Yarding surges to 4000 at Mortlake store cattle sale
“Very buoyant” prices have been paid for a much larger-than-expected yarding of cattle at Mortlake. See how much was fetched.
An unexpectedly large yarding of 2500 cattle ballooned to just under 4000 at Mortlake yesterday where prices crept up again for heavy steers and heifers.
“The market has been very buoyant. I don’t know what it is but each month it seems to step up a little bit,” Elders Kerr and Co Livestock manager Bruce Redpath said.
“The grown steers today have crept up another 20 cents and the weaner are very firm,” Mr Redpath said.
Heavy steers 500kg and above returned from 460c/kg to 500c/kg while weaner steers, 320-450kg, made from 550c/kg to 600c/kg.
Nick and Jo Lillie from Bostocks Creek sold a total of 119 steers and heifers to a top of $1741 or 558c/kg for 11 black baldy steers at 312kg. The received a high of 567c/kg or $1298 for a pen of 26 Herefords heifers at 299kg.
The Lillies are breeders running around 1200 cows and they put steers and heifers into the sales several times a year to take advantage of the different market prices.
“It’s very good selling at the moment - we’re very happy,” Mr Lillie said.
The heifer market performed almost as well as the steers with heavy types returning from 450c/kg to 480c/kg and the weaner heifers making from 640c/kg up to 700c/kg in places for very light calves.
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