Wodonga: Confidence wavering as buyers hold back
Only 1100 cattle were yarded at the Wodonga store sale but some were passed in as the wait for the autumn break continues.
The lack of rain drove a lack of bidding at the Wodonga store cattle sale on Wednesday as buyers held back and prices suffered.
While the offering of 1100 contained few big drafts, there were some quality cattle on offer and enough interest to drive steer prices to 388c/kg liveweight for young Angus and to over 300c/kg for one pen of heifers.
But they were highlights in the otherwise flat sale where most cattle stayed in the local area.
The exceptions were those lines bought by commission buyer Ged Parker, who secured cattle for buyers as far north as Queensland and Narrabri, NSW, but many cattle would have stayed within a 100km of the saleyards.
Corcoran Parker auctioneer Bo Helwig said the sale had shown the buyers’ preference for cattle with weight, and discounted those that were not at least 300kg liveweight.
“It seems no one wants little cattle,” Mr Helwig said.
“Better cattle with weight sold pretty well and it really is all coming down to how much feed (or lack of) there is around.”
The best drafts of Angus steers consistently made more than 320c/kg with the top Angus steer price $1540 paid for a pen of 18-month-old steers, which weighed 477kg and returned 323c/kg for vendor Islay Young.
Another of the better results for black cattle was the $1310 (372kg, 352c/kg liveweight) paid for the tops of the draft from F and S Cottrel.
But in a clear reflection of the lack of interest in non-black cattle, two Red Angus from the same vendor in the same pen, albeit slightly lighter at 353kg, made just $900 or 255c/kg liveweight, or a 100c/kg discount.
On a cents per kilogram basis, the best price for steers was 388c/kg liveweight paid for a pen of EU-accredited Angus steers sold by Anthony Nichol, N Nichol and Co, Bethanga, with the pen of 16, weighing 295kg, making $1145.
Two other pens made 368c/kg liveweight, with one sold by S Sutherland with the six to seven-month old steer weighing 288kg making $1060.
The other was the top pen of 25 sold by N Boyd, at 285kg, which made $1050 but the preference for heavier cattle was apparent from the results from the second pen from the same vendor, with the 239kg steers making $810 at a hefty discount to return 339c/kg.
The top Hereford steers made $1360 (483kg, 282c/kg) for vendor L Hodgkin, but it was tough enough for whiteface cattle, which again sold at a discount to the blacks.
The remainder of the Hodgkin draft, which weighed between 217kg to 439kg, returned 285-297c/kg for the well-bred lines of Herefords and none of the breed was able to creep above the 300c/kg liveweight mark.
The going got tougher for heifers, with returns sitting mostly between 230-260c/kg for many drafts.
One pen of heavy Angus heifers did break through the 300c/kg mark, making 304c/kg for vendor C and C Barker. The nine heifers made $1160.
Another of the better results was the 281c/kg liveweight paid for the heaviest pen of 16 Charolais-Angus, six to seven months and weaned, offered by Barrabool Pastoral, with the heifers returning $750.
The small offering of cows and calves looked cheap, as buyers stood back and were unprepared to spend given the lack of rain locally.
Hereford heifers with big calves, up to six months old, and back in calf, made $1600-$1700 though some were passed in.
And a pen of 32 Hereford cows with 33 young black baldy calves, in store condition struggled to gain any bidding before eventually being knocked down for just $1010.
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