A LACK of paddock feed and mixed quality offering kept a lid on any price rises at the Naracoorte combined agents monthly store cattle sale on Thursday last week.
And although there is no forecast of rain in the near future some buyers were willing to take a punt on the market jumping as soon as the autumn break arrives.
The 2162 head yarding comprised many cattle from the Mid and Upper South East but also further afield from the Fleurieu Peninsula and even Kangaroo Island.
According to agents many of these vendors had opted to sell at Naracoorte rather than closer saleyards due to the big buying gallery that the SE markets usually attract.
Unlike previous months there were no interstate commission buyers at the sale but Platinum Livestock's Matt Pawley made up for it buying nearly one quarter of the yarding.
Creek Livestock's Scott Creek was also kept busy along with Nutrien Hill Livestock based in the Mid North.
There was good competition between three major feedlotters on the heavy weight end, 400kg plus.
Eleven spring 2022 drop Angus steers from Penrose Pastoral, Keith, topped the sale selling for $1640 to Thomas Foods International's Ben Davies.
The well bred Bull Oak Well and Roseleigh bloods were 496kg.
Another 19 484kg Angus of a similar age from IR&JS Ferguson made $1590 selling to JBS Australia.
JBS buyer Brendon Geary also bought some of the stand out weaners including seven Angus steers, 481kg from McKay Family Trust, Lucindale which made $1450.
DJ&JR Wagenknecht, Lowan Vale, sold eight Angus and Angus crosses, Roseleigh bld for $1440. The 446kg yearlings sold to TFI.
Colary's 12 Simmental-Angus crosses which weighed 491kg made $1600, while easily the heaviest steers in the yarding six Herefords from Murrawong Trust, Telopea Downs, made the same money. They were 650kg.
GJ Reichelt sold 10 480kg Angus for $1540 to JBS.
Achieving one of the highest cents a kilogram rates at $3.62/kg was JA Parker with 33 six to seven month old EU Angus. They were 251.2kg.
Cadara Pastoral, Mount Benson, received $3.50/kg for 18 August/September 2023 drops weighing 250.5kg. This equated to $877.
Ann Warner topped the heifer category at $1370 with 22 September/October 2022 drop, JB Angus blds. They were 486kg and sold to Creek Livestock.
Also among the older heifers, Evesham Downs, Keith, received $1290 for 20 Shorthorn which were 520kg and sold to Teys Naracoorte.
KM Sawers, Alamil, Coonalpyn, received $1330 for 26 Angus, 12-13 months which weighed 421kg. They sold to Nampara Pastoral Company.
Regular Naracoorte seller Meadowside Estate, Spence, sold 20 Simmental-Angus heifers for $2.96/kg or $1205. The February/March 2023 drops were 407.25kg and sold to Nutrien Hill Livestock.
Earlier Meadowside's steers which weighed 415.75kg made $3.31/kg or $1376.
VJ&MK Patrick, Kalangadoo, also had an impressive pen of Glatz and Argyllshire bld Angus heifers.
These 401kg EU cattle made $2.88/kg or $1155 to Creek Livestock.
Kiwi Blue, Kingscote, also received $2.88/kg or $1136 for 11 Granite Ridge blds, 394kg, also heading to Creek Livestock.
JA Parker's four Angus heifers made $3.24/kg or $1202 to Tyrell Park.
One of the sale highlights was an outstanding pen of 11 fourth calving Angus cows with 11 young calves from Foxwood Contractors, Strathalbyn, which made $2020. Another seven from the same vendor which were still to calve in the next few weeks made $1760.
Both sold to Creek Livestock.
Elders Lucindale branch manager Ronnie Dix said prices were a bit more subdued than he had expected.
"We saw a lot of cattle at $3-$3.30/kg and that was it, there were only a few pens of really light weight bred cattle that made $3.50-$3.70/kg," he said.
"I was a bit more optimistic about it because everyone was saying how cheap it is and how buyable it would be which normally brings a crowd and better prices."
Mr Dix said there was a significant difference between heifers at weights to be put on feed or mated which made $2.80 to $3.10 or $3.15/kg but any off types or lighter cattle which fell out of this category which were back to $2kg-$2.20/kg.
"That light job under 350kg is all driven by grass and you can drive a long way before you come across any grass , as soon as it rains that job will probably jump a dollar a kilogram overnight," he said.
SA Livestock livestock manager Will Nolan said prices were generally above his expectation given the lack of feed in paddocks. The store market continued to be out of line with prime cattle prices.
"It was a bit of a mixed yarding but if you worked through it you could put together some good lines of well bred cattle," he said.
He said there were some "very buyable" heifers at $600 and $800 with some of these lighter cattle even slightly cheaper than last month.
"A lot of blokes have worked out a 150kg to 200kg calf is almost dangerous with no idea where prices will be in the next 12 to 18 months- people are much more inclined to buy something they can get out of within a short period of time," he said.
