Pakenham cattle sale: Prices remain strong despite small crowd
Feedlots dominated the small crowd of buyers at Pakenham today. See the new prices highs for 350kg plus cattle.
Prices pushed up 10-15c/kg for quality cattle at the Pakenham store sale today despite a smaller crowd.
The combined effect of Covid-19 restrictions and wild weather resulted in a smaller crowd of buyers attending the 2700 cattle yarding.
However, prices held firm, even lifting in certain places thanks to a strong contingent of feedlot buyers.
“It was a bit harder selling but I think the cattle made the same money if not a little bit better in places than a fortnight ago,” Elders auctioneer Michael Robertson said.
“When you compare that to two or three sales ago it’s probably 10-15c/kg dearer.”
Good lines of heavy steers, weighing 480-550kg made from 450c/kg to 475c/kg while weaner steers between 320-370kg were comfortably returning around 550c/kg. Calves under 300kg were making 600c/kg and above.
A quality draft of predominantly black Angus cattle saw competition from four big feedlot players who put a solid floor in the market on cattle from 350kg and upwards.
“With the exception of a couple of pens, feedlots bought pretty much everything… Out of the 38 pens we sold, only three or four went to local farmers or agents and there rest were all to feedlots,” Mr Robertson said.
“I expected a lot of our weaner calves between 320kg and 350kg to go back out in the paddocks with local farmers and graziers but the feedlots bought most of them too.”
In the heifer market, those weighing 300-350kg made between 515c/kg to 530c/kg while light heifers weighing 250-300kg returned from 540c/kg to 550c/kg.
Off the back of a week’s worth of rain, Mr Robertson said producers were “a bit more nervous now” and with the winter in Gippsland forecast to be typically cold and wet the advice was “if the cattle are right there’s no point holding them back”.
“It’s a lot of rain to get in a short period of time. People say the sheds are full of hay and now they’re thinking it may not be enough. But we have nothing to complain about, it’s been a great season all the way through so far,” Mr Robertson.
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