Saleyard lift tipped to provide 'soft landing' for SA's bull sales

They all agreed it could have been a far more sombre season had prices not picked up early in the new year.

This Friday marks the start of Stock Journal Beef Week, with 44 studs open across four days, showcasing 12 breeds. Bulls and females will be available for sale or inspection ahead of auctions.

In the next 2.5 weeks alone, there are more than 20 auctions across SA.

Spence Dix & Co director Jonathan Spence says this will be a "year of opportunities" for commercial producers to replenish their genetics at lesser rates than the past few years.

And while the cattle market has come back, by up to 55 per cent in place, he expects lesser falls in bull buyer budgets of 20-25pc.

"The weather gods - not to be confused with the weatherman - have saved us," he said. "This nice turnaround in the cattle market, where we have seen prices lift considerably as well as the rain in the east and SA, has given us a bit of a soft landing, compared to where we thought we might have been in November.

"There is demand for our beef offshore and, provided the seasons prevail, it would seem the beef market looks very healthy for at least the next six to 12 months."

Mr Spence is also predicting strong demand for bulls with calving ease traits with many producers retaining more heifers, due to lower weaner prices.

Nutrien SA studstock manager Gordon Wood is predicting sale averages should be in the $8000 to $14,000 price range, which he believes is fair to both vendors and buyers.

"If you are buying a bull for $12,000 and you get three to four years of calves out of them, and then you turn that bull over in the saleyards or over the hooks if it has a bit of condition, you are getting $2500 so the exchange rate is very good," he said.

He expects clearance rates to remain similar to 2023 on the back of herd rebuilding and a good season in many parts where SA bulls typically go - across SA and Vic and into southern Qld and northern NSW.

Bull buyers will again be chasing mid maturity patterns with plenty of carcase and doing-ability, along with a good balance of Breedplan data, Mr Wood said.

"We are seeing people looking for positive fat and intramuscular fat in their bulls so they can build some natural doing-ability into their heifers, which become their cows, and so they have an easy doing herd that can rear a calf and get back in calf," he said.

"The challenge has been those high IMF bulls have been lacking a bit of muscle but, across the breeds, I have been able to find bulls with high IMF that also have a tremendous carcase and almost a B-shaped butt.

"It is really encouraging that we are on the right path to producing cattle which are easy doing and eat well."

Elders SA studstock manager Tony Wetherall expects averages could be back 10-15pc on 2023's very strong selling season but "nothing dramatic" with commercial producers still wanting to buy the best bulls for their breeding programs.

"Pricing has certainly lifted from where it was in the middle of last year, which has given producers some confidence back," he said.

Prices weren't down for very long and the future prospects are looking pretty good, particularly with the season in the eastern states and in SA.

"It is the top end sales that may suffer a bit, buyers may stick to their limit rather than having those extra few bids."

And with a slightly larger herd than 2023, he sees clearance rates holding strong, especially with the recent dispersal of the Stoney Point Angus and Oak Downs Poll Hereford studs.

Mr Wetherall says the quality of sale bulls is again very good across all breeds.

"I have really noticed the finish and how well grown the bulls are, many of these bulls could have been sold a month ago," he said.