Western District vendors were pleased rates topped expectations in unpredictable season

It’s not often buyers and sellers both walk away happy after a store sale, but there were winners on both sides today. Read the full sale report.

Coleraine feedlotters Grace and Tim Baulch with son Ryan (2) were buying at today's store cattle sale in Hamilton.

“We’re rapt with that” summed up the mood of vendors at the conclusion of Thursday’s

sale of 1600 store cattle at Hamilton.

The Hamilton Regional Livestock Exchange annual spring fixture had prices exceed expectations by 20c/kg and more in places.

The saleyards carpark was full of four-wheel drives, a good sign for sellers, and the buying field proved they were not there for show.

But it was also the heat of bids that came in via AuctionsPlus, managed by Outcross Systems, which put the floor in throughout.

Many of the heavy steers were knocked down via the online system to a Foster buyer.

Data complied by Outcross shows that across the 1580 steers and heifers, prices averaged 364c/kg, weighing a combined averaged of 356kg and $1288 a head.

In the breakdown, grown heifers, weighing an average of 409kg made 331c/kg or $1353; while grown steers, 417kg averaged 345c/kg or $1624.

Lighter grown steers, of which there were 478 – the largest category on offer – weighing 353kg returned 383c/kg or $1354.

In the weaner section, heifers averaging 298kg made 330c/kg or $986 and steers, 319kg were knocked down at 391c/kg or $1237.

Outcross Victorian manager Jo Mills and technical officer Claire Mahncke were weighing cattle and preparing documentation from midnight until 5.30am today ahead of the sale, and then managing bids from AuctionsPlus.

The bidding started on the heavy steers, with Karonga’s 10 Angus, EU accredited, weighing in at 554kg going for 370c/kg or $2049 to Creek Livestock.

Dyson’s 10 Angus, 515kg then made 374c/kg or $1926.

Ballintubber’s five hefty Angus, 581kg. Weeran blood and 20 months old, made 356c/kg or $2214.

Opening the run of spring drop weaners, Lowana’s 20 Angus steers were bought by Midfields for $1739, weighing 478kg and knocked down at a bid of 364c/kg.

The next pen of 51 weaners, 355kg were bought by Casterton buyers for 410c/kg or $1455.

The year has been dry and fodder reserves are depleted across the Western District, but some producers have had good spring growth on the back of hit-and-miss thunderstorms.

Casterton producers buying at the sale were flush with feed, but to the north of Hamilton, districts like Balmoral are struggling with a fading growing season.

Others, with a season “just hanging on”, were lightening off numbers.

It appeared to be a good day for seller and buyers alike with volume purchasers like Steven Smith, Midfield, securing 260 cattle to go into the company’s feedlot.

“Prices were not too bad, about what they should be,” Mr Smith said.

John, Chloe and Geoff McErvale selling cattle at Hamilton.

Local buyers were active and other supporters included commission agent Duncan Brown, as well as South East South Australian agents including Scott Creek, Creek Livestock and Andrew Whan, Miller Whan and John.

Coleraine feedlotter Baulch Feedlot secured 57, including 20 Charolais steers and the balance being Angus heifers, for $1214, or 350c/kg and an average weight of 347kg.

Tim Baulch said those rates and weights were “buyable” for the feedlot operation he runs with wife Grace.

They feedlot around 800 cattle and he said the enterprise helped “big time” in the dry and difficult Western District season.

“A lot of our neighbours haven’t had the cashflow; cashflow is what keeps you going, we have had to buy in a lot of feed, but that hasn’t been too bad,” Mr Baulch said.

“We were looking for that weight range and we will sell them at about 550-600kg, we have been dealing with Herds at Geelong, which has been good.”

Vendor David Tuppen, Raheen Angus, Myamyn.

Branxholme cattleman John McErvale sold 10 heifers, 510kg for 334c/kg, working out to $1662.

“We’re rapt with that, I thought they could have made 300c/kg,” he said.

Inverell’s John Craig, Hamilton, sold 11 EU accredited empty Hereford heifers for 310kg, weighing 489kg. “The Angus sold for about 330c/kg, so that is normally about the gap we see, so it wasn’t too bad, mine were a bit heavier,” he said.

“We got 90 per cent PTIC from our heifers, which I was really happy with in a failed spring,” he said.

“Normally I would have finished these but I thought I’d sell the empty ones this year.”