Cattle prices level out at Wodonga

With a smaller yarding of 1450 at Wodonga today, cattle prices began to level out, with a top price of $2480 for nine Angus heifers. See the full report.

Damian Christian, Chiltern, was an example of buyers trying to get some well-priced stock around them at Wodonga in this current downturn. He paid $1070 for 24 Hereford steers weighing 379kg, describing them as “too good to pass-up – I’ll find space for them somewhere". Picture: Supplied

Store cattle prices showed signs of levelling out at Wodonga on Thursday as buyers start looking at purchasing opportunities in the current slump and ahead of the autumn break.

On a cents-a-kilogram basis young heifers were posting stronger averages compared to a week ago, with the main run of heavy yearling types in the 330-400kg range averaging 260c/kg liveweight compared to 234c/kg, according to data from the NVLX.

Price rates for steers were back slightly, although quality was arguably a factor as there was a lot of plainer and small pen lots the market which impacted the overall result.

Steers in the 330-400kg weight range averaged 299c/kg against 305c/kg last Thursday.

Schubert Boers agent Craig Schubert said the market had shown more strength in spots and it was now a confidence and timing issue as most people could see an upside for cattle once there was decent rain.

“Some of the sales today could be a fraction better even though they are still not great,” he said.

“We are just in a typical dry autumn patch and I think we’ve forgotten what that is like (after multiple wet years) so people are a bit nervous.

“But there is people out there who want to buy cattle before the autumn break and you have to judge the timing of it (to reduce handfeeding costs) which is not easy to do.”

Showing how farmers are looking at options there were just 1450 cattle at Wodonga, down from the original draw of 2200-plus as stock were withdrawn due to the dull industry mood.

Auctioneers faced a small crowd and selective bidding around quality at Wodonga's store cattle sale, however young heifers averaged dearer on a cents-a-kilogram basis as producers start to look at buying opportunities ahead of the autumn break.

The top price of the sale was $2480 for the opening pen of nine Angus heifers, aged three years and with calves aged six to eight weeks. Bidding had started at $2000, showing how there was still competition for the better pens of stock in the sale.

However, support was quickly pulled back for the few secondary breeding outfits on offer, at $980 to $1500. And this pattern was repeated across the sale with buyers prepared to give reasonable support to better-bred and presented cattle while attempting to bargain hunt the plainest lots with low-ball price offers.

In the young cattle the better drafts of yearling and weaner steers sold from $1000 to $1310 for nine Angus from A Ross and M Spurgeon which had a displayed weight of 451kg (290c/kg).

Other pens which stood out for quality included: AG and GM Farrell, Cudgewa, 14 Angus yearlings at 435kg for $1300 (298c/kg); M Cumming, 14 Black Simmental sired steers at 396kg which sold for $1180 (297c/kg); Yencken Pastoral at Mansfield, 16 Angus at 394kg for $1210 (307c/kg) and 12 at 367kg for $1160 (316c/kg); LW and B Pearce, Kergunyah, 36 Charolais-Angus steers at 428kg for $1220 (285c/kg); and SG and CW Hodgkin, Callaghan Creek, 24 Hereford steers at 379kg for $1070 (282c/kg).

What was notable across this sale was the influence of dollar-a-head spending, with a lot of steer calves still selling close to $1000 even as weight declined. Examples included nine Angus weighing 318kg which sold for $1020 (320c/kg); and six Angus at 290kg which made $940 (324c/kg). The highest liveweight rate for light calves was 355c/kg.

There was only a small crowd in attendance, and local agencies gave good support to their own line-ups of cattle which supported the market. Another helpful volume order was from Halcroft and Bennett at Coonamble, NSW, buying a mix of cattle to background and feed.

The heifer section of the sale showed more consistent quality compared to the steer run.

Ian Humphry, Springhurst, purchased a line of Charolais-Angus heifers to join after retiring from the dairy industry. He paid to $1030 for heifers weighing 396kg at Wodonga.

Feeders and backgrounders dominated although a handful of pens sold to breeders, including the Pearce family’s 23 Charolais-Angus calves which weighed 396kg and sold for $1030 to Springhurst farmer Ian Humphry who is building a beef herd after retiring from dairying.

The key results from the sale broken down by weight were:

174 steers 400-500kg to 299c/kg average 277c/kg; same size heifers to 264c/kg average 251c/kg;

378 steers 330-400kg to 339c/kg to average 299c/kg; heifers to 279c/kg average 260c/kg; and

244 steers 280-330kg to 355c/kg to average 302c/kg; heifers to 267c/kg to average 251c/kg.