Volume sellers, Brett and Babette Stewart, Wimmera Downs, Greens Creek prepared 165 PTIC Angus heifers for the Ballarat female sale.

SPECIALLY prepared lots of pregnant Angus heifers met strong and steady demand in a penning of 1690 at Ballarat’s annual joined and calved female cattle sale on Friday.

Heading up the better-than-expected results was a pen of 20 Carngham Station-bred Angus, aged 2.5 years, pregnancy tested in calf (PTIC) to low birthweight Langi Kal Kal-blood Angus bulls due to commence calving in early March.

These were sold at $3850 a head by Golden Grove, Newlyn to Nutrien Ballarat while a second pen of 22 from the Maher family’s 67 head annual draft, same description made $3450, and a third lot, $2700.

Next in line, sold at $3700, was a yard of 20 Dunoon-blood Angus, PTIC to Dunoon-blood bulls.

These were prepared and sold by the Richmond family, Rosegrange, Trawalla while a second pen of the Rosegrange heifers made $3550.

Opening the sale and standing in yard number one was a pen of 20 Toora West-bred, Banquet-blood Angus, September-October 2020-drop, PTIC to Banquet-blood bulls.

Offered by Brett and Babette Stewart, Wimmera Downs, Greens Creek and representing the tops of a consignment of 165, these made $3500 while a second draft of 54, same description, made $3250, with a third lot of 20, sold at $3350.

In a tightly priced market, AS Taylor sold 11 Langi Kal Kal Angus, PTIC to Pathfinder bulls at $3450 while a second yard of the Taylor heifers – six in the yard – made $3550.

Also among the leading sales was three yards of Langi Kal Angus’ own-bred APR registered heifers, A I’d to Millah Murrah Nugget N266 and backed up to Landfall Keystone.

These made $3420, $3400 and $3360 across a consignment of 42 while numerous other lots were sold in a price from $2800 to $3200.

Watch vision of the first lane of sales as streamed live by Beef Central:

Nutrien auctioneer Xavier Shanahan said while top-end values had reached levels that were “optimistically ” hoped, it was surprising however, the number of lots that were sold above $3000 that were expected only to high $2000’s.

“This segment of the market was a couple of hundred dollars better than anticipated however there were pens that made less according to quality” Mr Shanahan said.

To view Beef Central’s post sale interview with Xavier Shanahan, click here:

TB White & Sons principal Leo White also described the sale as better-than-expected.

“It was strong at the top end and above-expected through the middle drafts” Mr White said.

“But there were cattle priced to suit all budgets and that meant a good result for all”.

Other larger consignments included pens offered by Eurambeen East- 20 Angus, Franc-blood, PTIC to Franc and Banquet bulls, $3125 and 21 Angus, Te Mania-blood PTIC to same bulls, $2700.

Rose Ridge -30 Angus, Te Mania-blood, PTIC to Bowmont bulls, $2900 and $$2975;

FA & GJ Richardson and Sons 20 Angus, Franc-blood, PTIC to Braeside Park bulls $3100 and $3000 for another yard of 20, and

Arkoona 43 Angus, Weeran-blood, PTIC to Barwidgee bulls $2750 and 19 sold at $2380.

Angus breeder, Charlie Calleja, Gordon, overcome a very wet winter on his Bostock property to prepare PTIC Angus heifer for sale at Ballarat. He is pictured with Graeme Nicholson, Elders.

Buyers from across Victoria’S Gippsland, northern, northeast and western areas traveled to make purchases along with strong interest from the local and central districts.

While Angus dominated the first-calving heifer supply several Angus-Hereford (Black Baldy) yards were sold at $2300 to $2450 while Hereford lots made to $2450 in a very slim supply.

In the mature-age section best sales of 2nd and 3rd-calving Black heifers were made at $3200 to $3420 with older sold between $2200 and $2850.

For buyers preferring the hard working of calving heifers to be done, lots of calved 1st- calf heifers were greeted with serious interest.

Colac-district vendor, H Eldridge sold four yards of Angus (51 in total), with 100pc of Murdeduke-blood calves at foot and re-depastured in December from $3300 to $3550, and as Eldridge Farm two yards (40) from $3100 to $3400.

D & K Jewell also offered 1st-calf Angus heifers offering a three-for-one deal, with Rossandra-calves at foot and rejoined in December. Their yard of 21 by 21 made $3500 per outfit while a similar lot of 21 by 21 Black Baldy 2.5-year-olds by the Jewell family, with Rossandra-blood calves and a December rejoining made $2960 per unit.

This annual sale of breeding females was conducted by Ballarat stock agents, Nutrien, TB White & Sons, Elders, Charles Stewart & Co and HF Richardson while next Friday, February 10th, the association’s annual sale of 4000 unjoined females will be staged.

Ballarat sales of grown and weaner steers are scheduled for Friday February-17, with an all-agents annual sale with expected numbers around the 5000 head level, then on February-25, Nutrien Ballarat will conduct its 50th anniversary sale of mixed sex weaners with this blue-ribbon event expected to muster some 4500 to 5000 head.