Prices heat up at Euroa store cattle sale
Coronavirus disruptions did little to dampen the market at yesterday’s Euroa store cattle sale. Jenny Kelly reports.
GRASS fever overrode any local processing and global concerns at Euroa yesterday, with young store cattle consistently tracking above 400c/kg for heifers.
The yarding of 1200 was the first major store sale in Victoria to be held under the new rules of people having to wear face masks, and the council owned yards put more measures in place to ensure social distancing.
Everyone who signed in was given either a blue or green wristband so staff could see who had registered as a potential buyer (green) compared to vendors and onlookers.
Those wearing blue bands were asked to keep the buying laneway clear.
Opening the sale local agent Russell Mawson said it was important that people followed the rules to ensure the livestock industry remained clean of coronavirus and able to hold physical sales.
“We want saleyards to continue so have some respect and do the right thing,’’ he said.
Mr Mawson also spun the new restrictions on Victorian abattoirs having to cut production by a third as a positive for the industry.
“Go into Coles and they are out of meat,’’ he said.
“All this talk of a shortage of meat is very good promotion for the industry.’’
Not that buyers seemed to need much encouragement, with prices starting solidly on the few pens of grown steers and building to very strong levels on the younger weaner calves under 320kg liveweight.
The opening pen of 15 grown Angus steers weighing 510kg sold for $1880 to return 368c/kg. This was the low point of the sale in liveweight terms.
By the time auctioneers moved onto yearling and weaner steers the market was trending over 400c/kg, with the main lots of Angus selling for between 430c to nearly 480c/kg liveweight.
Examples included:
*Plantus Seedlings, 17 Angus yearlings at 410kg for $1660 or 404c/kg;
*B & L Lunstrum, 24 Angus at 353kg for $1570 or 444c/kg;
*Carrington Props, 35 Angus at 312kg for $1405 or 450c/kg;
* The second run of Lunstrum calves – 28 at 298kg – for $1385 or 464c/kg;
*Villa, 16 Angus at 286kg for $1340 or 468c/kg, and a second run at 260kg at $1245 or 478c/kg.
Local agents said restockers were purchasing cattle off the back of good returns for feeders steers and bullocks, with looming spring adding extra confidence.
“With all the feed that is around, and the demand out of NSW for cattle, I can’t see the market changing very much in the next few months – I think we have to get used to these prices,’’ Mulchay & Nelson Shepparton livestock agent Sam Nelson said.
The most impressive part of the sale was young heifers, with demand stepping up for dual purpose calves that could be feedlot or grown out as future breeders.
Bidding moved closer to steer rates, with prices working out between 400c to 435c/kg for the better bred lines of Angus and some Charolais.
In dollar per head terms it meant there was little buying under $1100.
Key heifer results included:
*Bingarra 22 Angus at 331kg for $1440 or 435c/kg; followed by 19 at 289kg for $1270 (439c/kg)
*Gooram Estate, 24 Angus at 281kg for $1270 or 451c/kg
*Joshma Park, 6 Charolais at 335kg for $1370 or 408c/kg
*Villa, 21 Angus at 270kg for $1160 or 429c/kg
*B & M Kelly, 14 Angus at 241kg for $1050 or 435c/kg.
Across the yarding volume buyers included South Gippsland agent Neil Darby, commission buyer Duncan Brown with feedlot and restocking orders for NSW, followed by a mix of agents from Wangaratta, Shepparton and the local Euroa area.
– JENNY KELLY
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