WIDESPREAD rain last week in parts of all three eastern mainland states contributed to a lift in prices across many categories in Friday’s AuctionsPlus online sales.

Cattle numbers were steady on the week previous at 6256 head, with more than half the listings coming from Queensland.

Quality breeders offered saw cattle travelling from parts of Queensland as far as central NSW and even Victoria, highlighting the ability of online selling to target a wide buying audience.

Strong sales were seen across all categories on Friday.

Part of a line of 130 Walcha Angus weaned steer calves that made 431c/kg on Friday. Click image for larger view

A line of 130 Angus weaned steers 223kg from Bydand Pastoral Co, Cooplacurrilpa, Walcha made a phenomenal 431c/kg liveweight to return $960 a head. That’s not bad for 7-9 month old calves only weaned from their mothers on August 20, and still on-property.

In a year where the word ‘record’ has become something of a cliche, the steers set yet another high-water mark on a c/kg basis for conventional (non-Wagyu) cattle sold at auction in Australia.

The yards-weaned calves, carrying Knowla, Hazeldean & Boony Brooke Angus genetics, ranged in weights from 191 to 302kg. Listing comments from assessor, Nick Hall from Elders Walcha said “These steers have a very good reputation for performance, and will suit backgrounders or fatteners to take through to heavier weights. The steers should bound ahead on crop.”

It was one of a series of strong sales recorded on Friday for Bydand Pastoral, which sold four lots totalling 268 head.

Included was a second mob of 54 Angus x Hereford weaned steers, similar weights and ages as the Angus line discussed above, which made 397c/kg. Two lines of Angus and Angus x Hereford heifers, totalling close to 100 head, both 16-20 months around 273kg, made 334c and 293c/kg, respectively, for the same vendor.

Strength in feeder categories

In overall results in Friday’s sale:

• Heifers weighing less than 300kg made 263c to 332c, to average 308c/kg.
• Steers 250kg-300kg made 319-386c, to average 345c, up 14c, with heifers in the same weightrange sold from 292-348c, averaging 313c, a big jump of 46c on the week previous.
• Steers 300kg-350kg made 309-362c, averaging 336c, up 29c, and equivalent heifers made 289-313c, averaging 299c.
• Steers over 350kg sold from 337-351c to average 344c, jumping 30c.

In strong individual sales in the feeder cattle weight-ranges, a line of 112 Tambo, Central Qld Droughtmaster cross steers 16-24 months weighing 393kg made 338.2c/kg to return $1330/head.

Other steer highlights included 190kg Hereford cross steers at Blackall making 372c or $710; 263kg yearling Droughtmaster steers at Mundubbera QLD making $342c or $900; Hereford steers weighing 314kg in Victoria selling for 362c or $1140; 363kg Droughtmaster cross steers at Marlborough, Central QLD selling for 337c or $1221; and Angus steers weighing 363kg making 351c or $1274.

Standout heifer prices include Hereford cross heifers at Blackall weighing 177kg making 322c or $570 to a Victorian buyer; 299kg Charolais cross heifers at Surat making 309c or $925; composite heifers at Uralla weighing 322kg selling for $313 or $1010; and 352kg Droughtmaster steers out of Marlborough making 310c or $1091.

PTIC first-calvers topped at $1720 on Friday for Angus heifers in northern NSW in calf to Angus, and mixed age lines of PTIC cows made $905 to $1040, including a line of Santa cows finding a home on the Victorian border.

Cows with calves at foot are a clear buyer preference at present, with prices steadily increasing to average $1751 and topping last week at $2150 for eight-year-old Victorian Angus cows with Angus calves.

Young cows with their first calf sold from $1610 to a top of $2040 for Angus heifers with Angus calves at Millmerran, Qld. Mixed age lines made $1210 to $1590.

Wagyu steers to 624c

In the Wagyu segment of Friday’s catalogue, the market was topped by a line of 25 F7-Fullblood backgrounder steers offered by an Allora (Qld) breeder, 218kg at 12-14 months, selling for 624c/kg or $1360/head. Their heifer siblings averaging 218kg averaged 599c.

In other Wagyu segment results on Friday:

• 20 weaned F1 Wagyu steers from Wauchope, 223kg at 7-8 months made 526c/kg
• Second cross Wagyu x Friesian weaned heifers from Wauchope, 205kg, made 493c/kg
• 63 Wagyu x Angus F1 weaned steers from Mandurama NSW 8-12 months at 286kg made 550c/kg live, while their heifer siblings 260kg made 500c/kg
• Registered fullblood Wagyu future breeders 18-24 months from Lima South, VIC, made $3110/head, while their PTIC sisters, similar weights, made $4520/head; and a single Wagyu bull, six years, made $4600.