Buyers fork out up to 1100c/kg for light steers at Wodonga

There is plenty to like in the current cattle market, seen in Wodonga today where light steers made more than 1100c/kg. Full prices here.

Rain robbed numbers but boosted prices at Wodonga’s store cattle market today where buyers scrambled to secure steers and heifers.

The offering of 1200 was short of the 2000 advertised as vendors either could not transport stock or sent only a portion of what they had booked in.

Regardless, a strong buying contingent from as far south as Mansfield and across the local area pushed prices above 800c/kg for light steers and consistently above 600c/kg for most cattle.

Peter Ruaro Livestock principal Peter Ruaro said it was reassuring that buyers still wanted to secure cattle despite the ongoing wet conditions.

“The market today was very strong and no cheaper than what we have been seeing,” Mr Ruaro said.

Jason Singe from Henty, NSW, with his Charolais-cross steers which weighed 333kg and made $2120, or 637c/kg, at the Wodonga cattle sale.

“It is always a supply-and-demand situation, and while there are a few issues with water, and we had three or four lots of our agency’s cattle pulled out, the sale went well.

“The wet weather is affecting vendors’ ability to get cattle to market but also buyers’ ability to bring them home.”

A case in point was Jamie Beckingsale, Nutrien Mansfield manager, who bought several lines of steers but had to stand back from some cattle as the clients he was buying for could not handle a B-double truck to unload them.

“We have clients who were putting off buying because it is too wet, but they have to do something soon,” Mr Beckingsale said.

The offering at today’s sale was dominated by steers, topping at $2600 for a heavy pen of 11-12-month Angus steers, weighing 486kg, which made 535c/kg for vendors Comrie Cattle.

Other pens made $2450 twice – once for a pen of six Shorthorns sold by R and G Zauner with the 498kg steers returning 492c/kg, and again for L and A Digby for their seven Angus steers weighing 409kg which returned 599c/kg.Prices per kilogram lifted as weights decreased, with Minto Glen’s cattle from Yaloke, Deniliquin, NSW, a case in point. Its top pen of 348kg steers made $2400, or 690c/kg, but its lighter pen, at 303kg, made $2240, or 739c/kg.

Steers consistently made 600-680c/kg for lines above 330kg, but under 300kg, rates pushed above 700c/kg and up to 879c/kg for a pen of young unweaned Angus steers weighing 199kg, which sold for $1750. The younger brothers of this pen, which had no displayed weight but were estimated to weigh 130-140kg, made $1560 and could have returned more than 1100c/kg if weight estimates by observers were correct.

One of the biggest lines of steers was sold by R and G Zauner, with their 80 Herefords weighing an average of 332kg, making $2130-$2250, or 669-694c/kg.

Heifer prices topped at $2390 for a pen of Angus sold by T and E Kirk, which weighed 396kg and worked out at 604c/kg. They sold to a Myrtleford buyer who plans to join them.

The 600c/kg mark was broken several times, for heifers weighing anything from 249kg to 396kg, and reached as high as 763c/kg for light Angus, which weighed just 190kg and returned $1450.

Agents take bids at the Wodonga store cattle sale today where just 1200 cattle were yarded due to the wet conditions, but prices were judged dearer.

There were only a few pens of cows and calves, and these sold to $3750 paid for a pen of 15 Angus mixed age cows, mostly 2015-drop, with calves to eight weeks, sold by Booromi.

Other cows and calves made $2260-$3500.