Cows and calves lift up to $800 at Wodonga store sale

Christmas came early for some vendors at the Wodonga cattle sale where prices for certain categories surged. See the details.

Wodonga’s cattle market saw price rises of up to $800 for cow and calf units as the industry finds its mojo again.

Breeding units consistently sold above $2000 and for more than $2500 for the best lines at the sale today in a show of force from restockers.

Steers were judged as solid on the price gains of the past 10 days to be selling above 300c/kg for many lines, while heifers also kept their pace by making above 200c/kg.

Selling action at the Wodonga store cattle sale where prices were up to $800 dearer for cows and calves.

Elders Albury livestock manager Brett Shea said the sale of about 2400 cattle had gone well.

“We saw a $600-$800 spike in values for cows and calves and that is all driven by restockers,” Mr Shea said.

“The lift in processor values for cows has helped, as has the rise in prime values for all classes of stock.

“But we want this rise (in the prime markets) to be sustained and want to see the momentum keep going.”

The cow and calf offering included the partial dispersal of the Hereford herd from Ross Nixon from Rand, NSW, whose offering made $2310 to $2900. The top pens had plenty of weight with the cows weighing up to 684 kilograms and the calves up to 289kg.

But there were black cattle that also sold well, including a pen of 10 Angus heifers, 505kg, with calves to eight weeks, that made $2600.

Rob Hocking from Elders Cobram bought Angus cows and calves, paying up to $2360 for a client at the Wodonga store cattle sale.

And while there was interest in breeding units, most observers were keen to see how the steer market would track after recent rises.

It was judged no dearer than sales in the past two weeks including yesterday at Euroa, but no cheaper either, with plenty of sales more than $1000.

At the heavy end, a pen of 19 Angus weighing 443 kilograms made $1390, or 314c/kg, and sold to a local grass finisher.

And it was locals, including Corcoran Parker agent Henry Dundas, that were active across all weights of steers, though Mr Dundas concentrated on lines weighing 400kg or more.

Henry Dundas from Corcoran Parker at Wodonga was one of the buyers at the Wodonga store cattle sale, and bought 60 steers, 400kg and heavier, to put out on grass.

In prices tracked by The Weekly Times, about 10 pens made $1300 or more and it was into the third lane of cattle before prices slipped below $1000, for steers weighing less than 300kg.

One of the feature drafts was sold by Allonby Angus, with the top pen of 20 weighing 280kg making $955 or returning 355c/kg liveweight, one of the best rates per kilogram for the day. The balance of the calves made $980 (20kg, 350c/kg); $905 (262kg, 345c/kg) and $785 (234kg, 335c/kg).

Tom Campbell from Pipers Creek sold Angus steers, 353kg, for $1220 or 317c/kg at the Wodonga store cattle sale.

Off the Angus, Herefords topped at $1185 for one of two pens sold by R Hain, which weighed 427kg and returned 278c/kg. The second pen, at 377kg, sold for $1080 or 286c/kg to local producer Ian Wilson from Bungowannah.

Ian Wilson from Ruglen Herefords, Bungowannah, NSW, paid $1080 for 377kg Hereford steers, or 286c/kg at the Wodonga store cattle sale.

Tarabah Pastoral Company continued its sale of weaners, with 24 making $600 (236kg, 254c/kg) and another 16, at just 206kg, selling for $510 or 248c/kg liveweight.

When it came to heifers, demand was solid and restockers big against commission buyers and smaller feeder orders, to secure numbers and prices mostly above 200c/kg.

Heavy Angus heifers sold to $1085 with J Cattanach from Carrathool, NSW, paying this for his pen of 17, weighing 406kg and returning 267c/kg. Another 14 weighing 379kg made $960, returning 253c/kg.

Occasional pens of heifers slipped below 200c/kg.

Janice Hennessy from Mt Barker, South Australia, was there to see the action with Kevin Draper from Wodonga at the Wodonga store cattle sale.