Euroa cattle, December 13: Heifers to $1130

A “sticky” special female cattle sale at Euroa today saw hot weather take a bite out of the market. See the full report.

Sticky is not a word you really want associated with a cattle auction but that is what unfolded at the special female sale at Euroa today.

While posting a top of $2900 for heifers and calves and $1130 for Angus weaner heifers, the sale overall lacked energy and prices did back off the improved rates of the past week or so.

“It was sticky,” Nutrien auctioneer Daniel Fischer said.

“There wasn’t the urgency and consistency of prices like the steers last week and we certainly didn’t see the north come down wanting females – we only had one commission buyer today instead of the four that were here buying steers.”

It follows cheaper rates for slaughter cattle this week with some prime markets dropping 10-25c/kg, although agents suggested the start of summer and hot weather was a greater reason for producers being more conservative about taking on store cattle.

“Feed has really gone off in the past week or two and heavy cattle are starting to melt (loose condition) in the hot and humid weather,” Myrtleford agent Dan Ivone said.

Dave Mackrell, Burnside at Strathbogie, was one of just two vendors to receive a premium for heifer weaners at Euroa today. His pen of 25 calves, tops of the drop with none retained, sold for $1110 to make 310c/kg after two buyers had a bidding duel. Most heifer weaners at Euroa made from 220c/kg to 250c/kg or $600 to $850.

The sale opened on a much smaller line-up of pregnancy-tested-in-calf heifers compared to recent years. The first pen of 15 two-year-old Angus heifers from Michael and Olga Hill and son Marcus, of Connemarra at Strathbogie, sold for $2125. Mostly Angus Performance Herd recorded females they had been joined on June 1 for a tight eight weeks to low birth weight bulls and had a displayed weight of 576kg.

The Hill’s next pen of 13 heifers at 607kg then made $2275 before they reached a top of $2300 for 13 at 545kg.

At best it was a reasonable result, Michael Hill told The Weekly Times.

“Im disappointed in the first pen as they were mostly APR heifers, then the sale warmed up a bit and we ended up at $2300 for the lightest heifers,” he said.

“They look very buyable to me as good heavy cows have been making up to $2000 – we sold a couple of loads of older cows recently which were up at that money so the change-over is very good.”

This was the stoic mood right across the sale – most vendors had gone into Euroa anticipating a more buoyant sale after the positivity from the steers the week before, but still accepted the prices with good grace and often expressed gratitude that at least values were much better than six weeks ago.

“Yes this heifer market has come off but it is what it is – not long ago it was looking a lot worse than this,” local breeder Richard McGeenhan said.

The run of unjoined heifers all had weights displayed, and prices generally tracked in a range of 200c/kg to 250c/kg liveweight, rather than the 250-300c/kg that had been hoped.

Although the sale seemed to be more driven by dollars-a-head buying than weight, and sometimes there was little difference between a vendors first, second and third draft heifers.

It was a trend noted by auctioneers, one pointing out a result of $690 for a clients top heifers weighing 340kg (202c/kg) and then $650 for 300kg (216c/kg).

As a rule most of the lead Angus heifers from noted breeders sold from $700 to $850, followed by $600 to $700 for the general run.

There was a couple of exceptions to this rule. A pen of 25 Angus heifer weaners from noted breeder Robert Love of Jumbuck Park sold for $1130 when a couple of buyers locked-on. On a weight of 324kg it equalled nearly 350c/kg.

The same scenario played out for Burnside’s pen of 25 Angus heifers, two buyers chasing the price out from $800 to $1110 or 310c/kg on a weight of 358kg.

The top price of $2900 was achieved for Angus heifers and calves offered by Darren Askew, Mindarra Park. The 22 Angus heifers had been purchased from the special sale a year ago, calved down and rejoined again in October with 18 confirmed in calf again. The heifers had a weight of 569kg and had July-August drop calves.

In something that hasn’t been seen at Euroa store sales for some time, there was three laneways of cows and calves. Most sold from $1800 to $2275 in a result that again was deemed as just reasonable.

Agent and local producer Darren Askew, Mindarra Park, sold his annual draft of Angus heifers and calves to a top of $2900 at Euroa today.

Adam Thomson, Blythe Airie at Strathbogie, received up to $2300 for Angus heifers with young calves. Considering they had cost upwards of $1500 as unjoined heifers and with the work and costing of joining and calving he said it hadn’t been an exciting outcome.

“It’s not too bad I suppose, the part I find disappointing is that these heifers and calves haven’t made much more than the PTIC heifers so you are really not getting rewarded for having that calf on the ground,” Mr Thomson said.