David Trethowan, Cookardinia, NSW, on the weaner sales

While weaner prices have been down on the previous two years, this vendor is instead focused on what his steers have made a day.

Prices may be well back on the previous two years but $4 a day is not a bad return according to one vendor.

David Trethowan from Cookardinia, NSW, sold Hereford steer weaners last week at Wodonga, with the top pen of 50 making $1205.

At 382kg, they made the equivalent of 315c/kg liveweight.

David Trethowan from Cookardinia, NSW, made it three in a row when his pen of Hereford steers won the best presented whiteface cattle the Wodonga weaner sales on day three. They sold for $1205 and at 382kg returned 315c/kg.

Mr Trethowan had a different take on working out whether this was a good result or not, based on the amount the steers earned since they were born.

At 300 days old, the $1205 for the tops meant these steers returned $4 a day, and according to Mr Trethowan “we can make money at that”.

His family runs a herd of horned Hereford cattle in southern NSW and while last week’s returns were far from even what they achieved last year (an average of 494c/kg liveweight or $1975) let alone the year before, he was still happy enough with the results.

“We won’t get rich in a hurry with these prices but we won’t get poor in a hurry either,” Mr Trethowan said.

“We are breeding and selling these cattle for the next bloke (buyer) to make money as well, and we can’t be top of the tree all the time.”

Previous buyers have given Mr Trethowan feedback on his steers, which have sometimes gone to a feedlot but at other times have been turned off as grass-finished bullocks.

“They tell me they have been able to get them off at 600-700 kilograms and still with their milk teeth,” he said.

The steers came from a herd of about 350 cows, which are joined to bulls which Mr Trethowan breeds himself, using semen to artificially inseminate select cows to produce sires.

The pen was judged the best of the whiteface cattle at day three of the weaner sales at Wodonga.