Elders to yard 1400 cattle at June Special Sale

The Elders monthly store cattle sale at Boyanup next week is an opportune place to start with good numbers of beef and dairy cattle up for grabs.

The sale will be held on Friday, June 19, 2020, at the Boyanup saleyards commencing at 1pm and the Elders South West team has put together a quality yarding of 1400 cattle.

There will be good numbers of beef steers and heifers sold liveweight at the sale with Angus and Murray Grey the dominant breeding with some lines of European bred cattle.

There is also a decent number of first cross mainly Angus-Friesian steers and Friesian steers in the dairy section of the yarding ranging from young poddies to 20 months of age which will be sold both liveweight and appraisal.

And due to herd reductions, an opportunity exists to secure genuine joined breeding cows with calves at foot on offer at the sale.

Elders South West livestock manager Michael Carroll said with 1400 head of cattle coming in for this month's sale, it is a great time to purchase stores before the end of the financial year.

"As usual buyers will have a choice of both beef and dairy steers being offered by liveweight and appraisal at the one sale," Mr Carroll said.

"We will have a good selection of beef steers and heifers and also dairy steers from reputable vendors that have grown out the cattle specifically for this sale.

"Please note that due to COVID-19 restrictions in place only staff, agents and buyers are permitted to attend the actual sale and all are required to sign in upon arrival."

Heading a good run of beef steers and heifers is Collie graziers MA Sherwood who will offer 80 Angus mixed sex weaners to be the sale's largest individual vendor.

The draft of 10 to 12 month-old Ardcairnie blood Angus calves will be split evenly between steers and heifers and are estimated to weigh from 240 to 260kg.

Elders Brunswick representative Craig Martin said the Sherwood cattle were a complete drop and were weaned in January.

"They are quiet, well-bred and handled cattle that will suit graziers looking for cattle to grow out for the spring," Mr Martin said.

Another larger draft of Angus calves will descend from the Williams paddocks of MA, GD & BA Cowcher who will offer 60 mixed sex weaners at the sale.

The line-up of 40 steers and 20 heifers of Blackrock Angus breeding are aged from 10 to 12 months and expected to weigh from 280 to 310kg.

A line of 53 Murray Grey calves has been nominated by AC & CJ McNab, Nannup.

The draft will consist of 28 steers and 25 heifers aged 10 to 12 months with estimated weights ranging from 320 to 340kg for the steers and 300 to 320kg for the heifers.

Elders Margaret River agent Alec Williams said the McNab cattle are an annual draft of 2019-drop mixed sex calves.

"The calves are well-bred from predominantly Monterey and Nangara Murray Grey bloodlines," he said.

"They are in good forward store condition suitable for backgrounders and or grass finishing spring programs."

DD & E Hutton, Witchcliffe, will have a selection of females available at the sale.

Included is 22 Simmental cross and Angus heifers with the draft split evenly between breeding.

The heifers are aged from 12 to 14 months with estimated weights of 340 to 360kg.

Mr Williams said the Hutton cattle are an annual draft of heifers that are surplus to the family's requirements.

"The heifers are predominantly owner bred in very good forward store condition," he said.

"They have had a backline drench in early May and are ideal for a spring grass fattening programs or lotfeeding."

Regular sale vendors Alcoa Farmlands, Waroona and Wagerup, will return with another draft of mixed sex Angus weaners.

This month's draft of 12 to 14-month old calves consists of 26 Angus steers weighing from 340 to 360kg and 14 Angus heifers weighing 280 to 300kg.

It is the operation's fourth draft for the season from its winter calving program which will this year see 3700 breeders joined.

The May/June-drop calves are based predominantly on Koojan Hills Angus bloodlines.

The calves were yard weaned for seven days in December/January and have been running on irrigated pastures and supplemented with hay and silage since weaning.

At weaning the steers received their second 7in1 vaccination along with Multimin, Vitamin A, D and E plus an Eprinex drench and they have also had another Ivomec drench in recent months.

Other bigger numbers of beef cattle coming into the sale include Lean & Green Produce, Capel, with a line of 22 Red Angus steers aged 12 to 14 months with expected weights from 340 to 360kg.

Rob Gibbings, Elders Capel, said the Red Angus steers were sourced out of the Boyanup weaner sales in December and have been grown out on grass for this sale.

BF & RA Scott, Donnybrook, has nominated 22 Charolais cross steers aged 12 to 14 months weighing from 260 to 300kg, DJ & L Klein, Capel, will offer 21 Murray Grey steers of the same age but weighing from 340 to 360kg while a draft of 28 Angus cross heifers aged 10 to 12 months and estimated to tip the scales from 280 to 300kg will be trucked into the sale by Wild Dog Pastoral.

Onto the dairy section of the sale and one of the sale's largest offerings will come in from regular vendors Rodwell Farms.

The Boyanup dairy operation will offer 20 first cross Angus-Friesian steers aged eight to 10 months, 40 Friesian steers aged eight to 14 months and 25 first cross Angus-Friesian heifers also aged eight to 14 months.

Alex Roberts, Elders Brunswick, said the Rodwell Farms cattle are bucket-reared and owner-bred from their Friesian dairy herd and AI Angus bloodlines and have received the full complement of health treatments.

Other first cross steer numbers include 19 Angus-Friesian steers aged 16 to 18 months from J & C & R Drennan, Waterloo, to go with their draft of 11 Friesian steers of the same age, Yoringa Downs has nominated 12 Angus-Friesian steers also aged 16 to 18 months and D & A Campbell, will offer 10 Angus-Friesian steers and 10 Friesian steers aged 10 to 12 months.

Regular sale vendors Negus Enterprises, Tutunup, will offer the largest draft of poddy Friesian steers with 50 steers aged four to six months nominated.

Also offering Friesian poddy numbers is Geisel Park with a draft of 40 steers aged six to eight months while Jesmond Dairy, Capel, will offer a slightly older line of 30 Friesian steers aged 10 to 12 months.

Other well-known dairy calf vendors West and Haggerty, Capel, will offer 15 Friesian steers and seven Angus-Friesian steers aged three to four months, meticulously prepared for the sale through its purpose-built colostrum harvesting program.

The calves are fed four litres of the highest tested stored colostrum within six hours of birth and up to four litres of colostrum with their second feed.

The calves are administered vitamins A, D and E, first shots of 7in1 vaccination and Bovilis, Multimin and drenched when they are moved to their calf pens before receiving their second shots at about two months of age.

Mr Gibbings said West and Haggerty present even drafts of top young calves that attracted plenty of pre-sale inquiry and return buyers.

A selection of genuine breeding cows will be offered at the sale with a couple of South West herd reductions.

Harvey graziers Magic Valley Beef will offer 24 commercial Red Angus cows and calves ranging from third calvers to mature cows.

Magic Valley Beef manager Tom Morrissey said with the loss of some lease land they were scaling back their commercial herd to adapt to the current situation.

The February to March-drop steer and heifer calves at foot are Red Angus sired and the cows have been running back with Magic Valley Red Angus bulls since April 20.

The cows have received an annual 7in1 booster and pestigard and the calves have also been vaccinated with 7in1.

Elders Brunswick representative Craig Martin said the Magic Valley Beef cows are proven matriarchs from a well-known Red Angus breeder.

"The Magic Valley Beef cows present an opportunity to buy some top genetics that commercial breeders would not normally have access to," Mr Martin said.

DD & E Hutton will offer 10 Simmental-Friesian and Angus-Friesian mature aged cows, five Simmental cross third and fourth calving cows and three Simmental-Angus second and third calving cows.

The cows have February to March-drop Simmental and Angus sired calves at foot and have been running back with Simmental and Angus bulls from April 4 to June 4, 2020.

Mr Williams said the Hutton cows and calves are a genuine reduction in numbers due to a change of management program.

"They represent a good opportunity to acquire young breeders with calves at foot or proven mature cows with bigger calves at foot," he said.

"The cows and calves have had a backline drench, cobalife and multimin and have had the opportunity with the bull again."

Rounding out the sale will be two rising two-year-old Poll Hereford bulls from the Quaindering stud, Williams.

- For further information contact Michael Carroll 0427 975 620.