Where the prices lifted at the Wodonga store cattle sale

The limited number of cattle at Wodonga did little to stem bidding with some light cattle making more than 800c/kg.

The first day of spring rang the bell for restockers who paid up to 815c/kg liveweight for light steers at Wodonga’s store cattle sale today.

With a small offering of about 1100 cattle and a ready field of restockers trying to find numbers, rates were deemed solid on recent sales despite the mixed quality of the yarding.

There were good lines of steers and heifers, but these were interspersed with secondary and clean-up lines that still sold well.

Elders Albury livestock manager Brett Shea said it had been a good day for buyers and vendors alike.

“I think we are really building for good sales in spring and we are all set up for a big sale in October where there will be annual drafts of cattle,” Mr Shea said.

Agents take bids at the Wodonga store cattle sale.

“The interesting thing was there was a lot of local competition from Euroa to Wangaratta to Shepparton to Holbrook, from producers looking to increase numbers.”

There were a few pens of older and yearling steers which made from 365c/kg for Friesians up to 562c/kg for 445kg Angus, but the bulk of the yarding and the keenest competition was for young steers.

The $2000 mark was broken with the first pen of younger steers offered. It was a line of 16 Angus offered by M Merkel, weighing 426kg which sold for $2450 or 575c/kg.

It was one of several pens of heavy steers bought by Wangaratta agent Henry Dundas.

Prices for weaner steers consistently made 600c/kg and more for 300kg Angus, including a pen of 333kg steers from R and R Benstead which made $2200 or 661c/kg.

But as weights dipped below 300kg, prices went up, demonstrated by the lines sold by Dundooga Pastoral. Its top pen of 10 Angus weighing 347kg, made $2100 or 605c/kg, while the second pen, 296kg, made only $10 less at $2090 to return 706c/kg.

And as the cattle got even lighter, the more they made on a cents-a-kilogram basis.

Wilksch Partnership sold 12 Angus, 293kg, for $1980 (676c/kg) yet their lighter steers, at just 222kg, made $1810 or 815c/kg.

Steers under 230kg made more than 700c/kg on occasions including a pen of 215kg Angus which returned $1710 or 795c/kg.

There was little dampening of enthusiasm for heifers, which sold up to $2160 for a pen of three Angus weighing 473kg which worked out at 457c/kg.

Heifers made from 500c/kg to 590c/kg with some quality pens above this including The Meadows Grazing with their offering of 13 Angus, 281kg, which made $1700 or 605c/kg.

Jolley Beef also achieved rates above 600c/kg, with their pen of 13 Angus, 237kg, for $1480 (624c/kg) and 17 weighing 199kg making $1310 (658c/kg).

There was a limited offering of breeding units, topping at $3640 for a pen of Angus, first and second calvers, with calves to eight weeks and rejoined, sold by C Walsh.

Denis Heywood and Jan Griffiths, from Everton, at the Wodonga store cattle sale.

Joined females made to $2680, which was paid for a pen of four Angus heifers, 551kg, which were due to calve in the next two months sold by Denis Heywood and Sons.