Prices held up well to a huge yarding at the Naracoorte combined agents' monthly store cattle sale, proving the market seems to be back on an upward path.
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With five weeks since the last weaner sale and paddock feed throughout the South East running out the numbers kept coming.
A week prior to the sale 1600 head were advertised but on Thursday nearly every pen in the yards was full in the nearly 4500 head yarding.
Overall 2563 steers topped at $1905 and averaged $1212, 1885 unjoined heifers reached a $1320 high and averaged $938 and two pens of PTIC heifers- 38 head averaged $1089.
Luckily there were some big orders to find homes for all the cattle led by interstate commission buyers Duncan Brown and Andrew Lowe buying for NSW clients.
Heath Tiller, HB Rural, Warnertown, buying through Nutrien Jamestown and Nutrien Adelaide's Trevor Driver each put together a couple of B-double loads. Elders Mildura account Burtundy Beef also left their mark on the sale.
There were plenty of 400 kilogram plus calves including the sale toppers from McDonald Grazing which were 544kg.
These 14 March/April 2022 drops sold for $3.50/kg or $1905 to AMG account Tooheys feedlot.
Oakley Farms, Pinnaroo, sold the highest priced weaners at $1790.
These 22 Angus which were May/June drops weighed 503kg and sold to Thomas Foods International's Jack Thomas.
Kevin Oakley said it had been a very good spring -summer in the Mallee which had helped get plenty of weight in their Bull Oak Well blood cattle. He was rapt with the prices hoping for $1500 to $1600.
"We normally sell in January but the cattle were away from the yards and we were still trying to finish harvest so we held off, we thought the only way for the market could go was up," he said.
Another 19 head from Oakley Farms which weighed 391kg made $1330 to TFI.
Yalkuri Pastoral P/L, Narrung, sold 12 Yalkuri bloods which were three kilogram heavier than Oakley Farms tops. The May/June 2022 drops made $1630 to Teys Charlton.
Pine Lodge, Cadgee, received $1600 for 11 Angus, 493kg.
There was a good run of Simmental cross steers in the first row of the sale including 14 belonging to Patric Levi. These 471kg sold to Burtundy Beef for $1440.
They also snapped up 22 10-month -old Angus from FinAg for $1400. The Granite Ridge blds were 393kg.
Zacher Pastoral, Tintinara, received $1450 from TFI for 13 Bull Oak Well blds which were 10-11 months of age. They were 415kg.
TFI and Teys went head to head on many pens with the latter winning out on 15 March/April 2023 drop Angus from WD, RG & NW Robinson , Ullswater, Vic, for $1440. These were 436kg.
Regular seller Meadowside Estate, Spence, sold nine February/March drop Simmental-Angus for $3.26/kg or $1558.
An outstanding draft of 204 EU, Landfall blood Angus steers from Moyhall Station notched up some of the highest cents a kilogram rates, averaging $1299 or $4.22/kg but selling for $4.33/kg.
The tops of these April/Mays- 56 weighing 333kg made $1360 to TFI's Glenross property at Millicent.
Hanson Park, Kingston SE, also cracked the $4/kg mark with 19 293kg Angus making $4.18/kg or $1225.
Kalandra Pastoral Company, Marcollat, sold 69 Angus and Red Angus steers to $1350 and averaged $1270. These top pens were only June-July 2023 and September-October 2023 drops.
Their 71 heifers topped at $1000 and averaged $928.
There were some exceptionally well bred Hereford weaner steers in the sale too, many which were snapped up by Burtundy Beef.
Among these Banning Partners, Lucindale, sold 20 391kg for $1270 and Arthur Facey Pty Ltd, Millicent, received $1260 for 28 which weighed 383kg.
Oakley Farms topped the heifer prices with 11 449kg Angus selling for $1320. They were knocked down to Princess Royal feedlot, Burra.
M Koch, sold five 498kg Angus heifers for $2.62/kg or $1304.
Heifers for breeding attracted a premium including 44 EU Angus from JR Drabsch & Co, Kingston SE, which made $3.13/kg to TDC Livestock & Property or $1055.
Walteela Park, Avenue Range, received $1130 for 18 March/April drop Angus which were snapped up by Nutrien Jamestown.
Paltridge Family Grazing Trust, Avenue Range, sold the best of the PTIC heifers with their 13 Poll Herefords in calf to Days Jamieson making $1300.
The 20-22 month old heifers which had been joined for 11 weeks to calve from mid March are heading to Ascot Meats.
PPHS Penola based agent Ashley Braun said those sellers who had held onto cattle since December and sold in the February sale were 80c/kg to $1.50/kg in front.
"There were plenty of people who held off selling in December not wanting to take $800 and the season allowed us to do this through December and January but now things have got a bit bare they are happy to take the money rather than needing to feed them," he said.
Mr Braun also noted that it was the first time in the last three months that light weight steers had made higher c/kg rates than the heavier ones.
"In December it didn't matter if you had a 400kg steer it made $3.20/kg , a 330kg steer was also making $3.20/kg and so was a 260kg steer but this month we saw feeder steers making $3.40-$3.55/kg and those lighter calves making $4/kg and beyond," he said.
"It comes down to dollars a head, everyone seems to have $1000 to $1100 for a steer and $800 to $900 for a heifer."
Mr Braun said Angus heifers destined for breeding made $3/kg to $3.20/kg with the majority of heifers making $2.80/kg to $2.90/kg depending on breed and quality.
He anticipated it would be the last big yarding at Naracoorte for some months.
"I will be very surprised if we see 2000 or more next month, a lot of kill cattle and heavy feeder cattle have already been sold," he said. "I know myself we were offloading aggressively from August to October because we thought the season was going to be dry."
