
Doonba Grazing, Glenmorgan sold close to 480 young steers and heifers, all Angus x Santas. The steer portion made from 538c/kg for the heavier 344kg steers to 582.6c/kg for their lighter 292kg brothers. The heifer portion ranged from 522c/kg for the heavier future breeders averaging 362kg, up to 543.2c for the backgrounder weights averaging 311kg.
Auctions Plus offerings have fallen almost 26pc this week compared with just a fortnight earlier, heading into the end of the financial year.
Underpinned by more rain in some grazing areas of eastern Australia and a renewed forecast for sustained wet conditions into the third quarter, overall supplies declined to 11,684 head this week.
The young cattle market continued to soar, with the EYCI equalling its record high of 913.25c during the week. Online clearance rates kicked higher, registering clearances between 85pc and 97pc for the heaviest populated categories.
Both lightweight steer and heifer categories less than 200kg fell in price, averaging 45c and 33c/kg cheaper than last week, but both categories were only thinly traded. Several lines of dairy steers influenced the significant fall in the lightest steer category.
Clearance rates robust across all five steer categories, with the heaviest populated category of 200-280kg liveweight steers attracting an offering of 2161 head, averaging 5c/kg higher at 611c/kg.
Out of Bingara NSW, a line of 82 Angus weaned steers 8-10 months averaging 225kg, made 711.7c/kg or $1600 per head, while their heifer sisters 203kg made 668.6c/kg.
For the young heifers, prices averaged higher for the three mediumweight categories, with the 200-280kg portion jumping 42c/kg on last week to average 575c, with an 88pc clearance rate for the 1241 head offered.
Heifers the 280-330kg jumped 48c to average 571c boosted by fierce bidding for 180 unweaned Angus heifers which sold to $2520/head. All out of the same vendor (with more in other weight categories) from Tenterfield, NSW, the 180 heifers were 8-12 months, EU accredited and spread across five separate bidding lots ranging from 31-42 head, and from a lot average of 298kg to 328kg.
In contrast for the high clearance rates for the young cattle, PTIC heifers only registered 42pc clearance this week, for the 1139 head offered, with the average price slipping $43, to $2358/head.
However, with overall breeding numbers back considerably, vigorous competition for quality breeding lines continued, with several offerings receiving excellent returns this week.
Out of Holbrook in Southern NSW, an excellent line of 29 PTIC Angus heifers 22-23 months averaging 478kg sold to $2830/head. Further south, from Howes Creek, Victoria, 60 Angus PTIC cows 4-5 years averaging 567kg, joined to Shorthorn bulls sold to $2850.
Ticking all the possible boxes for quick herd rebuilding, an indicative line of 36 PTIC Hereford cows ranging from 6-11-years 587kg with CAF sold for $3000.
Among larger lines offered this week, Doonba Grazing, Glenmorgan sold close to 480 young steers and heifers, all Angus x Santa Gertrudis. The steer portion, totalling almost 300 head, made from 538c/kg for the heavier 344kg steers to 582.6c/kg for their lighter 292kg brothers. The heifer portion totalling 278 head, ranged from 522c/kg for the heavier future breeders averaging 362kg, up to 543.2c for the backgrounder weights averaging 311kg.
Prices as at 2pm Friday.
Female lines hot property for online buyers at Forbes Store Sale
STOCKLIVE buyers stirred up bidding competition across female lines at the Central West Livestock Exchange Store Sale at Forbes on Friday, where the heifer price reached $1780/head.
Tim Mackay, Forbes Livestock Agency, noticed online buyers were more active in the heifer market compared to previous sales.
“It looked like the buyers were from a mix of breeding and backgrounding operations and were bidding heavily across un-joined female lines,” he said.
“I would say most of the heifers bought online, however, went to backgrounders.”
A Yarrawonga, Victoria, buyer drove the online highlights, swooping on a quality CC Pastoral Droughtmaster cross heifer line, which weighed 358kg and was bought for $1650/head. The steer portion of the CC Pastoral offering was snapped up for $1240/head, for a Charbray pen averaging 250kg.
The Yarrawonga-based buyer completed their purchases with a BW and LM Shepherd Angus pen, which reached $1560/head and weighed 321kg.
In total, 2000 head of quality cattle were processed at the auction, and Mr Mackay said prices were firm across the board.
“We had a few more yearling steers and heifers than we have had at past sales, and the weaners’ quality was reflective of the season as they had plenty of weight and were in good condition,” Mr Mackay said.
The auction marked the fourth Store Sale to be held at the yards in 2021, after the selling centre took a four-year hiatus from store auctions during the drought.
CWLE saleyard manager, Cassi Walmsley, said restocking efforts in key production areas boosted demand for the Store Sale and, given the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, complementing the auction with online selling capabilities was an obvious choice.
“When the decision was made to bring the sales back we wanted to reach a bigger market and we have been able to achieve this through StockLive,” she said.
Ms Walmsley said demand for cattle from the sale was crossing state border lines and breaking new ground for breed preferences amongst producers.
“At a recent sale we had Santa Gertrudis cattle head to Southern Victoria, which is an area that tends to prefer your British-bred lines,” she said.

A Yarrawonga, Victoria, buyer secured this line of CC Pastoral Droughtmaster cross heifers which weighed 358kg and made a return of $1650/head.
Sources: AuctionsPlus, Stocklive
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