Beef steers top demand in South West

Beef steers and heifers dominated the yarding and Friesian steers and poddies were in lesser numbers than usual.

Beef steers topped at $1643 and 440 cents per kilogram, a 20c/kg drop compared to last sale, while beef heifers reached $1786, paid for a pen destined to be future breeders, and 490c/kg, to be up by 90c/kg and $80 a head.

Only a handful of beef-cross steers were offered and these sold to $1529 and 404c/kg.

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Friesian steers made to $1449 and 284c/kg, with very few heavyweights penned.

Friesian poddies topped at $752 and 280c/kg, with most barely being light enough to be called poddies.

Three pens of bucket-reared, first-cross heifers attracted heifer specialists again with a top of $1500 indicating a conservative approach.

Some cows and calves sold, with most of the cows lightly conditioned with calf size helping create a wide range of values from $800 to $1800.

The age-old auctioneer's adage that the first is always the cheapest proved a fallacy, when the first pen of beef steers topped the section at $1643 - after Harvey Beef bid to 336c/kg for the 489kg Angus cross steers from Glamm Investment.

John Gallop, buying for his feedlot client, snapped up the next pen of 12 steers weighing 425kg from W & L M Holland at 370c/kg and $1572.

Mr Gallop secured several pens in the early run, also paying $1530 for two steers weighing 427kg sold by GR & L Christian at 358c/kg.

One of the larger drafts trucked from Holt Rock by C & J Tapper went on the same load at $1525 when the 10 steers averaging 370kg sold at 404c/kg.

Another 10 of the Tapper Murray Grey steers went on the load, when the 370kg steers made $1494 and 404c/kg.

Dominant grazier buyers C & H Farms bought numerous pens of steers either side of 300kg, starting with a pen of eight steers weighing 331kg from W & L M Holland for $1364 and 412c/kg.

The top steers cents per kilogram price of 440c/kg was bid by Nutrien Livestock, Waroona agent Richard Pollock for 10 Angus steers weighing 278kg from DE Elphick that cost $1223, during a dominant buying run which saw Mr Pollock buy 12 pens from several vendors.

Black Baldie steers weighing 362kg from F Slee & Son, Yoongarillup, cost Mr Pollock $1274 at 352c/kg.

Several pens of Red Angus cross steers offered account Charla Downs, Waroona, all went to Mr Pollock, ranging from $1129 down to $919 for steers weighing from 298 to 281kg.

It was several pens into the beef heifers before the top price of $1786 was paid by Nutrien Livestock, Albany representative Michael Lynch, for 11 Red Angus from PE Johnston, with these taking the double of top price of 490c/kg also.

GR & L Christian had the opening pen of beef heifers, a mixed pen of Hereford and Angus weighing 466kg that sold to Kookabrook Livestock for $1454 and 312c/kg.

The next pen of Angus heifers from Glamm Investments went on the same truck at 308c/kg and $1393.

Twelve Angus cross heifers from M & JC Puljiz, Bridgetown, went to Nutrien Livestock, Bridgetown agent Ben Cooper for $1255, when the 402kg females sold at 312c/kg.

A small handful of beef cross steers sold to a top of $1529 when Elders, Capel representative Rob Gibbings, bid to 318c/kg for the nine weighing 481kg from NJ & CL Lindberg.

Nutrien Livestock, Busselton and Margaret River agent Jock Embry took the next pen of eight Lindberg heifers costing $1335 at 308c/kg.

Seven Friesian steers from C & R Angi were first up in the dairy steers and took top price honours at $1449 when the 545kg steers went to Nutrien Livestock, Brunswick/Harvey agent Errol Gardiner.

Another seven of the Angi steers sold for $1412 in a run of 10 pens bought by Mr Gardiner.

Eight of those pens were sold account B & M Avery, Waroona, with a pen of six steers making $1439 and six costing $1431 to be the best returns.

Crendon Irrigation, Donnybrook, secured two pens paying $1431 and $1204 for lines of six each.

Mr Embry added support all sale and secured two pens of steers from BA & JA Armstrong for his client at $1222 and $1113 after bidding to 270 and 272c/kg respectively.

A run of mature Friesian poddies from NL & E Haddon, Yoongarillup, started the eight to 10-month-old poddies, with the first 12 going to Peter Lofthouse, Wokalup, at $722.

Nutrien Livestock, Peel representative Ralph Mosca was quick to replace the steers for C & R Angi when paying $658 for 13 weighing 261kg.

A line of 10 weighing 293kg from P & G Oates went to the bid of Nutrien Livestock trainee Jordon Dwyer to return $675.

Evans Dairy, Vasse, sold 12 calves weighing 278kg for the top price of $752 with these going to Mr Embry.

The Haddon family sold the three pens of first-cross heifers with the second pen topping at $1500 when bought by KL & AJ Jilley, Elgin.

Bernie Ridley, Brunswick, secured 12 heifers at $1350 while Mr Mosca paid $1200 for 12 to get the section started.

Greg Jones paid the top of $1800 in the cow and calf section for a single unit from Avoca Dairy.

NUTRIEN Livestock, Boyanup/Capel agent and sale auctioneer Chris Waddingham said the quality of the sale's offering was mixed.

"In the beef section the market was very selective on type," Mr Waddingham said.

"The gallery of buyers was short of lotfeeders with most competition coming from South West graziers.

"The Friesian selection comprised the normal quality from regular suppliers and values followed last month's trend with moderate competition throughout the offering."