Steers under 300c/kg, heifers under 200c/kg in tough Wodonga sale

Store cattle prices took a hammering at Wodonga today as only a handful of pens broke 300c/kg for steers and heifer prices languished.

Store cattle prices took a hammering at Wodonga today as only a handful of pens broke 300c/kg for steers, and heifer prices languished.

While local seasonal conditions are good, and the prospects of the beef market being stronger as the situation changes in the United States, there was little confidence in the market today.

It left many in the crowd stunned – prices reached 345c/kg for steers only a week ago at the same selling centre but could not come close to this for the offering of 2200 cattle.

There was nothing wrong with the quality with many good drafts, but it seemed to make no difference or spur bidding.

One observer said while the market was tough for all, it was worse for cattle “that weren’t right”.

“If they are not right, then they are not getting competition, and if they are not Angus, then they are not right,” he said.

Selling action at the Wodonga cattle sale today where prices were cheaper.

Ironically, it was a pen of light Herefords which topped the sale on a cents a kilogram basis, with the 283kg steers making $910 or 322c/kg for the pen size of just six.

In prices booked by The Weekly Times, just four pens of steers broke through 300c/kg, with most making 260-280c/kg.

There were lines that were cheaper than this, too, and not just for off-types, with some pens of Angus steers even dropping to low returns.

And in a sign of nervousness about the season, heavier steers attracted better cents/kilogram than lighter ones, and this was evident in drafts from the same vendor.

A case in point was Hannaford Pastoral Company, which sold Angus steers, seven to nine months. The top pen of 68, weighing 256-271kg, made $730 or 269-285c/kg. The next pen from the draft, weighing 228kg, made $600 or 263c/kg.

It was seen again in the offering from Goldsworthy Ag, with the top pen weighing 361kg making $1010 (280c/kg); the next pen at 318kg selling for $800 (252c/kg) while the lightest, at 252kg, made just $450 or only 179c/kg, albeit for only five.

Off the Angus steers, the going became even tougher.

Rates slipped to below to 200c/kg for some Hereford steers with others selling up to 263c/kg.

Brett Singe from Henty, NSW, sold his annual draft of Shorthorn-Santa Gertrudis steers and while the rates today were within range of what was being paid, it was at a huge discount to last year.

A year ago, the top steers from the Singe draft made $2200 or 603c/kg, while today it was less than half at $995 (378kg, 263c/kg) despite the cattle being heavier this year.

“They are an annual draft, and we knew prices would be back but it is very disappointing,” Mr Singe said.

“We breed them ourselves so can weather some of this, but clearly, our costs have not come back but we are getting less than half of what we did a year ago.”

There were several pens of pure Friesian steers in the lineup, and these did sell, though at prices as low as 100c/kg for 328kg steers, with the balance making 128-159c/kg.

Many observers said it was a mix of poor returns in the prime market as well as talk of El Nino that kept them from restocking, even though there were areas of southern Australia having a good season.

If it was tough for steers, it was even tougher for heifers, and only an order from commission buyer Graeme Ward kept some respectability for better pens of Angus.

One of the best heifer prices was $940 paid for five Angus weighing 428kg which returned 220c/kg but most of the better heifers sold either side of 200c/kg.

But as the sale progressed, heifer prices slipped under this and as low as 149c/kg for Herefords and about 175c/kg for Angus.