Surprise result at Yea cattle sale as prices surge

Prices hit 500c/kg at Yea’s store market in a vote of confidence by producers. See our analysis of the sale.

It might not be full blown ‘grass fever’ this year but there appears to be enough spring feed starting to emerge to boost the store cattle market.

Prices for weaner steers and heifers were dearer at Yea today as restockers from a wide area – including some activity from the Western District – pushed rates up. They joined a strong field of feedlot buyers who kept prices ticking along around 400c/kg liveweight on the heaviest steers and heifers.

A big crowd attended the Yea cattle sale.

It follows reports of dearer results for well-bred lines of steers and heifers at Leongatha in Gippsland yesterday, with the official quote from for this sale from the National Livestock Reporting Service being $60 to $100 dearer.

Drawing competition into Yea was another capacity yarding of 3400 as more cattle that would have once been destined for the now closed Pakenham yards shift to other centres.

The top price at Yea was $2480 for the opening pen of grown steers that had a displayed weight of 598kg, working out at 414c/kg liveweight and selling to South Gippsland for the bullock trade.

After this feedlots dominated at $1800 to $2200 on the opening laneway of heavy steers, with a consistent price result of just over 400c/kg liveweight. Buyers included JBS, Teys Charlton, the McKenzie Feedlot plus commission buyers with feeder orders led by Campbell Ross.

But the excitement in the market was on the younger calves, particularly heifers as prices picked up from the subdued results of recent weeks.

Kevin Ryan, Darraweit Guim, sold 31 Angus yearlings weighing 317kg for $1480 or 466c/kg liveweight at the Yea cattle sale – a result he rated as "exceptional'' as the market picked up despite ongoing concerns about the season.

Agent Peter Linehan from Nutrien Kilmore said it was the strongest heifer sale he had seen in quite some time.

“This would be the dearest heifer sale I’ve seen in months,’’ he said.

“There is just different buyers here from everywhere and its good to see as heifers had been forgotten and were very undervalued recently.’’

The opening pen of heifers sold for $1520 on a weight of 473kg, starting off the market at 323c/kg. Further down the laneway the good pens of yearling and weaner Angus heifers sold in the 350c to 390/kg range liveweight, putting a lot of pens over $1000.

An example of this was local property The Brilliant at Yarck which sold 16 Angus heifer weaners weighing 313kg for $115 with the adjoining pen of 30 at 274kg making $1080 or 394c/kg – both lots selling into South Gippsland.

The steer portion of The Brilliant calves, which were this year’s drop listed as February/March born, sold for $1400 on 317kg working out to 441c/kg. They sold to South Grampians

Jenny and Paul Leishman, Pryors Paddock near Farradale, sold 16 Angus heifers weighing 379kg for $1350 at the Yea cattle sale, giving them a win after some of the heifers had been purchased for just $600 when the market was struggling.

Livestock agent Heath Templeton who said they were for a property that had been destocked most of this year and had built up some paddock feed.

Mr Templeton said the market had certainly kicked.

This is all dearer than I had hoped to shop at, but looking on AuctionsPlus it is no stronger than that and possibly a bit cheaper than online,” Mr Templeton said.

“This job would be easily 40c/kg dearer than sales in late August.’’

All the major lines of young Angus steers at Yea trended at 440c to 480c/kg liveweight for most, with some lighter weight pens trending towards 500c/kg at times.

Some indicator sales for well-bred Angus steers going back to the paddock included:

Kevin Ryan, Darraweit Guim – 31 Angus at 317kg sold for $1480 or 466c/kg;

Greg Heffernan, Kalkallo – 36 black baldy at 324kg sold for $1480 or 456c/kg;

Talbot Grazing – 15 Angus at 297kg, $1440 or 484c; and

Cloverly Pastoral – 19 Angus at 297kg at $1420 or 478c/kg.

The buying spread covered a wide area and included commission buyer Duncan Brown buying for Dubbo, Campbell Ross with northern orders; plus agents from South Gippsland, Alexandra, Yea, Euroa, Kyneton and Hamilton.