $1440, or $4.26/kg.

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Christopher John, Mount Magnificent, sold eight, 250kg Angus and Murray Grey steers at $1200, or $4.80/kg, and 11 heifers at $1130, or $4.04, weighing 280kg.

Kosareff Land and Cattle, Ashbourne, sold seven Angus steers, 263kg at $1250, or $4.75/kg, and also had 17 knocked down at $1520, or $4.16/kg, weighing 366kg.

Making $1320 or $4.71/kg for 11, 280kg Angus steers was Rainy Creek Partners, Flinders Chase, Kangaroo Island.

Elders Strathalbyn's Danny Reynolds said as well as the lighter steers selling well, heifers were met with good demand.

"Most steers were north of $4/kg, and heifers were if anything, a tad dearer than last market, there were lots of breeders there chasing them," he said.

H Holmes, Willunga, sold 12, 266kg Angus heifers at $1230, or $4.62/kg, while 12, 269kg Angus steers from Branch Creek Ag also made $1230, or $4.57/kg.

JT,VF&B Howard, Penneshaw, KI, sold 28, 348kg South Devon heifers at $1400, or $4.02/kg, and another 14 at $1230, or $3.94/kg, weighing 312kg.

Fellow KI vendors DL&MJ Trethewey sold 10 Angus heifers weighing 345kg at $1380, or $4/kg.

The complete dispersal of Back Valley's RB&FE Cooper formed the majority of the cow with calf at-foot offering. The Coopers offered a total of 44 cows with 43 calves at-foot, fetching a top price of $2700 for 16 November 2016-drop Angus cows with 16 November-drop calves at-foot, knocked down to TFI.

The next Strathalbyn market will be held on January 8, followed by one on January 22.