Cattle breeders sell off last in the line at Casterton store cattle sale
Steers have fetched up to 684c/kg at Casterton — with a vendor describing the store sale as a market he’d waited his whole life for.
Angus steers fetched prices up to 684c/kg at Casterton’s store cattle sale today where about 700, mostly young cattle, went under the hammer.
The sale attracted mostly local interest, and grown heifers averaged 408c/kg and topped at 412c/kg, while grown steers made an average of 490c/kg and a high of 536c/kg.
Weaner heifers averaged 512c/kg and a peak of 590c/kg and their male counterparts fetched around 574c/kg and up to 684c/kg.
This equated to a top of $2245 for weaner steers and $2484 for grown steers.
The whole yarding averaged a return of 538c/kg.
Enjoying the good returns were father and son duo Andrew and Luke Balkin, Pieracle.
They sold 16 Angus steers, July-August 2020-drop, Boonaroo blood, 264kg for 636c/kg or $1670 and a further 18 weighing 224kg for 684c/kg or $1532.
Their 13 Angus heifers weighing 266kg made 540c/kg or $1436.
A further 32 heifers weighing 234kg sold for 590c/kg or $1380.
“We sold the bulk of these heifers a month ago on AuctionsPlus and most made $1430 so today’s money is still very good and we’ve very happy with that,” Luke said.
He said they didn’t consider hanging onto any more as they have lambing ewes to feed.
“The cattle industry is booming,” he said.
Andrew said he has been selling cattle for “around 60 years and year after year it was $500, $500, $500; so I have waited all my life to see prices like this”.
“This is the money we should have been getting all along,” he said.
“But I think these prices are now here for the long haul; the world is hungry.”
Andrew joked that if prices had of been at today’s rates through his lifetime he would have “had a crack and bought half of Australia”.
The Balkins run 1000 cows and around 10,000 sheep, including on a northern property.
Brad Marsden, Grassdale Pastoral, sold 19 Angus heifers, Pathfinder and Grassdale Estate blood, 259kg for 532c/kg or $1337, and similar weighted steers, 11 in the line, for 602c/kg or $1565.
“This is the tail end and a good price, it was worth putting a bit of weight on them,” Brad said.
The top dollar-a-head sale was two grown Angus steers, 580kg, sold by JS and EM Staude, for 430c/kg or $2494.
Nutrien Casterton auctioneer Rick Smith said the mostly-light spring-drop calves, weighing 250-300kg, made mostly from 550c/kg to 684c/kg.
He said the buyer interest included northern buyers and good support from Green Triangle agents buying for their clients.
Volume buyers included prominent South East of South Australia agency Creek Livestock, in just its fifth year of operation, purchasing around 140 for clients; J&J Kelly Warrnambool, Lachland McKenzie, Leongatha; RayWhite Albury and Southern Grampians Livestock Hamilton.
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