Ballarat store cattle sale: 5500-head yarding sells to strong demand despite season
“Surprising” orders out of parched South Australia and Victoria’s Western District helped hold up “excellent” prices across a mammoth yarding of 5500 cattle.
“Excellent” was the word on everyone’s lips at Friday’s Ballarat store cattle sale as prices defied seasonal challenges.
Agents yarded about 5500 cattle at CVLX for the sale, added after the regular May store market hit its capacity.
Nutrien Ballarat’s Xavier Shanahan rated prices as solid. Spring-drop weaners (200-270kg) sold for 450-500c/kg, feeders and heavy cattle made 420-450c/kg and heifers 350-400c/kg, with plenty of top pens in the mix.
“There’s a lot of cattle here that were reluctantly sold that the vendors would’ve wanted to put next spring on them, but for obvious reasons they can’t go any further,” he said.
Buyers included Campbell Ross, Duncan Brown, JBS Australia, Australian Food and Agriculture at Deniliquin, Midfield, Creed Livestock and Westside Meats.
Mr Shanahan said the additional sale was “excellent”. He expected it to be the last large sale for a while after several months of high yarding numbers.
“When we have to sell a lot of stock in a month’s window, we’re getting quite well-paid. Any cattle 380kg-plus are going to feedlots, and it keeps creeping along and getting dearer each month,” he said.
“Surprisingly there’s a couple of orders out of South Australia, Hamilton and Mortlake on the light calves. I’m not quite sure where they’re going to or what their feed situation is, and then we had a lot of northern interest for the spring-drop calves.”
Beaufort farmer Bob Sheedy sold four Angus steers, 465kg, for $2020 or 434c/kg. He normally had about 15-20 cattle, and said they would ease numbers over winter.
“We bought these in at about three months old, we kept them for eight months, grew them out to 465kg. We aim for 500kg, but because things are a bit tough out there, we decided to sell them off now,” he said.
“I’m pretty sure the market is going to stay fairly high, the rumour is it may even go higher because of supply and demand. Export markets are looking pretty good as well.”
Clarkes Hill farmer and potato grower Dominic Prendergast typically fattened 1000 lambs alongside his 60-70 cattle and commercial potato farm. He sold 36 Angus steers at Ballarat, which he bought about eight weeks ago and would usually keep for 12 months.
“I thought we’d get a break but we didn’t get a break,” he said.
“Prices are good. The way the season has been, we could be slaughtered. We’re just lucky Queensland and NSW are looking for cattle.”
Beaufort farmer Paul Sheedy sold seven black baldy heifers, and hoped for 300c/kg. His pen of 336kg heifers made $1090 or 324c/kg.
“The prices are excellent, they really are. For this time of year, and for the amount of cattle in the market, it’s fantastic,” he said.
Charles Stewart and Co livestock agent Clarrie Smith sold Charolais/Angus-cross pens on behalf of his Irrewillipe clients, Vic and Cindy Goy.
“The price is excellent, I reckon. We had $1440 for the first pen (319kg),” he said.
“Farmers are short of water (in southwest Victoria). Farmers are carrying water, it costs them a fortune, and trying to source a bit of hay.”
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