Wondoga store sale: Season favour restocker demand

See how steers and heifers sold at the Wodonga store sale, where 1500 cattle were yarded.

Breeding cattle were in high demand at Wodonga with extra competition for heifers and cows and calves. Picture: File

Prices were firm on previous sales at a smaller yarding of 1500 cattle at the Wodonga store sale yesterday.

Heavy steers from 400-500kg made from 540c/kg to 565c/kg while weaner steers from 300-380kg steers returned from 610c/kg to 710c/kg.

“The market was fully firm on what we’ve been seeing, there was certainly no holes in it and we had a variety of competition from local restockers, feedlots and buyers from further out,” Elders Albury livestock manager Brett Shea said.

Mr Shea said the smaller yarding saw fewer lines of cattle but a draft of cattle from Stuart Scott Nominees achieved solid returns. Stuart Scott sold 29 Angus steers at 369kg for $2450 or 664c/kg and another pen of 16 Angus at 336kg which made $2150 or 639c/kg.

In the heifer market saw good competition from restockers looking for quality breeding cattle. Grown heifers from 450kg to 500kg sold to prices between 490c/kg to 520c/kg.

A pen of 11 Angus at 468kg sold by Lancoona Partnership returned $2300 or 491c/kg while another pen of 15 Angus at 413kg from Magic Glen made $2290 or 554c/kg. Baxter Agriculture sold 22 Angus heifers at 316kg made $1950, 617c/kg.

The first draft of autumn drop calves also made their way into the Wodonga yards with a pen of 14 Angus at 313kg from Corrections Victoria at Beechworth returning $1940 or 619c/kg.

A notable line of cows and calves from Woolamia Pastoral at Finley, NSW also attracted strong competition. The 57x57 fourth to sixth calvers were split over four pens but all sold together to an agent from Elders Bathurst for $3900.

Mr Shea the seasonal conditions backing up the market at the moment were next to none, with local restockers keen to take advantage of the spring growth.

“We’re having a fantastic season here in northeast Victoria and southern NSW, we have a lot of demand locally and we’re close enough to attract interest from north and central NSW,” Mr Shea said.