Would the gamble to sell weaners early pay off?

A decisive move for weaner vendors to sell early proved a good one at Wodonga on Thursday. See the full sale report.

A decisive move for weaner vendors to sell early proved a good one at Wodonga today as rates closed on 500c/kg liveweight at the top of the market.

The offering of 3200 was buoyed by drafts of weaners, especially from the Mansfield district, as well as from local vendors unable to hold until the New Year, due to a lack of feed and water.

And ironically, while rain was seen in many of the areas where the cattle were drawn from, it meant that some cattle went back to the district they came from as buyers took a gamble.

Mark Merceica from Mansfield sold Angus steer weaners to 450c/kg at the Wodonga store sale.

Livestock agent Peter Ruaro said there had been an “enormous premium” for good Angus steer weaners, and other cattle were firm or dearer.

“It’s all to do with that four letter word – rain – and you just can’t beat it,” Mr Ruaro said.

It was a sentiment shared by Corcoran Parker Mansfield agent Daniel Craddock, whose clients contributed big drafts to the sale.

“The sale has gone better than I thought, with prices probably up $100 on what I thought they mike make,” Mr Craddock said.

The first lane of Angus steer weaners saw a huge crowd watch on as the first couple of pens of Angus steers fetched $1510.

M and J Bleeser’s steers, at 398kg, returned 389c/kg, but the Grifforan Pastoral Company steers, which were just eight to nine months, and weighing 356 kilograms, made 424c/kg liveweight. The lighter steers from Grifforan did even better, with the pen of 37 weighing 307 kilograms, selling for $1390 to make 453c/kg liveweight.

Well bred lines of Angus steer weaners sold from 410-450c/kg for most lines.

The best return on a cents-per-kilogram basis was 490c/kg, paid for the lightest pen of the draft from Peter and Helen Kirkbride from Baddaginnie. The pen of 24 weighed 267 kilograms and sold for $1310, while their heavier steers, a pen of 41 at 310 kilograms, made $1360 or 439c/kg liveweight.

Peter and Helen Kirkbride from Baddaginnie sold Angus steer and heifer weaners early, and were paid up to 490c/kg liveweight for the steer portion and 343c/lg for the heifer portion at the Wodonga store cattle sale.

Mr Kirkbride said it had been a good day.

“It was always the right decision to sell given the season, but it was also at the right price,” Mr Kirkbride said.

The sale of the Kirkbrides weaners was due to a tight season at home, and while 53mm of rain had fallen this week, they were happy they had sold.

And the price they got were about $200 higher than last year, when they marketed weaners in January.

Hereford weaners made from 338-370c/kg liveweight, while black baldy sales included the line from David Hocking, from Mullengandra, NSW, another vendor who brought forward the sale of his weaners. His top pen at 336 kilograms made $1260 (375c/kg liveweight) while the lighter pen, at 280kg, made $1200 or 429c/kg liveweight.

David Hocking from Hocking Mulwood at Mullengandra brought his black baldy weaners in early thanks to the tough season, and was paid $1260 for the tops or 375c/kg at the Wodonga store cattle sale. The lighter pen, at 280kg, returned 429c/kg liveweight.

A highlight of the Euro-cross offering was the draft from Butchers Flat, with their Charolais cross steers making 412-444c/kg liveweight.

The same vendor also featured at the top of the heifer rates, achieving up to 380c/kg liveweight for 297 kilogram heifer weaners.

Angus heifers sold to $1235, paid for a pen of 18 Angus, 13-14 months, 373kg, sold by L and T Foster, returning 331c/kg liveweight.

Many of the better drafts of Angus heifer weaners pushed above 320c/kg liveweight, and other heifers mostly sold from 260-320c/kg liveweight.