Part of a line of 112 Angus x Santa backgrounder steers 296kg at 7-10 months from The Gums in Southern Queensland that made 503c/kg or $1490 this morning. Their 97 heifer sisters 288kg at similar age made 406c or $1170.

CLEARANCE slipped to 44 percent in a smaller 12,639 head offering on AuctionsPlus this week.

The offering size, down 12pc on the previous week, met with more selective buying, with steer and heifer values mostly down in c/kg terms. Breeding female values were mixed across categories, but included some big falls.

Best of the steer categories was entries 200-280kg, which lifted 12c/kg to average 540c, clearing 54pc of the offering of 1390 head. All other categories fell in double-digits.

Steers 280-330kg lost 18c to average 488c, producing a clearance of 45pc from the offering of 1366, while steers 330-400kg lost 24c to average 489c, clearing only 39pc of the 1643 head offering.

Heavy feeders +400kg lost 20c/kg to average 485c, registering a 44pc clearance from 1029 head offered.

Some heifer categories also lost considerable ground, with 200-280kg descriptions back 19c to average 424c, clearing 51pc, while heifers 330-400kg eased 18c to average 420c, clearing 62pc of the 1200 offered.

Less impacted were heavy feeders +400kg, where a small offering of 107 head eased 2c/kg to average 437c. Unchanged were heifers 280-330kg, averaging 428c and clearing 60pc of the offering.

Young cattle highlights included 30 Angus steers 4-5 months averaging 214kg from Braidwood, NSW, returned 590c/kg and travelling to a buyer near Bairnsdale, VIC.

From Glenellen, NSW, 140 Angus steers 5-6 months averaging 207kg returned 584c/kg travelling to a buyer near Young, NSW.

A line of 116 Droughtmaster steers 9-14 months averaging 268kg from Blackall, QLD, made 541c/kg travelling to a local buyer.

Among larger lines of young cattle seen this week, 112 Angus x Santa backgrounder steers 296kg at 7-10 months from The Gums in Southern Queensland made 503c/kg or $1490. Their 97 heifer sisters 288kg at similar age made 406c or $1170.

An offering of 136 Santa backgrounder heifers 23-25 months sold in two lots averaging 369kg and 307kg from Eidsvold, Central Queensland made 398c and 390c, respectively.

Continuing a trend seen last week, Wagyu entries – mostly backgrounder or feeder weight F1 steers and heifers – proved hard to sell. Just one of nine lots found a buyer, with others attracting no bids or passed in. The largest offering of 85 F1 backgrounder heifers 359kg at 14-15 months from the NSW Northwest slopes was passed in for 440c/kg.

Breeding females

PTIC heifers and cows both lifted in $/head value, while most other categories eased. PTIC heifers lifted $101 to average $2408 and cows improved $79 to $2328.

Smaller offerings of station-mated heifers and cows lost $344 and $588 respectively, to average $2136 and $1592.

Source: AuctionsPlus