Prices achieved at Ballarat store cattle sale exceed expectations

Agents and buyers alike at Ballarat have been left awed by the remarkable prices paid for female cattle at a sale held almost a year on from when the market started to heat up.

Brett Stewart from Wimmera Downs at Greens Creek offered a huge feature line of 152 joined Angus heifers. Picture: Petra Oates

THE Ballarat joined female sale today marked almost 12 months since the cattle market put its foot on the gas.

One year on and female cattle outshone last year’s market by $1000 in places, awing agents and buyers alike.

Around 1500 joined females sold to highs of $3750 for two-and-a-half year-old joined Angus heifers and a massive $4400 for unjoined cows and calves.

Charles Stewart Ballarat branch manager Jamie McConachy said the sale achieved values far beyond what was expected.

“We would almost be up $1000 in places on that market this time last year,” Mr McConachy said.

“Last year we had the Colac female sale in the first week of January where pregnant heifers were selling for under $1500. We then stepped up at Ballarat the next month and sold they for $2500 and today were selling them for over $3000 on average,” he said.

Starting off the sale with a bang the first run of joined heifers made from $3100 to a top of $3750 for two-and-a-half-year-old Angus heifers.

The tops of the pregnancy-tested in-calf heifers were both local, longtime vendors at the Ballarat sale Langi Kal Kal Angus and Golden Grove.

They both presented several pens in the first run of heifers, which sold to equal tops of $3750.

Stepping down into the two-year-old joined heifers, which were a bit lighter, pens were still made from $2500 to $3000 and the second drafts achieved results from $2000 to $2500.

An incredible top of $4400 was made for a pen of unjoined cows and calves which Mr McConachy said may have almost been a national record.

“I’m sure that would have been close to a national record. They also weren’t rejoined cows so the calves at foot were only small too which was just incredible to see them go for that much,” Mr McConachy said.

The outstanding lot of cows and calves was sold by David and Kara Trigg from Millbrook who offered a total of 70 cows and calves and 35 joined heifers at the sale as part of their annual draft for the Ballarat sale.

MORE

EASTERN MARKING BOOMING

ONLY WAY IS UP FOR CATTLE RATE