Yea store cattle sale results: Smaller mixed yarding sees more local competition

Calves continued to achieve over 800c/kg while heavy cattle pushed above 500c/kg at the latest Yea store cattle sale.

A mixed yarding knocked a few heavy hitters out of the competition at the Yea store cattle sale today, leaving room for local restockers to jump into the market.

But as the auctioneers moved quickly through the yarding of 1500 cattle, restocker bidding was not to be mistaken for lower prices.

One of the top-priced pens of the day achieved just shy of $3000 with the 10 Angus steers, weighing 590kg and sold by Michael Purcell from Alexandra, returning $2960 or 501c/kg.

Michael’s father, Laurie Purcell, was also a buyer – picking up 19 Hereford steers at 287kg for $1870 or 651c/kg.

“It’s a perfect season at the moment … you couldn’t script it better,” Michael said.

“It’s been wet throughout so there’s good sub soil moisture and then the two inches we got at the start of September which was the perfect follow up rain in Spring,” Michael said.

Heavy steers 450kg and above returned from 490c/kg up to 550c/kg. Weights dropped off quickly after the initial pens of heavier cattle with those above 300kg pushing 600c/kg or slightly more, while steers below 300kg were knocked back to as high as 800c/kg in places.

Cents-per-kilogram wise a pen of Herefords offered by David Gilbee from Glenburn returned over $8/kg. The 24 Hereford calves at 201kg made 806c/kg or $1620.

Local restockers were able to buy back into the market “at strong rates” according to Nutrien and Delaney livestock auctioneer Anthony Delaney.

“What $2000 bought you a month ago is probably about 60-80kg lighter than what it buys you now,” Mr Delaney said.

“It’s all grass and season driven now”.

Comparing the prices seen at store sales across the state, Mr Delaney said the market are very numbers driven with bigger buyers and feedlots chasing quantity and quality for the sales they frequent.

“It more depends on the yardings at the moment so we have probably seen (the market) throughout Gippsland a bit stronger just because they have had the numbers,” Mr Delaney said.

“Today’s a great sale if you want to buy 20 steers but a pretty hard day to buy 200 because it’s quite mixed”.