Markets

AuctionsPlus numbers slow for Christmas, but finish on high note

Jon Condon, 19/12/2015

THE last full week of sales for 2015, and high temperatures in southern areas of the continent contributed to lower numbers listed for the final AuctionsPlus cattle sale for the year on Friday.

Weekly selling still finished on a high note, however, when AuctionsPlus’s first-ever Wagyu feature sale saw Fullblood Wagyu steers hit 620c/kg on Wednesday.

Part of a line of 115 400kg Angus steers from Weetaliba, NSW which topped the sale, making 338c/kg or $1350. Their lighter 362kg brothers made 342c/kg.

Part of a line of 115 400kg Angus steers from Weetaliba, NSW which topped the sale, making 338c/kg or $1350.

Friday’s regular weekly sale saw a sharp drop in listings, back 2500 head on the week before to 4849 head catalogued.

Steers were well represented as were unjoined heifers. Light steers were harder to find this week but steers in the 300-350kg range filled the void, and saw prices increasing 10c/kg from the previous week.

Heavy Angus feeder steers +350kg saw strong numbers from South Australia but it was a line of 115 400kg Angus steers from Weetaliba, NSW which topped the sale, making 338c/kg or $1350. Their lighter 362kg brothers made 342c/kg

Numbers of unjoined heifers remained dominant in the catalogue with the 250-300kg weight
range accumulating most numbers. A line of Angus/Santa heifers from Goondiwindi, Queensland made 345c/kg, although the overall average dropped 14c from the previous week.

PTIC Angus heifers from Coleraine in southwestern Victoria sold for $1700.

Cow and calf numbers were very low, especially younger cows. A strong showing of 5-9
year olds averaged $1870, jumping $299/unit on the previous sale.

Top prices didn’t quite beat last week’s $2300 for cows and calves from Cudal, but a nice line of Angus/Senepol cows 4-5 years from Wellington with Angus calves at foot averaging 151kg made $2060. Another line of station-mated Droughtmaster cows and calves, cows 5-6 years averaging 567kg, made $2000.

In a breakdown of the sale catalogue by weight range:

  • Steers weighing less than 250kg made 290c to 350c, averaging 324c, up 2c from the previous week; while heifers in the same weight range made 283-343c, averaging 336c, down 18c
  • Steers 250-300kg made 332-359c averaging 349c, down 12c; while heifers made 232-345c, averaging 313c, down 14c
  • Steers300-350kg made 287-376c, averaging 332c, up 2c; while heifers made 283-314c, averaging 313c, down 17c
  • Steers over 350kg made from 292-342c, averaging 333c, down 10c from the previous week, while heavy heifers made 242-324c, averaging 282c, up 3c.

 

Wagyu steers top 620c in first dedicated sale

The inaugural AuctionsPlus Want Wagyu feature sale held on Wednesday was well supported by buyers and vendors, with offerings Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and
Tasmania.

A line of 163 Fullblood Wagyu steers averaging 389kg from Emerald, Queensland sold in two lines making 620c/kg liveweight or $2414.

This line of 163 Fullblood Wagyu steers averaging 389kg from Emerald, Qld sold in two lines making 620c/kg liveweight or $2414.

This line of 163 Fullblood Wagyu steers averaging 389kg from Emerald, Qld sold in two lines making 620c/kg liveweight or $2414.

Fullblood Wagyu heifers also set a cracking pace with a line from Barraba, NSW making $3610. Genetic packages were also on offer in the sale with embryos making $350.

The 600c mark was also reached for two lots of Wagyu feeder steers from Dorrigo, NSW, weighed 305- 308kg and making 589c and 617c/kg live, or $1800 to $1900/head. The 42 feeder heifers from the same drop weighing 284kg made 560c/kg or $1590/head.

Demand from producers building Wagyu herds resulted in a line of 15 to 17 months old Wagyu heifers from Barraba, NSW, described as ‘not seen mated future breeders’ selling for $3610/head.

Wagyu X Angus cross sold to strong demand topping with lots from Texas, Queensland. The 37 feeder steers 12-14 months weighing 376kg made 557c/kg live or $2090/head while 39 heifer siblings made almost as much, 531c or $1895/head.

Australian Wagyu Association’s CEO Graham Truscott said while the sale was a great success, the association was working towards more comprehensive descriptors of the genetic make-up of the cattle for sale to enhance the physical assessments which support the integrity of the AuctionsPlus system.

“We are working towards a DNA test which accurately describes the Wagyu content of cattle and this will be a great guide to buyers who want to be assured that what they are buying has been correctly described and will produce premium Wagyu carcases,” he said.

 

  • AuctionsPlus closes from Tuesday 22 December, re-opening on Monday 4 January.
  • First cattle sales for the new year week commencing 4 January.

 

 

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