Wodonga weaner yardings affected by bushfires

The start of summer weaner sales traditionally draw strong crowds and yardings. This year, bushfires have robbed the annual fixture of both.

Rod Manning, of Davilak Pastoral, and his granddaughter Matilda Reeve, sold about 580 Angus steers at between $930-$1190 at the Wodonga Angus weaner sale.

FIRE impacted the Angus weaner sale at Wodonga today, robbing the annual fixture of both buyers and vendors.

Just 4100 weaners and older cattle were offered, significantly down on the 7500 advertised earlier this week.

Corcoran Parker’s Justin Keane said between 1000 and 1500 cattle had not arrived from the Upper Murray due to fires around Corryong, while potential buyers from that region were either fighting fires or unable to transport cattle in.

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“Normally the Upper Murray region is a prominent buyer of the weaners,” Mr Keane said.

“We are lucky that we have a lot of weight in the weaners today, so it means feedlots can operate on them.”

Feedlot strength was the big factor in the sale, with four operating strongly on steers 350kg and heavier.

Killara Feedlot, Quirindi; Ravensworth at Hay; Mort and Co at Gunnee, and Hopkins River from western Victoria were all active, while there was also trade competition for heifers in prime condition.

The sale’s top steer weaner price was $1360 paid for a pen of 80 Angus at 425kg, EU accredited, and returned 320c/kg selling to Killara Feedlot, Quirindi, NSW.

Another EU accredited offering was from J and J Paterson Pty Ltd, which sold 60 weighing 391kg for $1270 (324c/kg), 40 weighing 369kg for $1160 (314c/kg) and 45 weighing 334kg for $1020 (305c/kg).

The biggest vendor was the Manning family from Davilak Pastoral Company at Mansfield, who sold 580 Angus steers.

The best of their run made $1190 (320c/kg), with the balance selling from $930 to $1170 or from 305 to 318c/kg.

Rodda Manning said he was anxious coming to the sale and felt like they had “dodged a bullet” given the fires and tight season.

Most steers sold from 300 to 325c/kg, with some sales outside of this.

The best competition was for the heavier steers and also the lightest with the highest c/kg price of 380c/kg paid for a pen of 179kg Angus calves sold by the Scott family, Table Top Angus at Table Top, NSW, which sold for $680.

Tim Scott said they had decided to wean some calves earlier than normal to save feed for cows, and offered 80 steers which were just five to six months.

The other two pens of their steers made $840 (251kg, 335c/kg) and $805 (223kg, 361c/kg).

Heifers sold from 240 to 270c/kg with the best presented pen also making the top heifer weaner price.

M and R Oates sold 23 heifers, 392kg, for $1090 or 278c/kg.

Buying strength was from the feedlot trade, underpinned by local competition.

There were isolated sales outside the region including 62 to Tasmania, while buyers also came from Goulburn, NSW, Echuca and Griffith.

But many of the familiar faces from the Upper Murray were missing, as were those who usually buy backgrounders from northern NSW and the NSW Southern Highlands.