Whiteface females were the hot ticket item in the nation’s October store markets with restockers paying to $3100 for first calf heifers, $2700 for PTIC heifers and $1820 for unjoined yearling heifers.
Steer weaners topped at 561c/kg in store markets while buyers paid to $2145 for heavy grown Hereford steers in the prime markets.
The run of spring sales in Victoria set the pace where Herefords topped the cow and calf, steer and heifer categories at the Myrtleford annual spring sale.
In the state’s south-west at Hamilton, purebred heavy steers topped at $1825 and heifers at $1498.
At Bairnsdale in Gippsland, yearling Hereford steers, 330kg and under, topped the sale on a cents per kilogram basis at 561c/kg to return $1300.
Meat and Livestock Australia’s National Livestock Reporting Service quoted Hereford weaner steers, under 200kg, selling to a top of 500c/kg or $1000.
In the weaner heifers, purebred pens sold to 452c/kg or $995, and yearling heifers, under 330kg, sold to 467c/kg or a top of $1050.
Black Baldy steers, weighing 400kg plus, sold to 340c/kg or $1700 and the purebreds to 393c/kg or $1700.
Hereford cows with calves, under two months, topped this category on $2000 and Herefords also topped the market overall for cows with calves, two to four months, on $2125.
Dan Ivone, Paull and Scollard, Myrtleford, quoted the Myrtleford annual spring sale on October 28 as strong for Hereford cattle with support from the North East valley steer finishers and restockers.
The herd dispersal of Old Kentucky, Londrigan, of 49 Poll Hereford cows with Injemira blood March drop calves and PTIC, topped the yarding at $2525, and were bought by Timberlane Pastoral, Tallangatta
J & P Mathieson, Whorouly South, sold a run heavy Hereford steers, 473kg, to top the market at $1610.
In the heifers, J & P Mathieson, topped the sale with two-year-old Hereford heifers, 455kg, at $1400, the seconds weighed 422kg and returned $1355 to top the yearling category.
At the Hamilton annual feature spring cattle sale, Hereford steers topped at $1825 or 408c/kg and heifers at 412c/kg or $1498.
Brendan Fitzgerald, Tarcoola, Coleraine, sold a big run of spring 2015 drop steers, South Boorook blood, with the top pen weighing 449kg and selling for 357c/kg or $1602. The top pen of Tarcoola heifers weighed 323kg and sold for $1046.
Barry and Dianne Kinghorn, Milroy, Byaduk, sold European Union accredited steers, autumn 2015 drop, 520kg for 351c/kg or $1825, and heifers 457kg for 328c/kg or $1498.
At the Casterton spring store sale, David and Judi Jenkin, Banemore Herefords, Penshurst, sold steers, 351-415kg, for $1310-$1550 or 373c/kg. Their heifer portion weighed 309-331kg, and returned $1080-$1140 or 344-349c/kg.
At Leongatha, prices for yearlings knew no bounds with L & G Anthony, Meeniyan, selling 12-month-old steers, 405kg, for $1710.
Further north in NSW at the South Eastern Livestock Exchange, Yass, Mylora Pastoral Company, Binalong, sold a draft of 150 Poll Hereford heifers, Wirruna blood, six to 12 months and yard weaned, to a top of $930 to Brendan Abbey on behalf of local restockers. The steer draft of 155 head, same age, sold to a top of $1110 and averaged $994.
At the Central Tablelands Livestock Exchange at Carcoar, a pen of 18 first calf Hereford cows with calves, two to four months, topped the yarding at $3100.
In Queensland markets, weaned Poll Hereford heifers, 272kg, from Texas, fetched $1000, yearling heifers, 271kg, from Roma, made 371c/kg, feeder steers, 463kg, from Goondiwindi, sold for $1582, and weaned steers, 244kg, from Condamine, fetched 409c/kg.
In South Australia, Thomas DeGaris paid $1440 for 16-month-old steers, 393kg, from Dunburst at Mount Gambier. The Leake family sold 362kg steers in the same sale for $1400.
In Western Australian markets, Cunyu Partners, Wiluna, sold Hereford cross steers, 530kg, for $1490 at Muchea, while at Boyanup Robert Kirkham, Coolup, sold purebred heifers for $1226.
A & K Bashford sold purebred steers, 455kg, for $1474 and heifers, 423kg, for $1347 at Boyanup.
In prime markets at Wodonga during the month, Hereford cows continue to maintain their selvedge value with the Trethowan family, Cookardinia, selling heavy cows, 801kg, for $1924.
In the grown steers, B & S Wood, Gundowring, sold purebreds, 660kg, for $2145 or 324c/kg.
On AuctionsPlus, PTIC yearling heifers, 18-20 months, from Oxley, sold for $2700, joinable Hereford heifers, aged 12-14 months, from Cootamundra, NSW, sold for $1820 and unjoined heifers, 24-28 months, with calves, from Euberta, NSW, made $2615.
PTIC heifers, 25-26 months, from Adelong, sold to $1760 and PTIC cows, 3-4 years, also from Adelong, made $1980.
Weaned purebred steers, 259kg, from Balranald, NSW, returned 445c/kg or $1155.
Among the Black Baldy results for the month included G & P Harrington selling heifers, 341kg, for $1180, and originally bought out of the 2016 Omeo calf sales.
The Maguire family, Havilah, sold Black Baldy steers, 418kg, at Myrtleford for $1460 or 349c/kg while steer weaners, 260kg, sold on line for 450c/kg or $1170.
Black Baldy cows with calves, under two months, sold to $2075 and yearling heifers, 330-400kg, topped their category on $1400 at Carcoar.
Backgrounder heifers, 299kg, from Nundle, NSW, sold for 401c/kg or $1200, and cows with calves, not rejoined, topped the Mount Gambier market on $2450.
At Dunedoo, NSW, Black Baldy cows with Wagyu calves topped the market at $2300.
In the Hereford cross pens, Wagyu-Hereford steers, 13-15 months, 346kg, from Barraba, NSW, sold for 546c/kg or $1890 on AuctionsPlus.
Hereford-Charolais backgrounder steers, 368kg, from Moree, NSW, returned 366c/kg or $1350.
PTIC Shorthorn-Hereford heifers, 20-22 months, from Whorouly, Vic, made $2400, while cows and calves, 2.5-4.5 years, from Wangaratta, returned $2750.
The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator finished the month on 658.75c/kg – down from 719.75c/kg last month.
Meat and Livestock Australia reports short fed (100-120 days on feed) EU steers, weighing 380-500kg, averaging 385c/kg – up from 381c/kg last month.
In the domestic paddock sales, steers (280-350kg) averaged 380c/kg and heifers (same weight) averaged 350c/kg.
NSW over-the-hooks rates for MSA yearling steers stood at 597c/kg for 280-300kg carcass weight.