Bids were thrown in a flurry at the start of the Bill Wyndham and Co special spring store cattle sale on Monday, beginning at $2200 a head on grown steers offered by Jim Stewart, Johnsonville, quickly finishing at $2440 a head, or $3.59 a kilogram for 11 Angus and Black Baldy steers, weighing an average 680 kilograms.
In a yarding of 1933 head, sale expectations were cautiously optimistic and the grown steers sold above what agents thought, thanks to strong bidding from Murray Stewart, Hillside, buying on behalf of Elders Yea, for a feedlot near Yea, that underpinned prices on the heavy end.
Mr Stewart took the first 14 pens of grown steers and then a a few more head, collecting 169 steers before going to look at the heifers, including the second pen sold by Wayne McInnes, Nicholson, making $2370/head, weighing 641kg, and the third sold by the Chila family for $2450/head, weighing 721kg.
Before the sale, Wyndhams auctioneer, Jake Fullgrabe, said the yarding of cattle had “lined up beautifully”.
“Weights are slightly down on what we thought but it’s been a cold and wet winter and the cattle have felt the pinch and that’s reflected in the weights,” Mr Fullgrabe said.
“However, the genetic quality is getting better and better, at the end of the day if you have a rough season the good genetics will sell all day.
“We have a lot of repeat buyers who come back year after year for the same cattle because they do the job for them.”
The Pappin family sold Angus steers at an average 540kg for $2130; the Simpson family selling 414kg Herefords at $1340 and 369kg steers at $1290, with Sale’s Peter Kelly picking up a pen of 344kg steers from the Simpsons for $1010.
Chris and Mary Wheeler, Buchan, sold 80 Angus steers and 60 Hereford steers, 35 Angus heifers and 35 Hereford heifers. Their 20 Angus steers weighing an average 345kg made a handy $1610, or $4.67/kg, while another pen, weighing 332kg sold for $1400 a head or $4.22/kg.
Their manager, Geoff Cameron, said the tops of the steers they sold in March at the Bairnsdale weaner sale made $1350 and weighed about 380-390kg.
“We’ve had a very wet winter and a series of frosts, so we’ve supplementary fed these cattle silage over the winter,” Mr Cameron said.
“It’s good to see the job has certainly come up a notch.”
After the dust settled post-sale, Mr Fullgrabe said the 360 grown steers had sold up to $250 above expectations.
“I also thought the Euro calves sold exceptionally well, including the Mitchell Lee steers which weighed 315kg and made $1260.
“In the lighter steers, what we’ve been seeing at sales over the past several weeks is that the effect of winter is reflected in the weights.
“In the heifers we need to remember three or four sales ago they weren’t making $1000 a head.
“The heavier end was dearer, the lighter end, if they weren’t in the Never Ever program, they were probably $50 a head easier.”
He said South Gippsland buyers were taking the punt on buying stock now in preparation for rain.
“I’d say 80 to 90 per cent of the cattle went to South and West Gippsland and some locally,” he said.
“There were no buyers from the north except for the Elders Yea order.
“Murray Stewart blew them out of the water on those heavier steers.
“There was good local support as I think we’re on our way to having a good spring, which I think is in the back of people’s minds.
“It’s looking a hell of a lot better than last years at any rate.”
He said when prices were good people went through their herds which meant most in the region were relatively young.
“I don’t think people are chasing females to join, a couple of lots went back to the paddock to breed but the majority went to grain fattening cattle extra or feedlots.”
More photos and results will feature in next week’s Primary Producer.
Vendor Lea Worseldine, Creighton Grange Angus, Mount Taylor, with buyers Dennis Russell, Mardan, and agent Paul Wilson, SEJ, Leongatha. Dennis plans to grow out his 15 new merlewood-blood heifers and join them. He bought them for $1000 a head and they weighed 328kg on average.
Looking at heifers: Mark Armstrong and his father Geoff Armstrong, of Geelong, with Jim Watson, Warragul. Geoff and Jim used to trade dairy cattle at Warragul. Geoff has attended the Bairnsdale saleyards for 65 years and used to buy cattle out of the rotundra.
Murray Stewart, Hillside, bought the first 14 pens of steers at the Bill Wyndham and Co special spring store cattle sale on Monday on behalf of a feedlot near Yea, the weights ranging from 600-721kg for the two-year-old steers, or about $3.60/kg, and smaller steers from 500-570kgs.
Long time repeat steer and bull buyer of the Sykes family cattle, Alan Mitchell, Powlett River Downs, Wonthaggi, with vendors Judi and Paul Sykes, Karoonda, Gelantipy. Alan paid $1600 a head for the 437kg steers, missing out on the second pen which made $1570 a head.
You’re it – bidding along the first lane of the Bill Wyndham and Co special spring store sale was intense with this first pen making $2440 a head.
