Wodonga store cattle sale: Prices lift for quality steers

Prices were up for certain stock at the Wodonga store cattle sale, where there was a yarding of 900. See our analysis and price guide here.

Rain in the district was not enough to tempt buyers to spend big at the Wodonga store cattle sale today.

The small crowd was mostly agents, with a few vendors and buyers fronting up.

Despite this, agent orders and the few buyers that were pushed prices up slightly for steers and kept rates solid for heifers in the offering of 900.

Kelvin and Michelle Read, from Dederang, and vendor Greg Pronk also from Dederang, sold Black Simmental cross heifers, 379kg, for $1270 or 335c/kg in a result he rated as strong for the current market.

Corcoran Parker auctioneer Leigh McEvoy said steers sold better than they had thought.

“Any spring drop (weaner) calves with quality sold well beyond expectations, and the heifers sold reasonably well,” Mr McEvoy said.

“Anything that was very good quality sold above expectations.”

Mr McEvoy said an autumn break could change the market quickly.

“We have had 25mm and if we get more as expected, then we could find prices will be a totally different story,” he said.

A limited offering of yearling and grown steers sold to $1730 with the top money paid for a pen of 16 Angus and black baldy steers, four to six tooth, weighing 593kg, which returned 292c/kg for vendor S Flew.

Other yearling steers made 337-377c/kg.

Fiona Gordan and Matt Holz, both from Burrumbuttock, NSW, bought Angus steers, 390kg, for $1610 or 413c/kg at the Wodonga sale.

The top for weaner steers was $1630 paid for J and J Maddock’s 22 Angus, which weighed 396kg and returned 412c/kg.

Just one other pen of heavier steer weaners made more than $1600 and these were sold by J and C Blair for a pen of 14 Angus which weighed 390kg and sold for $1610 or 413c/kg.

Prices for most of the 300-kilogram and heavier weaners made 390-420c/kg.

Lighter steer weaner prices consistently returned above 400c/kg with a some of the standout sales including a pen of 9 Angus weighing 230kg selling for $1085 or 472c/kg for vendor K and V Marshall. Their heavier pen, at 288kg, sold for $1145 or 398c/kg, showing the premium for lighter calves.

It's a good time to be buying cattle according to Cobram's Frank Goegan who bought Angus steers, 342kg, for $1400 and another pen of 344kg Angus steers for $1435, paying between 409-417c/kg.

One of the bigger lines was sold by Ingledale Holdings Pty Ltd, with their heavier pen of 27 Angus weighing 344kg selling for $1435 (417c/kg) while their second pen of 10, weighing 271kg, making $1255 or 463c/kg. These steers were unweaned and eight to nine months.

At the other end of the market, prices crept under 200c/kg at one stage when a line of Friesians were offered, with the 32, nine to 11 months, and 206kg, selling for just $340 or 165c/kg.

The top price for heifers was $1535 paid for a pen of Angus yearlings sold by Comne Cattle, with the pen of 10 Angus weighing 443kg returning 347c/kg.

J and J Maddock’s pen of Angus, 11-12 months and 353kg, sold for $1410 or 399c/kg.

A line of young heifers, unweaned and six to seven months, was offered by Pulitano Pastoral at Mansfield, as a property they had leased had been sold. The top pen of 27 which weighed 234kg, made $940 or 402c/kg while the lighter pen, which was not weighed, made $720. Both sold to Justin Keane, Corcoran Parker, Wangaratta.

Heifers did slip below 300c/kg in places in the sale, but most were making 320-350c/kg.

The one pen of cows and calves offered topped the market, with Dallas Grazing selling seven black baldy cows, second calvers, with eight calves, two to ten weeks, for $2600.

One pen of 13 Charolais joined cows, third calvers, 679kg and PTIC, made $2120 to be the only other pen to break through $2000 in the yarding.