Extra cattle pushing Wangaratta yarding to 5000 with shock result

Tough seasonal conditions saw a flood of 5000 store cattle hit the market at Wangaratta today. Find out how rates stood up to the weight of numbers.

Selling yearling steers at the Wangaratta store feature sale.

Steer prices hit 500c/kg liveweight at Wangaratta’s feature store cattle sale as an influx of numbers failed to stop the market surging.

The market was swelled by another 1500 cattle than expected, bringing the total yarding to close to 5000 as every pen was utilised in the North East Victorian sale centre.

Some were concerned the big increase would dampen the market, but a big field of buyers including key feedlot operators and commission buyers bid freely and consistently kept prices above 430c/kg for steers and more than 300c/kg for heifers.

Corcoran Parker auctioneer Justin Keane was one of the few who wasn’t surprised by the resurgence in prices, albeit how much they did lift was more than he expected.

“You can’t really look at the cents/kilogram here, as the season has been so tough that people are really buying on genetic merit, frame and no finish,” Mr Keane said.

“The cattle here today are the same size as they would be any year, but just without the weight.

“As a buyer, you have to go with the grass (as it is growing, not after it has grown.”

Most drafts of steers, especially winter and spring 2023-drop weaners, were up to 100kg lighter than this time last year.

That was the case for Rob Ferguson from Bowmans Forest Pty Ltd at Bowmans Forest, whose draft of steers topped at 270kg liveweight, compared to 363kg last year.

Rob Ferguson from Bowmans Forest sold 140 Angus steers and prices reached 491c/kg and $1310 at the Wangaratta feature store cattle sale.

But such was the depth of competition that he bettered his top price of $1160 from last year with today’s draft.

The top 74, weighing 267-271kg, made $1310 to return 491c/kg liveweight, with another 24 weighing 258kg selling for $1220 (473c/kg) and 30 at 238kg making $1090 or 458c/kg.

Mr Ferguson said it was a great result and a boost given the tough year and the challenges to get stock ready for the sale.

Annette and Michelle Smith from Byawatha won the best-presented pen at the Wangaratta feature store sale, with their Angus steer weaners making $1490.

The best-presented pen was sold by Annette and Michelle Smith from Byawatha, with the 25 Angus, EU-accredited, making $1490 and the second pen, at 337kg, selling for the same price, returning 433-442c/kg liveweight.

There were plenty of pens selling above 430c/kg and on occasions, 500c/kg was reached.

That included for a pen from the Gorman family’s AMP Ag at Savernake, NSW, who sold 46 Angus, 270kg, for $1350 or 500c/kg liveweight.

It was part of a draft of 155 sold by the Gormans, in a season which Chris Gorman said had proved tough.

Chantelle and Chris Gorman from AMP Ag at Savernake sold Angus weaner steers to a top of 500c/kg (270kg, $1350) at the Wangaratta feature store cattle sale.

“We’ve been feeding hay and trying to find fresh paddocks, so to be rewarded with good prices is fantastic,” Mrs Gorman said.

Another pen to hit the 500c/kg mark was sold by S and E Cleal, with their pen of 29 Angus, 264kg, making $1320 or a neat 500c/kg.

Competition didn’t waver for heifers, with the large price gap between steers and heifers narrowing at Wangaratta.

A big draft of grown heifers offered by Kiamungie at Tocumwal, NSW, topped at $1405 paid for a pen of 28 Angus weighing 401kg (350c/kg) and selling to commission buyer Andrew Lowe.

Heifer prices comfortably sat about 300c/kg and on occasions came closer to 400c/kg liveweight, including a pen from Bon Accord, with the 32 Angus, 279kg, making $1055 to return 378c/kg liveweight.

There was some local competition, but Anthony Delaney from Delaney Livestock at Pakenham had big orders for steers to head south, while Jed Parker operated for a Scone NSW buyer and Duncan Brown was buying for a Coonamble NSW account.