Mortlake cattle sale: Heavier steels sold to better demand

Heavier steers sold to better demand at Mortlake yesterday amid hopes the market may finally have found a bit of a floor for cattle suiting feedlot orders.

Heavier steers sold to better demand at Mortlake yesterday amid hopes the market may finally have found a bit of a floor for cattle suiting feedlot orders.

Steers weighing over 450kg sold to a top of 246 cents per kilogram liveweight, with selling agents quoting the market as around 10c dearer compared to last month.

“Any cattle that had a bit of nick and weight were stronger and some of the sales weren’t

multiplying out too bad (weight by c/kg) compared to what we have seen at times,’’ said J & J Kelly auctioneer Jack Kelly.

The opening pen of 21 black baldy steers, aged 16-18-months from DC Phillips had a curfewed weight of 566kg and sold for 242c or $1370 per head.

The beset liveweight price for steers over 500kg was 246c for 24 rising two-year-old Angus that weighed 531kg and were sold by G & M O’Donnell.

For younger steers bidding hit a peak of 262c for yearling-off Angus weighing 343kg lwt.

In dollars per head terms there was a pen of 6 black baldy steers that weighed just shy of 600kg which sold for 242c to work out at $1460.

Agents said all the main feedlot companies were active, including JBS, TFI, O’Connors and with commission buyers such as Duncan Brown also filling feeder orders.

Heavier steers sold to better demand at Mortlake today. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Most sales of heavier steers tracked between 210c to 240c/kg lwt, although there was still

occasional dips below 200c for secondary types or odd lots.

And there was still no joy in the marketplace for vendors selling lightweight weaner calves, with plenty of people looking but few prepared to commit to the investment.

“If you had cattle back in the weights, like 200-250kg lwt, they were still hard enough to sell,’’ Mr Kelly said.

There was a price spread of 190c to a top of 258c/kg lwt across the general run of weaner steers, the top money being for the lead pens that showed good weight and growth for age.

A pen of 21 black steer calves from Waveney Angus, weighing 330kg at 11-12-months of age, sold for 258c or $851 per head.

As a rule the better presented pens of younger Angus steers mostly sold above 200ck lwt, with discounting evident for European breeds and Speckle Parks. Among the lowest rates was 70c for single steers.

Competition for heifers also favoured heavier types with grown Angus at 372kg making the best liveweight money of 210c/kg. After this most heifer sales varied from 140c to 190c/kg lwt, with only limited pens above the $2 mark.