Weaner sales 2025: Everything you need to know
Angus and Hereford weaner steers scarcely tipped below 400 cents a kilogram at Yea, with “phenomenal” quality and a large backgrounding order. See the sale recap.
YEA, JANUARY 17
Angus and Hereford weaner steers scarcely tipped below 400 cents a kilogram at Yea, with “phenomenal” quality and a large backgrounding order.
Yea livestock agents yarded 3305-head of steers on Friday. The 3302 Angus and Hereford steers made a top price of $1880, average of $1410 and low of $850 across 170 lots, while three stags made $850 a head.
Elders Yea livestock agent Will Phillips said the yarding quality was “phenomenal” with great local calves.
“You could throw a blanket over the board for about $4 a kilo,” he said.
Elders Euroa livestock auctioneer Joe Allen said there was a big backgrounding order from JBS. JBS Australia bought nearly 900-head of cattle.
Victorian buyers hailed from Yea, Kilmore, Korumburra, Pakenham, Bairnsdale and Bendigo, alongside the strong northern support from NSW and Queensland.
“We were happy enough with the result of the sale on the day, in the climate of the market. There was a lot of weight and depth in the yarding, which is always the case here,” he said.
“We saw four lanes of weaner Angus and Hereford steers that were in excess of 320 kilograms, and about 80 per cent of the yarding were above that weight.”
Feature lines included Box Hill Pastoral Co, who sold 36 Angus steers, 450kg, for $1880 or 417c/kg, 18 steers, 423kg, for $1720 or 406c/kg, and 62 steers, 399kg, to $1600 or 401c/kg.
Heather Drysdale, under The Lily Pastoral, sold 261 steers total, including 20 Angus steers, 367kg, to $1550 or 422c/kg, 20 steers, 358kg, to $1550 or 432c/kg, 60 steers, 337kg, to $1440 or 427c/kg and 19 Angus steers, 253kg, for $1150 or 454c/kg.
She also sold 133 heifers at the Yea sale on Wednesday.
“We’re happy someone bought them. Compared to the way costs are, it’s really scraping through,” she said.
Ms Drysdale said creating feed were her biggest costs, with fertiliser and making hay and silage.
“We ran out of feed last February and fed until August, then the spring flash came so we eased off the feed.
“The weight of the cattle are way down on what they were last year.”
She had targeted the Yea January sale for about 44 years, with records from 2008 of her prices.
In 2022, she recorded her top average of $2522 a head for steers and $2307 for heifers, while steers averaged $1866 in 2023 and $1408 in 2024.
This year’s prices reflected similarly to Ms Drysdale’s 2016-2020 records, which averaged between $1100-1484 a head.
Meanwhile, vendor Jane Whalan sold 11 steers on Friday and 11 heifers on Wednesday. The 11 steers were 341kg and sold to $1350 or 395c/kg.
“The steers have come up a bit today, the heifers were down on Wednesday but the prices are fairly fair,” she said.
Yea farmer Cameron Armstrong said they targeted the Yea sale each year, and sold 18 steers, 302kg, for $1080 or 357c/kg.
“We had 112 steers in today’s sale, it went really well. We were up in the $4 range so we’re happy as Larry,” he said.
Kilmore producer Susan Reynolds sold 40 Angus weaner steers on Friday, and 30 heifers on Wednesday, including 16 Angus steers, 344kg, to $1430 or 415c/kg.
“We sold probably a few more this year, we went pretty well [in the past 12 months],” she said.
MORTLAKE, JANUARY 17:
Big numbers of weaner calves – almost 10,000 over two selling centres at Mortlake and Hamilton on Thursday – were yarded at the tail end the Western District’s big weaner week.
Breeders were pleased to see rates hold mostly firm on quality lines.
The sale at Mortlake saw 7869 weaners sold – thought to be the biggest single yarding of weaners at a Victorian saleyard – to strong demand with a deep crop of buyers from throughout east coast states.
On average prices, the 5588 all breeds steers, weighing on average 323kg, sold for an average rate of 409c/kg or $1319, and a top cents-a-kilogram return of 460c/kg, according to data supplied by the Western Victorian Livestock Exchange.
This was a touch shy of where the week started off at Hamilton, with Monday’s Angus steer sale recording 412c/kg or $1370 on 332kg average-weight calves.
Buyers active in all the major sales told The Weekly Times the rates at Mortlake were firm on the bigger, heavier weighted steer lines, but perhaps 5c/kg off the pace on lighter types, and that the cattle at Mortlake weren’t quite to the weight of the best Hamilton calves – comments that rang true against the averages provided by both selling centres.
All breed heifers, of which there were 2281 at Mortlake, averaged $989, or 324c/kg at 304kg; the price just a whisker below Hamilton’s rates a few hours before.
Thomas Foods International buyer Ben Davies was once again active at Mortlake, targeting the best of the heavy steers around 400kg.
In all Mr Davies bought 1200 weaners out of the Western District to go into TFI’s feedlot and backgrounding operations.
Teys also stepped into the market for the first time for the week, also chasing heavier lines. Midfields were also active, as they had been for the week.
Commission buyer Campbell Ross was also active throughout the sale, as was Andrew Lowe, Duncan Brown and James Brown.
And so was one of the biggest bidders of the week, South East cattleman Noel Ogilvie and his agent Andrew Whan, of Miller Whan and John.
Queenslanders such as Naturi Pastoral bought several hundred and other northern and central NSW buyers were also influential, as well as Gippslanders and a relatively small amount of local interest.
Concerns about a lack of paddock feed and hay, and in some cases stock water, and even cashflow, continue to plague many producers in the south-west, with the mood remaining quite tense over seasonal conditions and rising costs.
J&J Kelly auctioneer Jack Kelly said “we have not yarded this many cattle here before and it was a wonderful achievement”.
“(Also the) vendors have been through one of the toughest 12 months I have seen in the industry; for them to get their cattle up and presented, and also for the buyers, a lot have turned up today and that is the attraction, so it is good to see,” he said.
He said steers made from 380c/kg to 455c/kg-plus for light weights. Feedlots put a floor in the heavy steers.
He said prices were “much better than 12 months ago, and we need that”.
Mr Kelly said long weaning, eight weeks plus, helped many calves gain weight and present best.
He said prices were similar to earlier rates this week, with NSW interest aiding the quality.
Stuie Enterprises sold 51 heavy steers, 414kg to Midfields for 405c/kg or $1676.
Regular seller throughout the year at Mortlake, Bobby Mann of Furneaux at Caramut, sold 170 Angus steers and 24 heifers and said prices were $1/kg better than at this time last year.
A large pen of 68 Furneaux Angus steers, 318kg, 10-11 months, weaned, Glatz, Pathfinder and Lawson blood, sold for 428c/kg or $1361,
“It has been a tough season and we fed a lot, we are back on cow numbers,” Mr Mann said.
Kevin and Julie Wyatt, Mt Kincaid at Mt Richmond, sold 49 Angus steers at 366kg for 414c/kg or $1515 and 31 at 405kg for 406c/kg or $1644, knocked down to Midfield.
The Wyatt cattle were Pathfinder and Banquet blood, weaned and 10-11 months old.
“I have been selling at this time of year for 20 years or more, and we thought that was quite good, we have been lucky with the season where we are and the cattle were good weight,” Mr Wyatt said.
Barry Farley, St Helens, was one of many vendors who needed to bring forward the sale of his weaners and at lighter weights than he would have wished to.
“I was happy enough with the prices, but they had to go anyway,” Mr Farley said.
“We had 60 Angus, steers and heifers and steers at 289kg sold for 438c/kg ($1265) and 245kg at 442c/kg ($1082).
“It has been very tight and it is getting very tight again, we haven’t had a decent spring for two years and hay is short.
“These cattle should have been sold in March but they had to be brought forward.”
In some of the better heifer prices, a Tasmanian buyer secured 60 weaned Clonara Angus heifers, Claremont blood, 333kg at 342c/kg or $1138.
Linkes Pastoral had 26 Angus heifers, 345kg make 332c/kg or $1145.
Stuie Enterprises sold 41 black heifers, 362kg for 330c/kg or $1194.
Shalders 34 Angus heifers, 344kg made 334c/kg or $1148.
Willow Ponds sold 25 Angus heifers, 410kg for 320c/kg or $1312, while C and V Bell’s 14 Angus also made 330c/kg or $1188 for 360kg types.
Sales continue at Casterton and Hamilton on Friday.
HAMILTON, JANUARY 16:
Heifer prices sold to a top of 380c/kg at Hamilton’s all breeds heifer weaner sale on Thursday.
Across the entire yarding of 1732 all breed heifers at Hamilton on Thursday, heifers averaged 333c/kg on an average weight of 303kg. This calculated out to $1009 a head.
The opening pen of 21 Sandy Camp Angus heifers, Bassano blood, EU accredited, 407kg were knocked down at 360c/kg to South Australians Nampara Pastoral, Lucindale. This worked out at $1465.
Dunbrust had four heavy heifers 417kg make 346c/kg, or $1442.
In lighter weights Woodlands’ 14 Angus, 318kg returned 334c/kg or $1062.
Athlone South sold 22 Angus heifers at 363kg for 365c/kg, $1324. And, a big line of 102 at 283kg for 380c/kg purchased by Nutrien Melbourne, working out to $1073.
Vendor Kevin Lane, Amaroo sold 16 Angus heifers weighing 366kg for 339c/kg, or $1240. They were bought by volume buyer, Andrew Whan, Miller Whan and John agency, Mt Gambier, a strong performer throughout the weaner sales, buying for clients including the Ogilvie Group.
“I was quite happy with the prices,” Mr Lane said.
Inverell Herefords sold 24 EU accredited heifers weighing 308kg for 344c/kg, snapped up by Marc Greening, Injemira, Holbrook, NSW with underbidding supporting the auction rate from AuctionsPlus.
This was the top Hereford heifer price today.
Buyer support came from NSW, Tasmania and SA.
Selling continues this afternoon at Mortlake, with 7500 weaners.
Nutrien SLM Hamilton’s Sam Savin said the top heifers made 350-360c/kg.
The second run of heifers made 320-340c/kg, suited to background for feedlots.
Mr Savin said there were a couple of northern orders at the sale, which mostly paid 220-235c/kg for heifers.
“All in all we pretty happy with how the sale has gone. As the week has progressed it has been a little bit cheaper but there has been a lot of cattle for sale this week,” he said.
HAMILTON and CASTERTON, JANUARY 15:
Steer prices have come off the boil by 40-50c/kg as Hamilton and Casterton weaner feature auctions moved into Hereford steers and mixed-sex European breeds on Wednesday.
Hamilton agent, LMB Livestock and Land’s Bernie Grant reported the top Hereford steers made 370-390c/kg on heavy 390kg cattle, while the mid-runs tracked at 360-380c/kg and light types were down to 320-340c/kg.
“It was not a bad result, but I think we are starting to see that the volume of cattle being sold is probably putting a bit of pressure on the job,” Mr Grant said.
He said Euro types, including a feature line of Limousin steers, however, drew bids of up to 444c/kg; while Simmental and Charolais made 370-390c/kg and Euro heifers returned 330-370c/kg.
In all, Hamilton sold 2700 Hereford steers and mixed-sex coloured cattle, weighing an average of 314kg, for an average return of 375c/kg and $1181 across all categories on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, at Casterton Elders reported it sold 519 Hereford (polled and horned) steers weighing on average 282kg for 369c/kg or $1041.
In the same sale at the town in far west Victoria, Nutrien auctioned 516 whiteface steers, 291kg average, for 364c/kg or $1062.
This result was up to 48c/kg below Tuesday’s average returns on steers. Then, Angus steers at the Western District sales returned cents-a-kilogram prices that ranged on average from 398c/kg to 412/cg.
Selling at Hamilton on Wednesday, one of the biggest volume sellers for the week, David and Sophie McClure, Mooree Partnership, Tarrayoukyan, marketed a further 320 Hereford and Poll Hereford steers after selling 260 Angus steers on Monday.
On Wednesday, their Herefords averaged 320kg and returned 372c/kg or $1197.
Mr McClure said he had hoped for an average rate of 380c/kg on the Herefords.
“So it was a reasonable to good result; the market seems to be softening slightly,” he said.
However, with the dry season tightening on the McClure properties, Mr McClure said it was time to sell.
“It looks like March here, so (we are) happy to have the numbers lifted from here.”
Over two days of selling the 580 Mooree steers sold calculated out at more than $700,000 worth of cattle.
CASTERTON and HAMILTON, JANUARY 14:
Weaner steer prices are holding firm in the heart of the Western District with Hamilton’s second day of selling recording just an $8/head difference in prices vendors received over the two days.
But at Casterton, less weight in the cattle has cost that area’s breeders.
This afternoon’s sale at the Hamilton Regional Livestock Exchange saw agents and yard staff pen up 2687 all-breed steers.
These steers sold to a high cents-per-kilogram price of 450c/kg and an average rate of 405c/kg across the entire sale, according to data gathered by HRLE staff.
This equated to an average return to the region’s cattle breeders of $1362/head, at the average weight of 336c/kg.
This is only a slight drop in cents-per-kilogram terms on the results from a day before when the black steers at Hamilton, across a huge yarding of almost 5000, averaged 412c/kg or $1370 on 332kg-average weight steers.
But the small difference in average weight between the two sales shows the negligible difference this made to the dollars-per-head returns to the vendors - just $8.
Meanwhile, early this morning, after a dreadfully tough season, Casterton cattle breeders showed their grit, presenting 2500 quality Angus and Angus-cross weaners for sale.
Although weights across the yarding averaged lighter than earlier sales at Hamilton, those who did buy commented on how well the cattle had come through.
Results from Casterton, provided by Elders and Nutrien show the 2254 Angus and Angus-cross steers sold by Nutrien averaged 315kg on weight, and $1302/head or 412c/kg.
Cattle sold by Elders at Casterton today weighed an average of 329kg, paying $1311 or 398c/kg on average.
At Casterton, volume buyer Noel Ogilvie, Ogilvie Group, who has been buying thousands of weaners for his South East South Australia operation, told The Weekly Times Casterton breeders cattle had “done well considering how tight it has been”.
“I thought there could have been more very light cattle here,” he said.
“Prices have been OK, not over the top and there is something here for everyone to get at a reasonable rate.”
While the sale started on a softer note, firm to 5c/kg cheaper in places, with very few pens over 380kg, once the weaners hit 250-380kg volume buyers commented it was firm to 5c/kg dearer than Hamilton the day prior.
The sale drew a refreshed crop of buyers, including good NSW and Gippsland support, with some Queenslanders in the action that had been absent at the start of the week.
The biggest vendor, Paul O’Brien, Sunnyside, had 160 weaned steers, and said the season had been the toughest he had seen. His first pen of 48 Boonaroo and Nampara blood weaners, 383kg, sold at 410c/kg or $1570 and were bought by agent Terry Ginnane, of Nutrien for Gippsland grass finishers.
“The prices were not bad,” Mr O’Brien said, comparing the rates to last year’s when his top pen made $1244, or 320c/kg, weighing 389kg.
Boonaroo Angus sold 10 Angus steers, 404kg at 414c/kg or $1672 also to Mr Ginnane.
And Woodlands had 19 Angus-Hereford, 402kg that fetched 412c/kg or $1656.
Forest View had 64 Angus steers, Pathfinder blood, 354kg, EU accredited and weaned, that opened the sale, selling for 410c/kg or $1451.
Karyn Jarrad, Forest View, Sandford, sold 24 lighter steers, 315kg, for $1360, or 432c/kg.
Mrs Jarrad said the prices were “a good average all over, the lighter ones were only $100 off the tops” and came after a “really tough year for this region”.
Wando Vale’s Karen O’Connell, Brimbi, sold 13 Angus steers, at 322kg for 418kg or $1345. “That was OK, good to get those prices when we thought we may have nothing to sell at one point.”
The prices, while welcomed, only go some way to helping rebuild the confidence of the region.
Many producers in the Casterton district are now facing potential water and feed shortages due to the lack of rain and run-off, while farmers, home and business owners continue to battle with insurance companies to get insurance claims on the severe damage of hailstorms that also lashed the area late last year.
HAMILTON. JANUARY 13:
A monster week of Western District weaner sales opened on Monday with 4800 Angus and Angus-cross steers selling at the average rate of 412c/kg or $1370 on 332kg-average weight steers.
The sale was well supported by local interest, NSW buyers, vertically integrated processors, Gippslanders and South East South Australian grass finishers and feedlotters.
There was, however, not a huge depth of NSW support visible at the sale, and only two feedlots operated.
Thomas Foods International was active, as were the Ogilvie Group from the South East, as well as Midfields; and buyers from as far field as Gunnedah, Bathurst and Cobar in NSW.
About 400 cattle went to Gippsland.
Most cattle were slightly lighter than last year, but buyers commented on the high quality genetics of what was on offer.
On prices, for comparison, cents-per-kilogram rates were easier than at Naracoorte last week.
Last Thursday, Naracoorte’s weaner sale had 3000 steers average 341kg make 425c/kg or $1451 and 2000 heifers averaged 319kg and 352c/kg or $1125.
The Friday Naracoorte steer sale produced an average return of $1397, or 420c/kg, across 2800 steers weighing on average 332kg.
At Hamilton, Raheen, Myamyn, sold 19 Angus steers at 436kg, 10 months old, which made 410c/kg or $1787.
They had a second lot of 46 that weighed 374kg that sold for 410c/kg ($1553) and a further 41 weighing 334kg that were knocked down at 420c/kg, or $1402.
Last year’s Raheen calves top pen weighed 398kg and sold at 336c/kg or $1337.
Raheen’s Phil Canavan said, coming into today’s sale, his thoughts were he would have been very happy with anything beyond 400c/kg. “So I am really happy with that,” he said.
A volume buyer, Jason Tonissen, Chrome Park, bought 191 weaners for his new property Booroomugga Station, Canbelego, near Cobar.
Mr Tonissen sold a property at Branxholme, buying the Cobar property where he has Merino sheep, cattle and crops.
Escaping a drought in Victoria, the NSW property has enjoyed a great season, he said.
He paid 440c/kg to 448c/kg, or $1300-$1450 for 300kg weaners.
“They will be fattened and sold in June or July, hopefully onto a feedlot, depending on what the season does,” he said.
Buyer Jack Ginnane, Nutrien Leongatha, secured 86 steers for graziers from South Gippsland.
He said heavy steers, 380-400kg and above were making 390-420c/kg with buyers favouring weaned and EU accredited types. Lighter steers 280-340kg were dearer in cents-a-kilogram terms up to 440c/kg and above.
“It is a big yarding today and the prices held up well,” he said.
“I bought 200 from Yea last week and I would think it is 10-15c/kg cheaper than Yea, but they are closer to NSW, those buyers.
“But the quality of cattle here is great.”
The McClure family’s Mooree Partnership, Tarrayoukyan, sold 260 weaners at Hamilton. The well sought after Mooree cattle were EU accredited, 10-11 months, weaned, Adameluca blood.
Their first pen of 20 Angus, 384kg were sold for 388c/kg or $1489 to Thomas Foods International.
David McClure said it had been a tough season.
“We had three years worth of hay on hand and used the lot in a year. Prices are good, we thought it would tick along either side of 400c/kg,” he said.
Their second pen of 28 black baldies at 382kg sold for 396c/kg, or $1512 also to TFI.
“We were selling on AuctionsPlus but are back in the saleyards; the kids love it and that is where I fell in love with cattle work.”
The pen awarded best presented was Aringa West’s 20 Angus steers, 402kg and they sold for 406c/kg or $1632 to a Gippslander.
Brett Linke, from Mt Napier, had 28 Angus steers, Pathfinder blood, that weighed 412kg and sold for 428c/kg or $1763. Mount Napier also had 78 weaners, 373kg that made 428c/kg or $1596, also going to Gippsland.
The sale opening pen, Eumeralla Springs, had 19 EU accredited calves, 426kg that were knocked down at 418c/kg or $1780 to Midfield.
Eumeralla’s Samatha Muller, Penshurst, said this year’s weaners weighed 20kg heavier than last year and the drier winter seemed to help the cattle gain weight.
Cadell, Branxholme, had 28 Angus, weaned for six weeks, weighing 411kg that sold for 416c/kg or $1709 to TFI buyer Ben Davies.
Cadell owner John McErvale said he was “very pleased” with the prices. A second pen of 44 at 380kg were bought at 404c/kg or $1535 by Koolomurt.
Buyer John Wyld, Koolomurt Pastoral, Coleraine, was looking for about 100 weaners for his
Gippsland properties.
Vendor Marcus Winter-Cooke, Murdal, sold 27 black baldies, 312kg at 418c/kg or $1304 and 28, 267kg at 406c/kg or $1092. He said last year he averaged $1200.
“I expected it to be a bit better today and we have had a very tough season,” he said.
Alec and Jo Moore of Weeran Angus at Byaduk had 25 clients sell at the Hamilton sale, and said prices generally were 50-60c/kg above last years’ rates.
“Some people are a bit disappointed prices haven’t tracked quite at the levels that Wodonga were at, but it has been much drier here and it is further for the northern operators to travel,” Alec said.
“It has been a hard year here; it was like trying to drive a square peg into a round hole all year, you have got to keep hitting it but it would be nice if it was not quite so relentless.”
However, the calves had grown well and weighs of Weeran calves were only down about 10kg on last year, on average, Jo said.
RMA Network chief executive Chris Howie said there was good local competition at the Hamilton sale, as well as support from further north, including orders from Moree and Bathurst in NSW.
“The Queenslanders (buyers) are taking a spell, they had rain on the weekend so are waiting to see what happens at Roma (market), and then they may be back (in the Western District) Wednesday, Thursday,” he said.
NARACOORTE, SA, JANUARY 9:
Cattle breeders selling at South Australia’s premier selling facility at Naracoorte were impressed with the prices they received on Thursday, as local, Victorian and NSW buyers snapped up the 5000 quality, well-bred steers and heifers on offer.
This came as a big relief, in a region hit by drought in the past 12 months.
Across the yarding, 3000 steers averaged 341kg and made 425c/kg or $1451. Heifers, of which there were 2000, averaged 319kg and 352c/kg or $1125.
Volume buyers from as far afield as Yass and Gunnedah in NSW, local large scale feedlotters and backgrounders as well as Gippslanders pushed prices into 480/ckg on steers, which was over the $2000 a head mark in places.
southern Australia Livestock agent Will Nolan said “weaners sold very well from the start, it didn’t lift or drop throughout, most would suggest it has been 20-30c/kg dearer than where the market had been prior to Christmas”.
“There were very few heavy steers under 400-415c/kg,” he said.
“In the mid weight and lighter range cattle; 250kg at 480c/kg.
“A lot of blokes came with $1100-$1200 in their pocket and had to spend that near-500c/kg to get them.
“Heifers were very good, 350-370c/kg on heifers, not a lot of weight but heaps of quality.
“They will go into background operations and some, future breeders.”
Mr Nolan said NSW buyers put a floor in the market but a lot of local interest and buyers from Gippsland added to the mix.
A commission buyer familiar with Victoria’s North East sales said prices at Naracoorte were about 20-30c/kg off the pace of Wodonga’s market this week, but were of high quality and the discount was “just freight costs”.
Vendors stoked with their returns included Lyndell and Peter Sinclair, Harper Range, Lochaber.
Mr Sinclair, who previously worked at the saleyards for many years and whose father was the respected, late Gordon Sinclair from Wangaratta and in whose name a sale memorial sale is held.
Mr Sinclair recently retired to farm full-time, running 140 cows, said it had been a tough year, but returns over $1500 made it worthwhile.
Their top pen of 30 Angus, weaned and EU accredited steers made $1573, weighing 371kg at 424c/kg. They were purchased by Millicent region backgrounders to grow out.
Thomas Foods bought their second line, at 438c/kg, or $1349.
Mrs Sinclair said they were “very happy after the season we have had, feeding from April to September six days a week”. “It has been the worst season we have had since 1976.”
Other highlight prices included McPiggery’s very heavy 13 Angus steers, 500kg, which sold for $2004 or 400c/kg.
A big offering from the Seears family, Lucindale, Boonderoo Pastoral, topped at 442c/kg for 20 Angus weaners, 343kg, or $1517.
KP Pastoral had 18 steers make 474c/kg or $1275 at 269kg.
BJ and CJ McMurray sold Angus steers, 310kg for 404c/kg or $1655.
Good heifer returns included KP Pastoral’s 32 Angus heifers, 311kg that made 356c/kg or $1108. A further five 282kg fetched 372c/kg or $1050.
SL Childs had 26 Angus heifers, 373kg that were knocked down at 375c/kg or $1314.
Yallum Park’s 22 Angus sold at 352c/kg, weighing 377kg which works out at $1329.
Maranda sold 25 Angus, 418kg for $1581 at 378c/kg. Naracoorte will hold another large steer sale on Friday.
WODONGA, JANUARY 9:
Northern competition continued to dominate bidding at the Wodonga weaner sale on Thursday as the offering turned away from black cattle to Herefords and European breeds.
And while the of the respective breeds neared the rates set for Angus cattle in the sales during the previous two days, there was a discount for whiteface and euro cattle compared to Angus.
Nutrien Paull and Scollard auctioneer Luke Deimel said up to 80 per cent of the yarding of 3500 grown steers and heifers headed north, with two buyers from Tamworth, NSW, taking pen after pen from the line-up.
“It would have been a different sale without that northern competition,” Mr Deimel said.
“If the north had not been here, you could shave 50-100c/kg from the prices.”
A feature run of older Hereford steers kicked today’s sale off with the annual draft from McKoy and Sons Pastoral Company weighing from 349kg to 538kg. The heaviest steers sold for $1970 (366c/kg liveweight) with the balance making 361-394c/kg liveweight.
Another big draft of yearling steers was sold by CM Pastoral Company, which sold 15- to 16-month-old Charolais-Santa Gertrudis steers. The top 60, at 462kg, made $1870 (405c/kg), while the next 66, at 445kg, sold for $1815 (408c/kg).
There were seven lanes of whiteface cattle in the yarding, which topped at $1625 twice for two different vendors.
S and R Wilson brought their cattle down from near Orange, NSW, and were rewarded when their top pen of 36 Herefords, 379kg, made $1725 (429c/kg). This was equalled a few pens later when the best of the Sleigh Farming’s Hereford steers from Ruffy, at 393kg, made $1625 or 413c/kg.
Of the remaining Herefords, most made between 400c/kg and 430c/kg, even down to lighter calves around 300kg liveweight.
The best cents-a-kilogram price for whiteface cattle was 464c/kg, paid for a pen of 278kg steers sold by H and R Long, which made $1290.
The biggest line of Herefords came from Tarabah Livestock Company at Morundah, NSW, which weighed from 165kg to 278kg. Offered in lots of up to 172, they returned up to 439c/kg for the top pen ($1220, 278kg) but most pens sold under 400c/kg.
In the heifer offering, prices for the heaviest lines were close to those seen for Angus, including the first pen to be offered, a line of 60 Herefords from Springdale Nominees, that were EU-accredited and weighed 400kg, They sold to a Tamworth buyer for $1440 or 360c/kg.
Plenty of heifers made between 320c/kg and 350c/kg, and pushed above this for special lines including a pen of Charolais-cross sold by E Withers, with the pen of 15 weighing 327kg, making $1250 or 382c/kg.
The North East weaner sales wrap up on Friday, with offerings at both Wodonga and Wangaratta.
COLAC, JANUARY 9:
A premier weaner sale at Colac has broken 450c/kg, while vendors share mixed sentiments about the market.
Colac Livestock Agents Association president and Charles Stewart Howard agent Andrew Dalton said northern buyers pushed prices at the Birregurra premier weaner sale on Thursday.
There were 2525 cattle yarded, with Naracoorte, Wodonga, Leongatha and Mortlake hosting sales on the same day.
“Barnawatha has been consistently strong all week. They’ve had 500kg steers making over $4/kg which is massive,” he said.
“Queensland buyers were operating in Barnawatha yesterday, and NSW pushed down into here and they’re going as far as Naracoorte.”
Mr Dalton said the buyers at Colac hailed from Naracoorte, SA, Shepparton, Forbes, NSW, Simpson, and Colac and surrounds.
“[Freight] has been pretty dear consistently. It’s been pretty steady, freight reflects the price of cattle and how far they’ve come, but it mustn’t be too affected if they’re going to Forbes,” he said.
In the sale breakdown there were 1589 steers, which sold to $1680 or 455c/kg, and averaged $1263 or 390c/kg, while 845 heifers topped at $1900, or 370c/kg, with an average of $991 or 325c/kg.
The top value was found in the sale’s lighter steers, with 200-280kg steers averaging 402c/kg with a top price of 455c/kg.
The sale’s 44 cows topped at $2350 or 325c/kg with an average of $1910 or 314c/kg, while 47 cow and calf outfits topped at $2500 or 400c/kg and averaged $2056 or 380c/kg.
Winchelsea farmer Tom Blakeley topped the sale with a pen of 15 Angus weaner steers at $1680, just four years after he took over the farm reins.
He manages 250 Angus breeders.
His 15 Angus steers weighed 420kg and made $1680, or 400c/kg, and 22 Angus, 364kg, sold to $1460 or 400c/kg.
“It’s been really good, it’s very rewarding when you get a result like this,” he said.
Mr Blakeley said it had been a dry season, but the district was all in the “same boat”.
“We fed from February, had a break and were able to not feed from September until now, but we’re starting to feed again,” he said.
Nutrien Colac auctioneer Phil Douglas said it was a solid sale from start to finish, with people from SA across to NSW.
“Everyone was there. They paid to the market value, it was a good cross section of feeders and grass finishers,” he said.
“Nutrien Naracoorte was very good on the heavier steers, and James Breen set the scene for the heavy steers and JBS took it along.”
Bungador farmer Simon Arundell runs about 400 breeders, and sold 36 steers, 394kg, for $1520 or 385c/kg, 25 steers, 357kg, to $1450 or 406c/kg, and 19 steers, 352kg, to $1450 or 411c/kg.
His 40 cattle averaged $1814 in 2021, 84 averaged $2406 in 2022, 80 averaged $1820 in 2023 and $1150 in 2024.
He said his three biggest costs were fertiliser, trace elements and council rates.
“The price is bloody awful,” Mr Arundell said.
“The prices need to be better. Rural Australia is not just going broke on top of the ground, it’s going broke under the ground. Today’s sale was a real fizzler.”
He said they had more droughts through lack of price than lack of rain.
Irrewillipe farmer Elisa Hanlon sold 94 weaner steers and heifers in their first time selling at the Birregurra sale.
“We’re happy with our steer prices. We’re lucky we’ve had feed and been able to cut hay and silage,” she said.
WANGARATTA, JANUARY 8:
Light steers again broke the 500c/kg mark at Wangaratta this afternoon as buyers continued to bid on cattle across all weight ranges.
Wangaratta again stamped its authority for offering big lines of quality cattle and its reputation was enough to see buyers from as far south as Wonthaggi and as far north as Oakey in Queensland.
Two major feature runs - one from Davilak at Mansfield and one from the Heywood family at Everton - meant buyers were offered as many as 376 steers at the one time, and in one case, one buyer took 140 at once, spending $214,200 on 140 Angus steers, spending $1530 or 418c/kg in the transaction.
Davilak Pastoral averaged $1470 for its run of about 700 steers, all of which were within a 75 kilogram weight range.
At the heaviest end, the Davilak steers at 366-371kg made $1530, with other runs making from $1390 to $1510. But one light pen, just 245 kilograms, showed the willingness to pay for light cattle, with the buy spending $1270 on 245 kilogram steers, or 518c/kg liveweight.
Rodda Manning from Davilak said pre-sale expectations were for about $1300-$1350 for the best steers, which still would have been an improvement on the $1100 average last year.
“These prices are certainly better than we expected,” Mr Manning said.
The other feature offering was from Dennis Heywood at Everton, again offered in big lines of up to 126 at a time.
Buyers took advantage of this, and while the top pen of 31 made $1740 (393kg, 443c/kg), other buyers would buy 75-125 at a time, with one run of 125, all weighing 309kg, making $1460 to return 472c/kg liveweight.
The biggest cents/kilogram premiums continued to be paid for steers under 300kg and included:
- DHK Heywood, 19 Angus, 213kg, $1120 (526c/kg liveweight);
- BTH Pastoral, 13 Angus, 267 kilograms, $1305 (489c/kg liveweight);
- Yacca Pastoral, 25 Angus, 270kg, $1350 (500c/kg liveweight), and
- K and M McPherson, 40 Angus, 267kg, $1300 (487c/kg liveweight).
Steer prices were judged to be on a par or slightly dearer than the stellar results set earlier in the day at Wodonga, though the fact that 90 per cent of the yarding was weaned was believed to have played a role in what was paid.
Bidding kicked up a gear when the auction moved on to heifers, albeit at a reduced price level.
But many of the best grown pens of heifers, destined to potentially be breeders, earned more than 400c/kg liveweight as feedlot buyers and producers went toe to toe.
The best heifer price was $1520 paid for a pen of yearling Angus weighing 370kg and sold by K and M McPherson.
On a cents/kilogram basis, the best heifers were sold by Deepdale and Seaton Park, whose pen of 19 Angus heifer weaners, 340 kilograms, made $1450 or 426c/kg liveweight.
Heifer prices settled between 350-370c/kg liveweight for many pens, with some going to Queensland buyers but others to South Gippsland.
WODONGA: JANUARY 8
A massive yarding of more than 6000 cattle was not enough to take the sting from the cattle market today as northern buyers made their presence felt.
Rates pushed past 500c/kg at times for steers and beyond 400c/kg for heifers as competition from as far away as St George in Queensland pushed up.
The sale was quoted dearer for steers with many making 450c/kg liveweight and more, while the heifer offering was judged as similar if slightly cheaper than yesterday’s results.
The trend of lighter cattle making more on a cents/kilogram basis was repeated today, with the sweet spot in the 250-280 kilogram weight range, especially for steers.
Dave Anderson from APC Trust at Sandigo, NSW, was one of those vendors to break through the 500c/kg liveweight mark for steers, when his pen of Angus weighing 273kg made $1400 or 513c/kg.
Mr Anderson said it was a great result.
“The market has started to come up after a real slump last winter, and these are good prices today,” Mr Anderson said.
The buying gallery included competition from four states, with South Australia, NSW, Victoria and Queensland buyers all operating strongly.
Honours for the first pen of weaners to be sold went to Glenjimmy Farming, which sold 27 Angus, weighing 404kg, for $1690 or 418c/kg liveweight. The second lighter pen, at 344kg, made $1530 or 430c/kg.
There were a handful of sales over $1600 but prices settled easily into the $1400-$1500 for many lines, with weights for these kinds of cattle from 340-380 kilograms.
Lighter cattle under 350kg saw an uptick in price where rates were more like 460c/kg liveweight and more, and under 300kg, prices settled from 460c/kg and higher.
Dawn Macaulay is a regular vendor at the Wodonga weaner sales, and sold 79 Angus, 348 kilograms, for $1520 or 437c/kg. The second lighter run, 42 weighing 304kg, sold for $1430 or 470c/kg, showing the willingness of buyers to pay more on a c/kg basis.
Mrs Macaulay said the decision to sell her cattle in bigger runs rather than smaller pen lots had paid off.
“Prices are good this year – we can’t complain,” Mrs Macaulay said.
The size of the total yarding meant the heifers were sold in pens that had to be emptied from steers, and it appeared some of the crowd dropped off.
While the best heifers going to breeding purposes still attracted 400c/kg and more, general rates slipped more to around 350c/kg liveweight.
One of the better results was paid for a pen of yearling heifers sold by A Cumming and S Dahlenburg, with the 34 Angus, 13-14 months and 303kg, making $1230 or 406c/kg liveweight.
True weaner heifers made 340-380c/kg with fewer towards the top end of the range.
The weaner sales continue today at Wangaratta, with buyers to drive down the Hume Highway to bid on another 4000 Angus cattle.
WODONGA: JANUARY 7
Competition did not tail off for heifers after steers were sold at the Wodonga weaner sale as buyers fought to secure numbers.
Prices broke through 400c/kg on occasions and settled at between 350-380c/kg liveweight for most of the better drafts, at rates that were paid for steers 12 months ago.
Victorian Farmers Federation vice-president and local cattle producer Peter Starr was paid $1190 for 300 kilogram Angus heifers and said prices were up 70-100c/kg on last year.
He said this meant his heifers made about $250 more than last year.
“The future of the cattle industry is positive, with more markets coming online,” Mr Starr said.
“People here (at the sale) have had some fantastic results.”
One of the best heifer results was paid for a line of future breeders, with Spring B Estate selling a pen of 27 Angus weighing 337kg for $1455 or 432c/kg liveweight, beating some of the rates paid for steers.
A handful of heifer prices did break through 400c/kg, but consistently sold above 350c/kg and close to the 400c/kg mark.
At the heavier end, a pen of 405kg Angus heifers, weighing 405kg, sold for $1390 for vendor A Wallace, while the best presented pen, sold by James Comfort from Kyneton made $1375 for the pen of 21 Angus which weighed 354 kilograms and returned 388c/kg liveweight.
Another to break through the 400c/kg liveweight mark was Oztrust Grazing, with the pen of 23 Angus, 329kg, making $1340 or 407c/kg.
Prices then slipped below $1000 for lines which weighed less than 300kg liveweight, with very light heifers, down to 207 kilograms liveweight, still making $775 for 374c/kg liveweight.
Faith in the prospects of the cattle industry have pushed prices close to 500c/kg liveweight for steers at the first major weaner sales at Wodonga.
It was a return to the lighter cattle garnering the best cents-a-kilogram rates, as pens around 260kg hit the sweet spot to return 487c/kg liveweight.
But there were very few pens less than 400c/kg as a big field of buyers, including several from Queensland and more from northern NSW, pushed prices up.
One buyer from central Queensland was hoping to secure numbers but several lanes into the market, he had not secured a pen.
Honours for the best presented pen in the offering of almost 4000 Angus weaners and grown cattle went to Oz Trust Grazing, at Talgarno, whose pen of 21 Angus weighing 426kg made $1790.
It was not the highest dollar-a-head rate though – this went to the heavier pen of 437kg Angus steer weaners, the first to be offered of the young cattle, which made $1820 to return 416c/kg.
Steers 350-400kg were making 410-430c/kg, but when the market moved on to cattle under 300kg, prices took off as buyers showed they had a budget in mind in terms of dollar-a-head spend of about $1250-$1400.
It meant the cattle under 300kg made the highest return.
James Comfort from Kyneton sold Angus steer and heifer weaners, with his heaviest steers at 388kg making $1590 or 410c/kg while his lighter draft at 338kg sold for $1440 or 426c/kg.
Mr Comfort said it had been worth bringing his cattle north to Wodonga, to take advantage of the northern competition.
“The prices are very good and I am very happy with how they sold today,” Mr Comfort said.
“The prices are more than we expected – last year was a bit ordinary and I think it’s going to be a long time before we see prices like we did a couple of years ago.”
The best cents-a-kilogram prices were paid for cattle from two vendors. Waverley Farming’s pen of 13 Angus, 261kg, made $1270 while A and D Scott’s run of 15, the same weight, also made $1270, with both vendors paid 487c/kg.
Not far away was Schoen Pastoral’s slightly heavier line, at 290kg, making $1370 or 472c/kg.
Prospective buyers came from Queensland, as well as commission buyers looking for numbers for the north, while other bidding came from the northern NSW centres of Tamworth and Guyra, as well as Yass. There was also some local support.
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