Prices for feeder weight cattle at the Naracoorte combined agents' monthly store cattle sale last Thursday remained close to the previous month, but rates for middle weight runs were back.
The 1199 head yarding was the smallest Naracoorte store sale for 2022
Locals finally got the pick of the cattle as the numbers were not enough to attract the significant northern orders of earlier in the year, although a few pens were knocked down to Albury, NSW and Mildura, Vic.
Steers topped at $2880 and heifers reached $2415 but the best price came at the end with some dispersal cows with calves reaching an outstanding $3950.
The majority of the 768 steers changed hands at $6.00/kg -$6.80/kg but a couple of pens of120 kilogram calves made $8/kg.
Thirteen May/June 2020 drop Angus from Wilbelt, Millicent, made the $2880 highest dollars per head in the steers.
The pen averaging 570kg were snapped up by Thomas Foods International who went head to head with Teys Charlton on feeder cattle.
TFI also bought the next two pens of EU accredited, Duck Island bloods from Landscape Beef, Keith for $2770. These August/September 2020 drop composite cattle were 454kg and 444kg.
R&S Tregoweth, Lucindale, sold 19 March/April 2021 drop Angus steers for.$2570 to Nampara Pastoral Company. These were 402kg.
Nampara also bought 25 382kg Poll Hereford steers from NJ Frith, Frances, for $6.30/kg or $2408.
Many of the cattle yarded were showing the effects of winter but there were a few well-bred runs of yearlings including 62 Poll Hereford steers from Bendulla Pty Ltd, Mundulla, which sold to a $2010 high and averaged $1957.
Hanson Park, Bordertown, enjoyed strong demand for their 11-12 month old Angus.
The first pen of 15 weighing 298kg made $6.54/kg, while another 20 head weighing 262kg made $6.88/kg. This equated to $1949 and $1803.
Howard Nominees, Wepar, received $6.51/kg for 21 April/May 2021 drop Angus weighing 345.4kg. They sold to Teys Charlton.
Another 24 Angus, 294.3kg, from the same vendor made $6.72/kg or $1978.
The top price heifers were 12 457kg Angus from IE Leask, Penola. These sold to TFI for $5.28/kg or $2415.
Just one bid behind 13 Charolais crosses, 395kg, from SL&VK Clarke, Lucindale, made $2410 to Elders Mildura.
The 345 heifers in the yarding averaged $1622.
A dispersal of largely two to four year old Simmental cross cows with calves from Woodlands Grazing, Millicent, were the sale's highlight.
These 63 cows and 66 calves sold between $3380 and $3950- well above expectation.
The first pen of 7 Woonallee blood cows with 7 March/April 2022 drop Simmental sired calves made the top money. The two to three month old calves averaged 98kg.
The EU accredited cows had been running back with a Simmental bull for six weeks.
Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn & Steen's Ashley Braun, Penola, said heavy steers were a "little softer" but the largest falls were in the middle weight run of 290-320kg weight steers. These could have been 15-20c/kg cheaper than the previous month.
"As soon as you got down to 330-340kg and were out of the feedlot weights we saw the biggest drop but when we got into the 230-260kg steers they were selling pretty well," he said.
"There is starting to be a bit of talk about foot and mouth disease and where it could go, people are happy to pay $1600 -$1700 but if there are spending $2100-$2200 it is a little bit harder to get of them."
Mr Braun said any heifers being mated or 350kg plus sold well but those at lighter weights could have been making $80 to $100 less than the May store sale
"In saying that we got out of it pretty well, at Ballarat and Mortlake last week the equivalent heifers could have been $100 less again," he said.
"Two hundred and forty kilogram heifers made $1440-$1500 but in the western Districts we were buying them for $1280 to $1360."
TDC auctioneer Hayden Lambert agreed that heavier cattle were close to last month with feedlotters still keen to sure up supply, but said the market could have been 30c/kg-40c/kg cheaper in places.
"The quality of cattle had a lot to do with it, it was a typical winter yarding," he said.
Mr Lambert said local restockers and backgrounders who now had feed in their paddocks did not have to compete with the northern orders they had in previous months.
"Heifers were still selling pretty well, there are options and it is easier to fatten a heifer (than a steer) through winter," he said.