Tasmanian annual weaner sales, Powranna
Yarding: 2116
EYCI: 858.75c/kg
Feeder rating: +80pts
Steers: 360-500kg $1740-$2280, av 494c/kg; 300-360kg $1700-$1900, av 556c/kg; 240-300kg $1480-$1780, av 610c/kg; 180-240kg $1490-$1550, av 681
Heifers: +300kg $1440-$1820, av 489c/kg; 240-360kg $1220-$1520, av 517c/kg
Alan Fehlberg, Pontville, sold his Shene draft of Angus steer weaners to $2000/head following a best in 20-years season.
LOCAL buyers extinguished almost all opportunities of a mainland buying spree as the Tasmanian annual weaner sales continued at the Powranna selling complex on Thursday.
Bidding steer prices to a top of $2280 a head and heifer to $1680, the strong local inquiry retained all of the 1478-strong steer penning while losing just the one load of heifers to the mainland.
In a sale that was interfaced with Auctions Plus, auctioneer Alan Perry, Elders, said any mainland interest never really stood a chance against the determined local inquiry.
“From all accounts cattle here in Tasmania are making the same or more money as they are in Victoria, said Mr Perry.
“And with this yarding weighing almost 40kg heavier than a year ago the mainland competition couldn’t get a start even on the few light weight calves to offset their higher freight costs” he said.
Watch Beef Central’s interview with Alan Perry immediately after the sale:
A Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) quote of the sale stated: “With such a great season state wide there was more weight than most years and all were in very fresh condition.
“The vast majority were straight bred Angus (Hereford sale is in two weeks’ time) and came from all over the state.
“The market was very good although there were some easier parts in the sale after last weeks’ record sale” the official report read.
In the steer market the sale’s top price pen was a yard of 10 Angus offered by Anne Williams “Dorset Downs” Waterhouse.
Weighing 496kg these 10- to 11-month-old weaned steers were bid to $2280 while a second yard of 15 Dorset Downs Angus steers, 433kg, made $2100.
Also cracking a $2000 per head sale was a pen of 15 Angus, 391kg, offered Alan Fehlberg and family, “Shene” Pontville. The Shene steers made $2020 a head while a second pen of 16 Shene Angus steers, 340kg, made $1900.
A pen of 10 Glenmore Angus steers, 397kg, also drew plenty of attention selling at $1970 as most pens of heavier steers weighing 360kg and beyond traded on a price structure between 465 and 515c/kg.
Click this link for a video of the opening lane of sales as streamed live on the day by Beef Central:
The Elders conducted sale offered a number of large vendor-bred, one mark-lines most of which supplied multiple pens in the 250 to 350kg weight bracket. These were mostly sold in a price range of 530c/kg to 640c/kg while those lighter had some realize $7/kg and beyond in a steer yarding that averaged a few cents shy of $1700 a head.
Among the large vendor sellers, ST Scott & Son, “The Rocks” Evandale sold a pen of 52 Angus, 336kg at $1880.
This EU-accredited vendor also cleared a pen of 36, 336kg, at $1760 and a third yard of 20, 275kg, sold at $1720.
Clear Investments, Bracknell was another large line seller offering 175 Angus.
It sold its Gaters line-up of Angus steers to $1820 for a yard of 20, 317kg, $1700 for a lot of 40, 277kg, while a third pen of 23, 239kg, made $1540.
Garry Lindsay, wife Barb and daughter Clare purchased 180 steers for their Bracknell finishing property
The annual draft of 200 Effingham Angus steers, September/October-drop, offered by Winston Archer, Pipers River, stimulated the interest of volume traders.
The Effingham first draft lot of 90, 276kg, were sold at $1710, a second yard of 72, 250kg, made $1590, a third pen of 18, 227kg, fetched $1500 while a fourth yard of 19, 207kg, made $1520.
Vendor, Yellowbox, forwarded a consignment Angus steers and heifers that averaged $1525 a head across 188 head.
The heaviest pen of the Yellowbox steers weighed at 318kg made, $1780, a second pen of 20, 297kg made $1740 while a third draft pen of 23, 270kg, made $1680.
The Grub family, Breadalbane, continued its connection to this Elders-conducted sale offering 95 of their Strathroy EU-accredited Angus weaners.
Their heaviest pen of 20, 314kg, made $1780, a second yard of 20, 299kg, made $1760, a third lot of 20, 287kg made $1780 while a fourth draft of 20, 265kg, made $1700.
While the demand for steers appeared to free-wheel times the demand for heifers was more contained in a $4.50 to $5.50c/kg which allowed a mainland order from Gundagai, NSW to source a load of well-bred Angus for growing-out for the purpose of future breeding.
Graeme Geale sold May/June-drop of Angus steers from his Georgetown property, Stonehenge.
The market’s top for heifer, of $1820, was paid twice.
JF Irvine’s Halls Track yard of 10 Angus, 380kg, was the first to receive that money while P&R Bowden’s Grove yard of six Angus, 362kg, was next.
Close behind at $1800, AL Felhberg sold a Shene yard of 12 Angus, 365kg, while BC & GB Slater sold a Glenbarry yard of nine Angus, 362kg, at $1740, all of these selected by local operators for breeding purposes.
Following these, the next in line sales of 300 to 360kg heifers mostly made $1450-$1650 while the lighter yards, 240 to 300kg, were generally sold from $1300 to $1500 a head across a penning of 636 that averaged $1429 a head.
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