Leongatha store cattle sale: Sentiment and pricing take a hit

Cheaper prices meant good buying for restockers at the Leongatha store sale, but vendors took a hit due to the dry conditions. See the sale report.

Dry weather and a lack of soil moisture has pulled back sentiment and pricing at the Leongatha store sale.

The 4328-strong yarding drew a more muted, yet still active crowd of buyers for the steers and heifers sale.

But many lining the rails were heard to be commenting on the softer pricing for cattle throughout the sale compared to recent weeks.

Opening pens of heavy steers upwards of 660kg – predominantly Angus – sold to from 350c/kg to 364c/kg, with mid weight steers sitting around 400kg sat around 355c/kg to 379c/kg.

The Need family: Riley, Alex and Hayden. Hayden bought a pen of 15 Hereford and Baldy steers for 336c/kg at Leongatha. Picture: Madeleine Stuchbery

One pen of Charolais steers by producers G and I Smith, weighing 368kg, sold for $1400 or 380c/kg.

The heifer portion of the sale made returns around 320-336c/kg for cattle weighing 300-490kg.

Nutrien Korumburra livestock agent Eddie Hams, who was active along pens of larger cattle upwards of 600kg, said the dry weather and forecasted lack of rain had seen the market pull back.

Despite the dry, ongoing throughout at the South Gippsland yards was looking strong.

“We’ve had no rain, only a little sprinkle. That’s what’s making this cheaper,” Mr Hams said.

“It’s good to go buy a few.”

Mr Hams said despite the softer market, “if you can buy right, there’s a margin”.

“We’re getting cattle from a broader field, a lot still coming that would have gone into the Pakenham yards.”