Best selling author Michael Keenan, Cudal, paid to 438c/kg for Hereford steer weaners at Wodonga. He was accompanied by Peter Brooking, Derby, WA, left, and agent Paul Breen, Kevin Miller Whitty Lennon & Co, Forbes, centre.
An insatiable demand for Hereford steers and heifers from backgrounders and restockers pushed purebred prices to record highs at Wodonga last week.
Hereford weaner steers topped at 438c/kg, to establish a new purebred record for 2016 at the selling centre, while heifers also sold in excess of 400c/kg.
Selling agents Corcoran Parker, Elders and Landmark yarded 3000 cows and calves, joined females, grown steers and mixed sex weaners for the special store cattle sale on February 11.
Buyers attended from Coonamble, Holbrook, Tumut, Forbes, Cudal, Finley, Tarcutta, Albury-Wodonga, Myrtleford and Shepparton.
Grown Hereford steers weighing over 350kg sold for $1060-$1290 or 289-322c/kg, while weaners weighing 250-350kg fetched $890-$990 or 288-326c/kg.
The lightweight steers 250kg and under were on fire with prices of $610-$900, or 276-438c/kg.
Black Baldy steers over 350kg sold for $1120-$1500, or 296-337c/kg, and pens weighing 250-350kg made $970-$1100, or 324-341c/kg.
Hereford cross steers sold for $845-$1300 or 303-365c/kg.
In the heifer pens, unjoined Herefords weighing over 300kg made $905-$1190, or 244-298c/kg while those under 300kg sold for $550-$850 or 285-446c/kg.
Black Baldy heifers over 300kg returned $870-$1180 or 276-306c/kg and females under 300kg made $550-$800 to average 299c/kg.
Hereford cross females averaged $770 or 308c/kg.
In the breeding females, Hereford-Friesian second calvers sold for the second top price of $1625, while the F1 autumn calving heifers made $1380.
Mixed age Shorthorn-Hereford cross cows depastured to a Hereford bull sold for $1150-$1380, and mixed age Black Baldy autumn calving cows sold for $1020-$1160.
Buyers quoted prices on Angus lines as generally easier – as an indicator, yearling steers, 372kg, sold for $1195 or 321c/kg while well bred 10-month-old weaners, 355kg, sold for $1140 or 321c/kg.
Richard Faithfull, Benambra, sold Hereford steers, 277kg, for $890 and Black Baldy steers, 286kg, for $970 or 339c/kg.
Topping the sale overall on a cents per kilogram basis was the final draft of weaners from the annual muster off the 1.21 million hectare Mulyungarie Station, Broken Hill, owned by Mutooroo Pastoral.
Best selling author and Hereford steer finisher Michael Keenan, Cudal, NSW, paid $900 (409c/kg) for the top pen of EU accredited, Days Whiteface and Minlacowie blood and yard weaned steers estimated to weigh 220kg.
He paid $790 or 438c/kg for the seconds averaging 180kg.
Corcoran Parker, Wodonga, bought the thirds, weighing 155kg, for $610 or 393c/kg.
Mr Keenan said the high rates paid for Hereford cattle in central and northern NSW had forced him to look at the Wodonga market.
“You could look all over NSW and not find a better run of Herefords,’’ he said.
“They will be fed high protein hay and worked on horseback – I can see them in the Forbes market in September at 500kg and looking beautiful.
“I like Herefords as they do well in the hill country at home and I want to get them acclimatised before the cold weather.’’
Mr Keenan’s agent Paul Breen, Kevin Miller Whitty Lennon & Co, Forbes, had expected to pay over 400c/kg for lightweight Hereford steers on the back of strong northern NSW prices.
“I thought the black cattle had eased a bit in price today,’’ he said.
Topping the heavy Hereford steers on a dollars per head basis was Bill and Deb Ferguson, Rennie, NSW, with a run of Tarabah bred, Wirruna blood, steers they had bought as weaners at Wodonga last March.
Finley irrigator Rod Sloane bought a run of 81 Hereford heifers from Mutooroo Pastoral for $560 or 373c/kg to replace rice crops.
The top pen weighed 400kg and sold for $1290 or 322c/kg to AJF Brien & Sons, Coonamble, NSW.
The couple trade around 150 steers and heifers a year, bought out of Wodonga and Dubbo.
“We sold two-year-old empty heifers last week to average $1600 and dry cows for $1400 so were expecting $1100-$1200 or 300-320c/kg for these steers,’’ Mr Ferguson said.
“I paid $560-$580 for them last year – this is the second lot of Tarabah cattle I’ve bought and they haven’t let me down yet.’’
Victorian high country cattleman turned off steers and heifers at the sale to make way for younger cattle being mustered out of bush country for the annual mountain calf sales.
Richard Faithfull, Benambra, sold Hereford steers, 277kg, for $890 or 321c/kg to Elders Myrtleford. He had bought the steers as calves on their dams at Leongatha. He also sold Black Baldies, treated with a rumen developer, for $970 or 339c/kg.
Mr Faithfull will offer 200 Sugarloaf Creek blood mixed sex calves, with a full weight of 330-340kg, at the March calf sales.
H Adkins, Barooga, topped the heifers with a line of 36 Tarabah bred Herefords, 416kg, at $1190 or 286c/kg, bought by Albury commission buyer Graeme Ward.
Clive and Dianne Anderson, Benambra, was also among the top heifer prices with unjoined Black Baldy females, 399kg, at $1180 to Albury commission buyer Graeme Ward. They also sold unjoined purebred females, 403kg, selling for $1160 to the Ladysmith feedlot, Tarcutta.
“We sold 85 heifers today and they went well – the sale was very strong on the little cattle,’’ Mrs Anderson said.
“We are moving the late calves from last year to make way for the 200 steers and heifers to sell at Benambra next month.’’
Tim Wright, Elders Holbrook, paid 316-326c/kg for Hereford steers for client Andy Landale, Holbrook.
“That was what I was expecting to pay – I was looking for 350kg cattle to go back into the feedlot job,’’ he said.
Mr Landale uses a Hereford bull over Angus cows, plus an Angus bull over his base Hereford herd to take advantage of hybrid vigour.
He had sold Black Baldy steers, 407kg, for $1270 in the same Wodonga market.
“I use the Hereford to quieten the black females – I’m on my second calving and retaining the Black Baldy females,’’ he said.
Mr Landale plans to graze his newly purchased Hereford steers on crop to sell over the hooks in spring at 550kg liveweight.
Herefords Australia youth ambassador Emma Keech took up a traineeship with Elders Deniliquin and was part of the three drafting teams to pen the Mutooroo Pastoral cattle at Wodonga.
“This is my first major sale and it is good to see so many Hereford cattle come through,’’ Miss Keech said.
“There is a big line of Black Baldies as well – whiteface cattle dominate this sale.’’
Irrigator Rod Sloane, of Finley, is swapping from rice to cattle and restocked with 81 heifer weaners from Mutooroo Pastoral for $560 or 373c/kg.
“We have been smashed growing winter crop and I’m getting to the point where I’ve had enough so I was looking for a nice line of heifers,’’ Mr Sloane said.
“I wasn’t worried about the price per kilogram and an option will be to return them to the store system unjoined.
“Dad ran Herefords and I do like their temperament.
“The vendors today must be reasonably happy as there were no cheap pens.
“As an irrigator, I couldn’t put a calf on the ground for less than $500 with pumping, water, fertiliser and chemical costs.’’
Top Quotes
Cows
AHCC, Eldorado: 14 Hereford-Friesian cross, second calvers, Limousin cross calves, 1-2 months, $1625.
Toopuntal Holdings, Hay: 12 Hereford/Shorthorn cross, 5-7 years, depast, 625kg, $1380.
Coolaroy, Yackandandah: 7 Hereford/Friesian heifers, 2.5 years, PTIC, joined for March calving, 546kg, $1380.
Longreach, Moulamein: 12 Black Baldy cows, second to fifth calvers, joined for autumn calving, 535kg, $1160.
Steers
Kapunda, Deniliquin: 18 Black Baldies, 468kg, $1500 (320c/kg)
W & D Ferguson, Rennie: 18 Herefords, Wirruna blood, 400kg, $1290 (322c/kg)
R Landale, Deniliquin: 12 Black Baldies, 407kg, $1270 (312c/kg)
Dalander, Porepunkah: 9, Black Baldies, 403kg, $1240 (307c/kg); 9 Herefords, Beggan Hill blood, 18 months, 393kg, $1170 (297c/kg).
P & C Klippel, Berringama: 30 Black Baldies, 10-11 months, 350kg, $1165 (332c/kg)
G & S Glenn, Kilburnie: 10 Herefords, 365kg, $1155 (316c/kg)
W Pendergast & Son, Benambra: 7 Herefords, 369kg, $1060 (287c/kg); 10 Black Baldies, 317kg, $1055 (333c/kg).
R & A Faithfull, Benambra: 18 Black Baldies, 286kg, $970 (339c/kg); 10 Herefords, 277kg, $890 (321c/kg),
Toopuntal Holdings, Hay: 17 Shorthorn-Hereford cross, 8-9 months, Injemira blood, 275kg, $950 (345c/kg); 10, S/H, 231kg, $845 (365c/kg)
Hopefield Pastoral, Holbrook: 13 Herefords, Rotherfield blood, 290kg, $940 (324c/kg)
Mutooroo Pastoral, Broken Hill: 36 Herefords, Days Whiteface and Minlacowie blood, yard weaned, EU eligible, $900.
Heifers
H Adkins, Barooga: 36 Herefords, Tarabah bred, 416kg, $1190 (286c/kg)
C & D Anderson, Benambra: 11 Black Baldies, 399kg, $1180 (295c/kg); 11 Herefords, 403kg, unjoined, $1160 (287c/kg).
Beloka Pastoral, Benambra: 9 Herefords, 424kg, $1035 (244c/kg)
W Pendergast & Son, Benambra: 15 Black Baldies, 317kg, $980 (309c/kg)
Ryder Pastoral, Mt Beauty: 34 Herefords, Wirruna blood, 327kg, $975 (298c/kg)
P & C Klippel: 28 Black Baldies, 10-11 months, 316kg, $920 (291c/kg).
G & S Glenn, Kilburnie: 9 Herefords, 298kg, $850 (285c/kg)
R & A Faithfull, Benambra: 11 Black Baldies, 267kg, $800 (299c/kg)
Toopuntal Holdings, Hay: 12 Shorthorn-Herefords, 8-9 months, Injemira blood, 250kg, $770 (308c/kg).
Mutooroo Pastoral, Broken Hill: 48 Herefords, Days Whiteface and Minlacowie blood, EU, yard weaned, 6-11 months, $670.