Part of a line of 60 8-10-year-old Angus cows with sappy 163kg average calves at foot sold on Friday by Paraway Pastoral Co, Pier Pier, Coonamble, for $2060 per unit. The buyer was 860km away at Kerang, VIC.

OVERALL offering numbers eased on AuctionsPlus last week, but prices for female cattle, particularly, remained strong.

The total listing this week was 8648 head, down about 22 percent on the week prior, when a number of special sales boosted weekly throughput.

Cow and calf numbers were slightly down, but that didn’t stop high prices being made across the Eastern States.

From Holbrook, NSW, a stand-out line of three and four year old Poll Hereford/Shorthorn cows with Rangan Charolais calves at foot, but not back in calf, topped the market at $2610.

From Holbrook, NSW, a standout line of three and four year old Poll Hereford/Shorthorn cows with Rangan Charolais calves at foot, but not back in calf, topped the market at $2610.

Another tidy mob that sold well was a line of 60 8-10-year-old Angus cows with sappy 163kg average calves at foot being sold by Paraway Pastoral Co, Pier Pier, Coonamble, NSW, sold for $2060 per unit. These were big-framed cows averaging 635kg doing a good job on their calves.

Again underlining the geographic footprint of online selling, the buyers came from 860km away, at Kerang, VIC.

In a breakdown of young cattle sold this week, by weight:

• Steers under 250kg sold from 358c to 443c/kg, averaging 398c; while heifers sold from 288-388c, averaging 345c
• Steers 250-300kg sold from 332-420c averaging 386c; while heifers sold from 290-436c, averaging 351c
• Steers 300-350kg sold from 290-360c, averaging 321c; while heifers sold from 296-351c, averaging 322c
• Steers +350kg sold from 321-355c, averaging 321c; while heifers sold from 300-345c, averaging 323c.

More breeding cattle highlights

PTIC female numbers were strong this week with the top price hailing from Cooma, NSW, for three lines (72 head in total) of 17-18-month-old at 438kg Angus heifers from the same vendor that made $2050. These Hazeldean blood heifers were also PTIC back to Hazeldean blood bulls ready to calve at the start of Spring. Another pen of 41 lighter unmated heifers from the same vendor, 376kg, made $1300.

A line of six-year-old Angus females, PTIC to Angus bulls from Bathurst, NSW also sold well, making $1860.

In a sign of rapidly drying seasonal conditions further north, three lines of PTIC cows and heifers, and cows & calves totalling about 220 head from separate vendors near Tambo, Corfield and Prairie failed to find buyers, either attracting no bids or falling short of vendor expectations.

More solid results for Wagyu

Wagyu continue to sell strongly, with top prices being seen again throughout 2017.

Wagyu/Angus F1 backgrounder steers from Upper Rollands Plains, NSW, 7-9-months averaging 210kg this week made $1370 or 653c/kg live. F1 heifers similar age from the same vendor also made $1370 or $652c/kg live and could be retained for future breeding, or deployed as feeders.

Wagyu continued to sell strongly, with these F1 Angus backgrounder steers from Upper Rollands Plains, NSW making $1370 or 653c/kg live.

The Tasmanian Cattle Sale is increasingly seeing more stock listed each week. This week two lines of Angus heifers 18-19-months old and PTIC to low birth weight Angus bulls, from Waterhouse, North Eastern TAS, made $1850.

Seedstock sales highlights

The Palgrove Charolais ‘Showcase’ Female Sale was interfaced via AuctionsPlus on 4 March, offering 54 lots including semen and embryos. The top priced cows and calf unit made $18,500 with a heifer selling for $12,500 with another PTIC heifer that made $9000. Eight lots were purchased online via AuctionsPlus adding more bidding and buying competition. The sale gross was $433,200.

The Anvil Angus Production Sale was interfaced via AuctionsPlus this week with the top priced bull making $13,500 twice. The average bull price was $6900. The top priced female made $12,000, with the females averaging $5475. Well done to the vendors on such a successful sale.

The Wirruna Hereford Bull & Female Sale was also interfaced online via AuctionsPlus this week. Eight lots were purchased online, with the top online price making $9000. The top price for the day was sold on property and made $31,000.

Source: AuctionsPlus