Subdued bidding force prices down at Wodonga sale

There was little optimism at the Wodonga store cattle market as prices slipped for heifers to rates not seen for years.

There were few signs of optimism at the Wodonga store cattle sale today as prices struggled to top 300c/kg for steers and returned less than 200c/kg for some lines of heifers.

The offering of 1190 was boosted by cattle brought to the market from out of the district and as far away as Guyra in northern NSW and Packsaddle north of Broken Hill, NSW, as vendors tried to tap in on a good season in northeast Victoria.

It worked – to an extent – as the cattle did sell, but there were few bright spots in the market and some pens were passed in.

The market was judged cheaper than the sale a week earlier at Wangaratta though this was not considered a fair comparison by some as the feature drafts at last week’s sale drew additional competition.

One of those drafts to come a large distance was a draft of store condition Angus cows and calves offered by Tarabah Pastoral Company at Guyra, NSW. The first pen of 2018-2019 drop cows, with June-drop fresh calves, made $1800 while the balance sold from $1620-$1720.

Michael Unthank from Brian Unthank at Albury with some of the Angus cows and calves trucked down from Guyra in northern NSW to be sold at the Wodonga store cattle sale.

Brian Unthank agent Michael Unthank said there could be more producers from further afield who could try to use Wodonga to move stock on.

“The best this vendor was hoping for was to find these cows and calves a home where there is feed, and to cover the taxi fare (transport) down here from Guyra, NSW,” Mr Unthank said.

“It does make sense to try to bring cattle to where there is feed, even if they don’t get a lot more for them.”

The bulk of the offering was steers, and here prices settled around the 300c/kg mark for better lines of both Angus and Hereford cattle. Crossbred and Euro-cross cattle failed to break through 300c/kg.

The feature line in the steer offering was an annual draft from the Reid Family Trust at Howlong, NSW.

The tops of the run of 197 sold for $1470 with 80 or four pens taken at this price weighing 464-468kg and returning 314-317c/kg. The balance of the run made from $950 for the lightest (327kg, 291c/kg) up to $1350 (460kg, 293c/kg).

Robert Reid from Reid Trust at Howlong, NSW, sold 197 Hereford steers to a top of $1470 (464kg, 317c/kg) at the Wodonga store cattle sale. Last year, his draft of steers averaged $2350.

Vendor Robert Reid said the same steers last year averaged $2350 and described today’s prices as “not very good” in comparison.

It was the highlight in the steer offering which did have some fresh weaner calves, especially in the Angus offering.

The best price on a cents/kilogram basis was the pen of 10 Angus sold by Mark Draper, with his 305kg steers making $1010 or 331c/kg.

Selling action at the Wodonga store cattle sale.

There were less than 15 pens that made more than 300c/kg and all were Angus.

Other steers settled in a price range of 250-290c/kg, with the lightest steers selling down to 201c/kg for a pen which weighed just 159kg, so made only $320.

The market became even softer when the offering moved onto heifers. which topped at $1200 for a pen of 469kg Angus sold by P Ried (OK) which returned 256c/kg.

The best heifer rate was 266c/kg paid for a pen of 12 Simmental-cross offered by P and C Headon from Hay, with the 11-12 month-olds making $1000.

Yet Hereford heifers sold down to 194c/kg (324kg, $630), one of a number of pens that could not break through the 200c/kg mark.

Peter Ellis from Elders Corowa bought two pens of heifer weaners for about $430 and $400, paying 195-197c/kg at the Wodonga store cattle sale.