High hopes for Sandy Camp Angus at Hamilton sales

“Horrifically” wet conditions may lead to a different weight range of calves at the weaner sales, says a Western District producer.

Eyes are looking to the sky this year in wonder if the tap will turn off with the continuing wet weather and lack of sunshine expected to affect how cattle present at the annual weaner sales.

Mibus Brothers farm manager Henry Compton, at Portland, said it had been a “horrifically wet spring” in the Western District.

“We are a month behind in shearing. It has been an extraordinarily wet year. The lambs are doing OK but haven’t had the sunshine to finish them off,” Henry said.

Mibus Brothers farm manager Henry Crompton with calves to be sold at the upcoming January weaner sales at Hamilton. Picture: Nicole Cleary

“The cattle are in good condition but their weight might not be quite as heavy as they could have been.

“We’ve had to offload one property because it was way too wet – worse than the middle of winter and you would still get bogged now. It’s constantly wet.”

Mibus Brothers runs 240 Angus cows and 700 sheep on 608ha property Sandy Camp in the state’s southwest, turning off 160 calves a year at the annual weaner sales at Hamilton in January.

They have won Elders Best pen of Angus steers for the past four years.

Bloodlines are predominantly Bassano Angus at Narrawong, but Banquet and Boonaroo have also been used.

Henry said they introduced an Artificial Insemination program in the past 12 months to help increase efficiencies and it was progressing well.

“We are trying to keep ahead of the market with breeding and producing quality calves,” he said.

“That’s the idea of the AI program so you can pick the best of the best. I always pick bulls that are medium birthweight, reasonably high 400-day-growth, good milk and good intramuscular fat and if they’ve got good eye muscle then that’s even better.”

Mibus Brothers calves. Picture: Nicole Cleary

Quiet handling methods were also part of the management strategy, which Henry said added to the doing ability of cattle.

“The calves will be weaned in a couple of weeks. I like to handle them quietly – no dogs or charging around after them,” he said.

“They will be weaned onto silage which helps put more weight on and they become much quieter – they follow the tractor and hay buggy into the yards.”

The steers and heifers, which are EU accredited, were born in February-March so will be nine to 10 months old at sale time and are expected to average 350kg to 400kg.

“We are hoping they are not less than 30kg to 40kg below last year’s weights but it will all depend on the weather,” Henry said.

Last year they sold 147 head to a top of $2707 and an average of $2363 with weights averaging 380kg.

“I don’t think we’ll see record sales again, they might level off,” Henry said.

“I’m optimistic. I think cattle prices are doing well but not extreme. They are where they should be. I’m reasonably confident they will hold fairly well. I don’t think there will be a major crash. They are still chasing them and anything that is quality will sell well.

“Hopefully we’ll see averages of $1400 depending on how the weights come out.”