Ballarat weaner offering tops 500c/kg in a step up

The best cattle broke through 500c/kg for weaners at the Ballarat feature sale. Read the market breakdown here.

Prices rose 15c to 20c on average at the 50th anniversary of the Nutrien Ballarat weaner sale today.

While there was noticeably less weight in the yarding compared to last week’s market at Ballarat, the market was more buoyant than last week’s sale on comparable weaner lines.

While last week’s best pens of weaners didn’t crack the 500c/kg mark, the feature sale today saw one pen by vendors Ballark reach 519c/kg or $1770 for a line of 37 Angus steers at 341kg.

Lucy Shanahan was there supporting her dad, Nutrien auctioneer Xavier Shanahan at the Nutrien Ballarat weaner sale. Picture: Petra Oates

The heaviest pen of the day tipped the scales at 668kg and unsurprisingly made the top money at the sale, returning $2510 or 376c/kg for 10 Angus steers offered by Spring Gully.

The quality of the 5000 cattle yarded was unmatched with several huge feature lines of true weaners ready to fill B-double trucks with only a few falls of the hammer.

An annual feature line of 160 steers and heifers by Phil Lloyd at Mount Wallace won the best presented for the steers with the 18 Angus at 410kg making $1850 or 451c/kg.

Phil Lloyd won best-presented pen for 18 of his Angus steers at 410kg, which made $1850 or 451c/kg. He is pictured with Janine Balharrie, the wife of late Nutrien agent Bruce who the award is in memory of at the Nutrien Ballarat weaner sale. Picture: Petra Oates

Thomas Food International, JBS, Hopkins River and Teys Charlton all lined the rails to buy a slice of the heavier end of cattle while local and Gippsland based restockers mainly operated on the true weaner cattle under 450kg.

Some of the key results included:

Spring Gully: 10 Angus steers, 668kg, $2510 (376c/kg);

Egerton Farms: Seven Angus steers, 596kg, $2300 (386c/kg);

Tarqua: 20 Angus steers, 456kg, $2010 (441c/kg);

Perewurr Farms: 21 Angus steers, 419kg, $1860 (444c/kg);

FT Lloyd: 18 Angus, 410kg, best presented steer pen, $1850 (451c/kg);

Mingela Pastoral: 23 Angus steers, 407kg, $1840 (452c/kg);

Ballark: 37 Angus steers, 341kg, $1770 (519c/kg); and

Rowallan Lodge: 56 Angus, 350kg, $1710 (488c/kg).

Jenny Jarmaine sold a pen of six heavy Angus steers at 537kg for $2100 or 391c/kg at the Nutrien Ballarat weaner sale. Picture: Petra Oates