EASING prices in the prime market flowed through to last Friday's monthly store cattle sale held at Mount Gambier, with all classes of cattle coming off the boil and selling up to $200 a head cheaper than the previous month.
Chris Manser, Green Triangle Livestock, said there had been an expectation the store market would soften in line with the prime market prices having had "a bit of an adjustment".
"Store cattle are still making very good money at the moment," he said.
"There were more lighter, spring-drop types yarded and not a lot of weight in the heifers this month, but that's to be expected with the colder weather we've been experiencing."
Overall, 1706 cattle were yarded at the sale.
Heavy Angus steers 450 kilograms-plus made from $5.06/kg to $5.91/kg, with heavy coloured steers in the top weight class selling from $4.53-$4.95/kg. Angus steers 360-450kg made from $5.51-$6.06/kg, while prices of coloured steers 360-450kg sold at $4.84-$5.39/kg.
Ten heavy 18-20 month Angus-cross steers averaging 557kg from D&K Vandepeer, Allendale East, sold at the top dollars a head price of $2980 or $5.35/kg to Creek Livestock. A draft of the Vandepeer's straight Angus steers av 566kg sold at $2970 or $5.25/kg to J&F.
OJ Jones & Co, Mumbannar, sold 10 March/April 2021-drop Angus steers av 487kg at $2880 or $5.91/kg, as well as a lighter draft of 16 av 533kg at $2810 or $5.27/kg to Elders Mount Gambier.
Medium-weight classes of Angus steers 320-360kg sold from $5.41-$6.39/kg; coloured steers in the same class made $4.83-$5.74/kg. Angus steers 280-320kg sold from $5.72-$7.43/kg; coloured steers 280-320kg made $4.78-$5.80/kg. Rates on Angus steers under 280kg made from $5.52-$7.54/kg; prices of coloured steers in the same weight range sold from $5.82-$6.33/kg.
RELATED READING: July - Ouyen lambs dearer
RELATED READING: Around the markets - June
Thomas Foods International paid $2970 for 10 Pathfinder-blood Angus steers av 577kg at $2970 or $5.15/kg from Bidese Holdings, Yahl.
TFI also bought 14 20-month-old Angus steers av 566kg at $2960 or $5.23/kg and 14 Angus steers av 564kg at $2960 or $5.25/kg sold by D&J Spencer, Dartmoor, Vic.
Sam Hill, TDC Penola, and Snow Merrett, Penola, bought all 67 European Union-accredited and Pasturefed Cattle Assurance Scheme-eligible Angus steers sold by Wattleview Holdings, Portland, Vic.
The Weeran and Barwidgee-bld Angus steers, 8-10mo, weighed between 252-309kg and av $2108; the lightest draft of steers av 252kg sold at the top cents/kg price of $7.54/kg.
JDR Grazing, Allendale East, sold 13 EU/PCAS Angus steers av 223kg at $1600 or $7.17/kg to account Wilson, through Miller Whan & John, buying the slightly heavier draft av 245kg at $1670 or $6.82/kg.
Creek Livestock paid $2580 or $4.95/kg for 10 heavy Charolais-cross steers av 521kg from PF&BA Burchard, Tantanoola, along with two PCAS rising two-year-old Hereford steers av 543kg at $2460 or $4.53/kg sold by Bra Ma, Kongorong.
DI&SG Pratt sold 11 PCAS Speckle Park steers av 340kg at $1950 or $5.74/kg to MWJ and seven Hereford-cross steers av 448kg at $2320 or $5.18/kg to Creek Livestock.
Tarcoola, Casterton, Vic, sold 36 Hereford steers weighing 264-384kg for an av of $1727, with 16 of the steers av 264kg sold at $1670 or $6.33/kg to Nutrien.
MWJ paid to a top of $1860, av $1772, for the heavier Herefords, weighing 318-384kg.
T Hunt & Son, Kalangadoo, sold 18 2021 spring-drop Angus/Limousin steers av 248kg at $1510 or $6.09/kg to Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn & Steen.
GT Trading, Lucindale, sold six PCAS Hereford steers 9-10 months av 263kg at $1530 or $5.82/kg to Nutrien Mt Gambier and 10 Hereford-cross steers 9-10 months av 293kg at $1700 or $5.80/kg to MWJ.
HEIFERS CHEAPER
The 528 heifers yarded all sold at cheaper rates compared with the June market.
Heifers 360-450kg sold from $4.08-$5.39/kg; 320-360kg heifers sold from $4.26-$5.52/kg. The lighter weight heifers 280-320kg from $4.83- $5.78kg, while those weighing under 280kg sold from $5.52-$6.67/kg.
T Hunt & Son, Kalangadoo, sold three spring 2021-drop Angus/Limousin heifers av 210kg for the c/kg heifer price of $6.67/kg or $1400/hd to MWJ, while 25 Angus/Limousin heifers av 250kg sold at $1480 or $5.92/kg to Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson.
Briley Pastoral Co, Compton, made the top dollars/hd heifer price, with 10 Angus heifers av 416kg selling to TDC at $2240 or $5.38/kg.
MWJ kept the pressure on, paying $1420 or $6.23/kg for 26 Angus heifers av 228kg from JDR Grazing, Allendale East; and $1360 or $5.96/kg for 14 Angus-cross heifers av 228kg sold by Mitchell & Ray, Moorak.
Avonmore, Mingbool, sold 10 Angus heifers 12 months av 211kg at $1290 or $6.11/kg to Pinkerton Palm Hamlyn & Steen.
Creek Livestock bought eight Angus-cross heifers 14 months av 384kg at $2070 or $5.39/kg from Wundurra; Mount Schank; eight Angus-cross heifers 14 months av 352kg at $1930 or $5.48/kg from KJ&CM Nobes, Mil Lel; and 12 Angus heifers 14 months av 376kg at $1900 or $5.05/kg from PT&SL Guyett, Furner.
A line of 37 well-bred Angus heifers with 37 March/April 2022-drop Woonallee and Pathfinder-bd calves at-foot, running with Woonallee Simmental bulls, was sold by Woodlands Pastoral, Millicent. Elders Lucindale bought 26 of the units at $3200, and paid $2740 for the remaining 11.
