Future breeders from Speriby North Angus near Tenterfield, whose large lines of weaner heifers sold extremely well. The 231 heifers offered ranged in price from $1430 with the top-selling mob at $1600 – these 10-11 month old heifers weighing 325kg.

THE continued rain around much of the eastern states saw processors and lotfeeders in hot competition with restockers during AuctionPlus online cattle sales held this week.

PTIC females were also in high demand, as the rain has stirred up the restockers, and competition was strengthened by processors frantically trying to secure cows to maintain kills.

AuctionPlus cattle sales saw a slight rise in numbers to 8101 head for the week, boosted by a number of feature sales. The Primaries of WA/KPCA Kimberley cattle and the Premium Wagyu feature sales helped contribute to the lift in numbers.

Standout offerings of young cattle offered on Friday included future breeders from Speriby North Angus from Tenterfield, whose large lines of weaner heifers sold extremely well. The 231 heifers offered ranged in price from $1430 with the tops selling mob at $1600, those being 10-11 month old heifers weighing 325kg. The entire line, offered in mobs averaging from 189kg to 325kg, averaged $1540.

The northern tablelands also produced a tidy line of 7 and 8 month old Angus steers averaging 225kg from Armidale, selling for $935 or 415c. The tops of the heavier steers made $1310 or 335c, for 12-20 month old Angus cross steers weighing 391kg from Dungog NSW.

In a breakdown of young cattle sold last week by weight:

• Steers under 250kg sold from 355c to 415c to average 383c/kg live weight, up 5c; while heifers in the same weightrange sold from 212c to 379c to average320c, easing 5c
• Steers 250-300kg sold from 335c to 398c to average358c, rising 15c; while heifers sold from 284c to 322c to average316c, up 4c
• Steers 300-350kg sold from 299c to 341c to average342c; while heifers sold from268c to 319c to average 297c
• Steers above 350kg sold from 268c to 335c to average 306c; while heavy heifers sold from 284 to 313c to average 302c.

Among breeding-age cattle, PTIC female numbers were in high demand this week as the rain has stirred up the restockers, and competition was strengthened by processors trying to secure slaughter stock. Strong prices were received across all female age groups.

Females aged 2-4 years sold from $1100 to $2000 averaging $1540. The top-priced line were 4 year old Reiland blood Angus cows weighing 546kg, PTIC to Angus bulls. Proven breeders sold from $1250 to $1850 averaging $1520.

A smaller offering of cows and calves saw Murray Grey x Charolais cows top the market, selling for $2270. These 21-22 month old females from Laggan, NSW had Murray Grey calves at foot. The tops of the proven breeders from Llangothlin, NSW sold for $2020. These Wattletop and Te Mania blood Angus cows were station-mated to Arjaym Hereford bulls and had Angus calves at foot.

Inaugural Kimberley online sale

The Inaugural Kimberley online cattle sale this week saw plenty of interest from across the country, with 20 registered bidders from five states accessing the sale. Heifers to be delivered 350-450kg met strong competition from live exporters out of Darwin, selling for 271c. Lighter Brahman heifers averaging 212kg sold for $530 or 250c to a backgrounding operation with plans to target export orders in the Spring.

Big week for Wagyu online

The Wagyu sector enjoyed a big week of online selling this week, both commercial cattle and seedstock, via the Premium Wagyu and the Bald Ridge Wagyu sales.

Beef Central offers little in terms of day-to-day stud cattle sales results across Australia for readers, but the public auction of Wagyu is such a rarity in this country we thought we’d make an exception, to provide some market indicators. Almost all Wagyu bulls are transacted out of the paddock.

On Thursday AuctionsPlus held the Inaugural Bald Ridge Wagyu sale which included 100 lots of bulls, females, embryos and semen. Online, there were 35 users logged-in with AuctionsPlus purchasing 10 lots. The sale averaged $7725 for the bulls, with the top priced animal, Bald Ridge Terutani, selling for $10,000.

The previous day saw the Premium Wagyu Sale on AuctionsPlus, attracting a strong gallery of eager bidders around the country. Lotfeeders fought it out for the top priced commercial feeder steer offerings.

A pen of 12 Fullblood 7-10 month old Wagyu steers averaging 231kg from David Wooley’s Ramble Lane Cattle Co, Bega, NSW, sold for 609c/kg live or $1410/head at Thursday’s inaugural Premium Wagyu Sale.

A pen of 12 Fullblood 7-10 month old Wagyu steers averaging 231kg from David Wooley’s Ramble Lane Cattle Co, Bega, NSW, pictured above, sold for 609c/kg live or $1410/head at the inaugural sale. The steers carried 50pc Tajima breeding, all sons of the Itoshigefuji bull ROCFDW518 Hollywood.

A pen of nine heavier 302kg Wagyu X Droughtmaster F1 steers 10 to 13 months from Millmerran in southern Qld made 568c/kg live or $1715/head.

Genetic packages also received strong bidding activity and attracted solid prices. Lots with strong performance pedigrees drew the most spirited bidding.

The Australian Wagyu Association sponsored special sale offered both commercial cattle and seedstock. The 62 potential buyers who logged in kept up a steady flow of bids which followed 3197 views of the sale catalogue.

Top priced bull at $7000, Darley Suzufuku J2837, was offered by Lillian Jimenz’s Darley stud that topped the bull section at the recent Elite Wagyu Sale at the Wagyu Conference. The latest sale topper is in the top 1pc of the breed for EMA and the top 15pc for marbling score.

Embryos, also from the Darley stud, sold to $1420 each or $7100 for a package of five. The donor sire is the US based Itoshigenami. Darley sold 11 embryos, all from Blackmore donor dams, for an average $1200.

Semen sold to $90/straw with the one buyer snapping up the two packages of 10 straws each from Longford 004 offered by Hughes Pastoral Co.

The next AuctionsPlus Premium Wagyu Sale is scheduled for Wednesday August 10.