Which cattle made the most by cents/kg at Wodonga sale

Decent rain, with predictions of more to come, drove the changing fortunes of cattle prices at the Wodonga store sale.

The difference a rain can make to store cattle sale results was seen at Wodonga today as prices burst through 500c/kg for light steers.

While the improved overall quality of the offering was credited with some of the lift in rates, it was predominantly talk of predicted rain over Easter, on top of falls a week ago, which boosted confidence and bidding.

Agents take bids at the Wodonga store cattle sale where prices were judged solid for heavier steers and dearer for lighter steers.

Paull and Scollard Nutrien auctioneer Luke Deimel said rain was the main factor in the better prices at today’s sale.

“It feels like we have all had a bit of a reprieve with the season given that everyone was thinking it was going to be dry, and having rain early means we will get growth,” Mr Deimel said.

“I think the numbers are also going to start tailing off in the prime markets and we get the feeling we may see a lift in prime rates too, which is really needed.”

The sale’s top price on a cents-a-kilogram basis was paid for a pen of Angus steer calves, seven to eight months, sold by HQ Pastoral. The pen of 29, which were just 205kg, made $1180 and returned 576c/kg. The heavier brothers, at 243kg, made $1260 or 519c/kg.

Stephen and Colin Parker from Glencoe at Holbrook, NSW, were the major vendors at the Wodonga store cattle sale and sold steer weaners to a top of $1450 and to 540c/kg.

The key offering was from Glencoe Pastoral, with its run of more than 200 Black Simmental and composite steer calves. The top pen of 50, weighing 328kg, made $1450 (442c/kg); with the next 50 at 288kg, selling for $1325 (460c/kg). Another 40 weighing 259kg made $1190 (459c/kg), the next 24 at 215kg made $1030 (479c/kg) while the lightest pen at 187kg, made $1010 or 540c/kg.

And it was the lighter steers that showed the biggest increase in price compared to sales in the past few weeks, breaking through 500c/kg in places with Angus steers, 270-280kg, consistently returning $1300-$1400.

Peter Ellis from Elders Corowa, NSW, bought lighter Hereford steers at the Wodonga store cattle sale for a number of smaller clients, who wanted stock to eat grass.

Yearling and older steers settled in the 340-390c/kg weight range, with Koombahla Trust selling 18 composite steers, 16-18 months, 519kg, for $1825 (352c/kg) to top this section of the market.

In the heifer offering, the best price was $1800 paid for a pen of 12 Angus, 534kg, which returned 337c/kg.

Heifer prices settled in the 350-400c/kg range for most drafts, and up to 396c/kg for a pen of 207kg Herefords, which made $820.