THE selling of annual drafts of locally bred beef weaners made a successful return to the Camperdown saleyards on Thursday last week, where a penning of 1200 head met solid demand.
Buyers from the Camperdown, Colac and Geelong finishing areas provided the main competition, along with two beef feedlot orders and inquiries from Sale and Shepparton.
Camperdown stalwart Clarke Roycroft said it was great to have the opportunity to sell locally bred weaners on their own turf.
He said the local council had backed the continuation of the yards “and it was good to see the local community supporting that decision”.
Elders’ auctioneer Allan Hickey said agents weren’t shooting for the stars but “we have a solid return that our vendors will be happy with”.
“We didn’t have the runs of cattle – particular the straight-bred lines that other selling centres might – but it’s something we can build on for the future,” he said.
Alistair Nash, Charles Stewart Nash McVilly, agreed, saying it was a solid result with all pens selling well according to quality.
Selling was conducted on a cents-a-kilogram basis for weighed cattle (generally 300kg-plus), then those not displaying weights were offered on a dollars-a-head basis.
Opening the sale, a pen of 433kg Hereford steers made 195c/kg liveweight or $844/hd.
This pen of 15, offered by Narrawhurriet, went to Charles Stewart Dove Colac, while a pen of 11 Hereford steers, 345kg, sold by K&J McNaughton made 190c/kg liveweight or $655/hd, selling to Landmark Bannockburn for the Hells Gate feedlot.
G&N Morgan sold a pen of 11 Charolais steers, 382kg, at 193c/kg lwt or $737.26.
Carol Fulford, Princetown, sold an outstanding pen of 13 Charolais-cross steers, 362kg, at 217c/kg lwt for a return of $785.54, while her equally outstanding drafts of Charolais-cross heifers, 322kg, made 210c/kg lwt or $676.
A pen of 15 Simmental-cross steers, 368kg, sold by Kangaroobie, made 233c/kg lwt or $857, while the tops of their heifer sisters, 344kg, made 202c/kg lwt or $695.
Sales of Angus and Angus-cross steers began with a pen of 15 at 361kg, offered by Rondo-Bea, that made 200c/kg lwt.
DJ Pearce sold a pen of 13
Angus steer weaners, 349kg,
at 230c/kg lwt or $802.70.
Kinther Park sold the market’s top-priced pen of steers based on a dollar/hd ranking.
Weighing 368kg, these realised $846/hd on a bid of 230c/kg lwt, selling to an order supplied by Hopkins River Beef feedlot.
EB&LM Hendry, Darlington, sold a draft of 22 Angus steers, 331kg, to 239c/kg, realising $791.
The steers went onto the same truck to the feedlot.
Overall, sales of heavier steers weighing 360kg-plus averaged 211c/kg, while steers 300-360kg averaged 224c/kg to rate -6 against an EYCI of 426.75 points.
Heifers sold by liveweight returned an average of 199c/kg, with odd sales higher.
These included a pen of 14 Angus heifers, 334kg, that made 209c/kg or $698 for Kangaroobie.
Keen interest was shown for dairy-cross steers to be grown out as manufacturing types.
Prices ranged 165-192c/kg, with the top price paid for a line of 30 Angus-Friesians, 407kg, sold for 192c/kg or $782 by TJ McSween, while a selection of Friesian bulls, 258kg, made to 165c/kg or $398.
Five pens of pregnancy-tested in-calf heifers concluded the sale.
Nick and Heather Chantler, Darlington Point, sold an outstanding pen of 2.5-year-old Charolais-Angus heifers on the point of calving to Banquet-blood Angus bulls for $1140, while a pen of their 2yo Angus heifers to calve to the same bulls in February made $1100.
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