Wodonga store cattle sale: Market peaks at almost 800c/kg

Lightweight steers have made close to 800c/kg at Wodonga, with 2600 cattle yarded. See why the market in northern Victoria shows no signs of slowing down.

A draft of spring-drop calves out of Swifts Creek made up to 778c/kg for the lightest pen of 43 Angus at 189kg.

An inflated yarding at the Wodonga store sale yesterday saw 2600 cattle sell ahead of winter, which vendors fear will bring cool and dry conditions.

Nutrien Ag Solutions auctioneer Luke Deimel said the price incentive of the market for weaners at the moment boosted numbers for the sale leading into winter.

“As much as we’ve had some handy local rain in the last three or four days it was starting to dry out just enough. I think with the price for weaners is as high as it has been people have decided to cash in rather than carry them through,” Mr Deimel said.

Grown, feeder type steers, 400kg-500kg returned from 440c/kg to 475c/kg.

Last year’s autumn-drop calves weighing from 300kg to 400kg made 520c/kg-580c/kg while the spring-drop calves at 250kg-300kg, brought forward to take advantage of the market before winter sets in, made about 600c/kg.

“We’ve seen the store sales over the last six months gradually get dearer every sale we’ve had, but I think we’ve got to a level now over the last two months or where the market has found its peak and is holding,” Mr Deimel said.

“I can’t see that we’ll see the prices came back much over winter unless we get quite a long stretch of six or eight weeks without rain,” he added.

A feature line of 400 spring-drop, EU-accredited, Angus steers, vendor bred out of Swifts Creek, was a highlight of the consignment from Elders, topping at $1660 but hitting an impressive 778c/kg for the lighter end of the draft.

The steers topped at $1660 or 588c/kg for 50 Angus at 282kg. The second pen of 85 steers at 258kg made $1630 or 631c/kg and the third draft of 105 Angus at 218kg made $1558 or 714c/kg. The last pen of 43 Angus calves at 189kg returned $1470, which equated to a huge 778c/kg.

In the heifer market, good quality types performed very similarly to the steers with grown types from 400kg to 450kg making 450c/kg-480c/kg while those under 400kg returned 500c/kg or a bit better. The lighter weight heifers at 200kg-260kg were making mid-500c/kg and up to 600c/kg.

Mr Deimel said while there was definitely local buyers and agents active, three or four very active commission buyers including Andrew Lowe and Duncan Brown bought a large portion of the market.

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