Wodonga cattle sale: Strong prices reflect market boom
Steer sales broke 700c/kg and heifers 600c/kg at a stellar market at Wodonga today. See the market wrap-up here.
Producers reinvesting their best returns ever for bullocks underpinned competition at the Wodonga store cattle market today.
There was keen competition for the offering of 1800 cattle, with cashed up producers given even more encouragement to bid up after falls of 40-60mm of rain overnight.
Isolated sales of light steers made 700c/kg and even heifers broke 600c/kg in a market which was rated as just as good as recent sales according to Corcoran Parker’s Leigh McEvoy.
“It’s been a very good sale again, and it seems to be the same thing each week,” Mr McEvoy said.
“Prices have been helped by overnight rainfall, but the market just keeps on.”
Older steers topped at $2260 (Angus, 529kg, 16-18 months, 427c/kg) yet was the weaners where the action was, especially at the lighter end.
Weaners above 350kg made from 505-530c/kg, 300-350kg made 531-586c/kg; 250-300kg made 600-664c/kg and under 250kg made up to 704c/kg for Poll Herefords and 699c/kg for light Braford steers weighing just 143kg, which made $1000.
Glenn and Kate Berg from Jamieson sold their first cattle ever and topped the sale on a cents a kilogram basis when their pen of Poll Herefords, 238kg, made $1675 or 704c/kg.
Mrs Berg said they had come to the sale “hoping someone would bid” and were overwhelmed with just how well they sold.
“This was a big thrill – we’ve only been running the cattle for just over a year,” she said.
But not all those who were at the sale were comfortable with the high rates.
Talgarno producer Stephen McKenzie-McHarg said the cattle market was in “dangerous territory” but felt he still needed to be stocking up on numbers.
“The cattle market is like walking across a spring at the moment – you never known when one will go down,” he said.
Heifer prices were just as strong, topping at $1840 for a pen of 389kg black baldies sold by Nightingale Brothers, which returned 473c/kg.
Heifers sold from 440-550c/kg with the heavier weights selling for less on a cents a kilogram basis.
The lightest heifers broke the 600c/kg mark with a pen of 17 composites weighing 207kg returning $1310 or 633c/kg.
There was a limited offering of breeding females, which topped at $3840 for a pen of 15 Angus heifers with calves two to six weeks, sold by Hunters Hill. They went to Jim Dwyer at Holbrook who said it was about what he expected to pay to secure quality females.
Joined Angus cows $2500-$3420 with the oldest selling to the trade.
Buyers across today’s offering included restockers from Wangaratta, Corowa and Corryong while commission buyers and feedlotters were there in force including Duncan Brown, Graham Ward and Andrew Lowe.
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