Ballarat weaner sale: Steers 20-30c/kg dearer

BALLARAT, FEBRUARY 15: STEER prices improved as volume buying by feedlots created dearer cents-a-kilogram values.

A good day: Vendor Richard Grigg, from Newlyn, with son John, 3, sold weaner steers for $1110 at Ballarat.

STEER prices improved at Ballarat’s weaner sale as volume buying by feedlots created dearer cents-a-kilogram values across the yarding.

In dollar-a-head terms, prices reached a top of $1800 for store bullocks weighing more than 600kg.

The highlight of the market, however, was consistent rates above 300c/kg for the feature lines of yearling and weaner steers.

“This is 20c/kg and up to 30c/kg better than what we expected, and it has been across everything from light calves through to the heavier steers,” TB White & Sons’ director Leo White said.

“The whole job (market) has more of an air of confidence about it.”

The yarding featured nearly 3700 grown and weaner steers, mostly Angus, with the chance to secure decent lines of well-bred cattle with weight proving a drawcard for feedlots. There was a lot of steers weighing more than 350kg.

All the major companies — Teys, Thomas Food International, JBS Australia, Ravens­worth and Hopkins River — operated and set the bidding pace across the sale and overall they purchased a reasonable percentage of the yarding.

Also active were southern restockers keen to get quality replacements before the anticipated autumn break and possible higher prices. Buyers to have an impact included South Gippsland agents Don Bowman, of Elders, and Eddie Hams, of Landmark, along with South Australian agency Creek Livestock.

Some northern agents had also travelled down but found slim pickings against the strength of the feedlots and southern store buyers.

The sale began on an impressive run of grown steers that topped at $1800 for 629kg steers, returning 286c/kg.

Most of those steers, aged 14-16 months, sold from $1200 to $1500, or 285-298c/kg, depending on breed quality and weight.

The opening laneway of autumn 2018-drop weaner steers sold to $1390 for 17 Angus from Lake Goldsmith Pastoral which weighed 458kg, returning 303c/kg. The next pen weighing 397kg sold for $1240, or 312c/kg.

They sold to feedlot buyers who purchased the first six pens, or 125 Angus calves at $1200 to the top of $1390.

Weaner steers consistently trended above 300c/kg, including the lightweights.

As an example, late in the sale 18 Angus, weighing 318kg sold for $975 or 306c/kg.

Richard Grigg from Newlyn sold weaner steers weighing 350kg for $1110. “It is better than what I expected as it has been so dry. Our weights are still similar — there is probably only 20kg in it compared to last year,” he said.

Saleyard operators Central Victorian Livestock Exchange reported an average price of $1062.75 across 3683 cattle.