Prices better than expected at Ballarat special steer sale
6000-plus cattle were yarded at the Ballarat Special Grown Male Sale where prices were 30-40 cents/kg better than anticipated. See all the photos and a full report.
Vendors at Ballarat’s special grown male sale have reported prices exceeding expectations of by up to 50 cents a kilogram.
CVLX yarded 6137 cattle at the Special Grown Male Sale on Friday, with a large bidding audience and agents quoting a dearer price trend.
TB White and Sons livestock agent Michael Treweek said the sale was “very good”.
“What I’m seeing now is a lot of calves are making really good money, there’s plenty of demand for them,” he said.
Mr Treweek said people held cattle longer than they hoped due to feed demands, but quality was exceptional for the seasonal conditions.
He believed the total yarding number was up by about 1000 more cattle than usual.
“I would say they’re about 50c/kg better than what they would’ve been two weeks ago,” he said.
Mr Treweek said fewer locals had purchased, with several pens headed to feedlots and operations in NSW, Queensland, Gippsland and southwest Victoria.
Alpha Pastoral farmer Toby Degoumois, from Stoneleigh, said market prices, particularly for heavier cattle, were strong. He sold 90 cattle at the sale.
“We could’ve put another 30-40 kilograms on these cattle, but we just didn’t have the feed,” he said.
“I’ve only been down here for 12 months, but it’s been a tough season.”
He said there had been fair interest in the cattle, and they usually targeted the February CVLX sale.
“We hung onto them thinking we’d get a spring, we could’ve sold them younger and in better condition. It’s only the past three or four weeks they started to go back,” he said.
Langdons Hill farmer Greg Shaw sold under LG Shaw and Sons with 20 Angus steers, Francs blood, February-March drop, 399kg, for $1650 or 413c/kg.
“It’s up on what I expected by anywhere as much as 30-40 cents a kilogram. It’s been quite a good day,” he said.
“I always target this sale with both heifers and weaners. I have 33 steers in, and I had 40 heifers last week.
“It’s been a tough season and I think people are being rewarded for all the work they put in here.”
Smeaton vendor Ron Cosgrave’s first pen included nine Angus steers, 458kg, for $1770 or 386c/kg.
“I would’ve been happy with less [than 386c/kg] and hoped for the best. The cattle I’ve seen so far are exceptional,” he said.
“We dried out really quickly. We had 60mm in our most recent fall, about one month ago. It gave us an extra boost and put a few extra kilos on the cattle’s backs.”
He said he hoped for a further 15mm after this weekend to help feed reserves.
“We’re starting to get a green shoot out of our paddocks at home, and we need the extra rain to give it a kick. An early autumn break would be really good,” Mr Cosgrave said.
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