Steers make $974 at Boyanup weaner sale

Another quality yarding of calves was presented to buyers at the fourth stand-alone combined agents weaner sale for the season at Boyanup last week.

The Elders and Nutrien Livestock South West selling teams yarded just shy of 1300 head of new-season calves weaned for a minimum of 10 days and these featured large numbers of Charolais and Charolais-cross calves as part of the Western Region Charolais Society's 'Silver Calf' competition.

The heavier overall yarding averaged 339 kilograms across steers and heifers and sold to a stronger average of $755 on the back of a firm steer market and a timely jump in heifer values.

The previous sale averaged 329kg and sold for an average price of $723.

Weaner steers sold mainly from 220-260c/kg and up to 272c/kg for quality feeder weight steers to average $815 and 240c/kg in a consistent market, while increased competition from restockers, feeders and export saw weaner heifer values up 20c/kg on average compared to the previous sale.

Heifers sold in the main from 170-200c/kg and up to 216c/kg for likely replacement breeding heifers to average 183c/kg and $607.

The sale was interfaced on AuctionsPlus attracting 1300 views across the two agent catalogues and 17 registered bidders, mainly from Western Australia, logged in.

An eastern Wheatbelt feeder and an independent southern agent placed a combined 218 bids across 53 pens, purchasing 20 of them.

The Elders team kicked-off proceedings with its yarding of 494 weaners (256 steers and 238 heifers) - all Charolais and Charolais-cross in a feature sale for the 'Silver Calf' competition.

Winners of the overall champion pen of Charolais cattle, C & C Minson, Roelands, also topped the overall sale values with two pens totalling 22 Charolais cross steers, including the champion pen averaging 422kg and 424kg, sold to Jamie Davies, Kalgrains, Wannamal, for 230c/kg and $970 and $974 respectively.

Chris Waddingham, Nutrien Livestock, Capel, snapped up the next two pens of the Minsons' steers for a South West lotfeeder, bidding to 242c/kg and $922.

A quality run of red factor Charolais-cross steers weighing from 304-371kg was offered by ML Bleechmore, Boyup Brook, with all three pens knocked down over AuctionsPlus topping at 248c/kg and $897.

These were among 11 pens of steers purchased by the feeder buyer online from this section and included the next highest price of $875 at 232c/kg for 12 Charolais steers weighing 377kg from D Bruce & Son, Waroona and the section's 260c/kg top liveweight price for 10 Charolais cross steers averaging 278kg offered by BF & RA Scott, Donnybrook, costing $722.

Elders, Nannup agent Terry Tarbotton collected five pens of Charolais and Charolais-cross steers (320-350kg) for a grazier client paying to 246c/kg and $857 for seven averaging 349kg from the Donnybrook paddocks of Saunders Beach Pty Ltd.

Rodney Galati, Brunswick, representing an export order, finished with seven pens of mediumweight and lighter steers from this section operating from 220-230c/kg.

Elders strong run of Charolais and Charolais-cross heifers saw values top the overall sale at $806, with honours going to eight heifers weighing 395kg from Oakview Farm, Dardanup, after a 204c/kg bid from Mr Waddingham on behalf of a local grass finisher.

Mr Waddingham also paid the next highest value of $727 at 192c/kg for nine Charolais heifers weighing 379kg from Altham Pastoral, Vasse.

Greg Jones operating for a grazier order collected four pens of heifers during this section and paid to $724 at 192c/kg for nine Charolais heifers weighing 377kg from the Bruce family draft.

Mr Galati was prominent, with 15 pens mainly for export and a few for his own account, paying to $681 and 190c/kg for 11 Charolais-cross heifers weighing 358kg from the Minson's draft - which were also the 'Silver Calf' competition's second place pen in the Elders section.

Alex Roberts, Elders, Boyanup, bid the section's 208c/kg top liveweight price for nine Charolais heifers averaging 315kg from the Bruce family draft to cost $655 which were one one of three pens for a grazier order.

The selling reigns were handed over to the Nutrien Livestock team for its yarding of 770 weaners, which was dominated by steers - making up 85 per cent of the total.

Pinjarrah Park, Pty Ltd, Pinjarra, opened Nutrien Livestock's run of Charolais and Charolais-cross steers with a quality draft of 44 steers weighing from 337-421kg in four pens, with one pen judged the section's second place in the 'Silver Calf' competition.

Kalgrains snared three of the four pens of Pinjarrah Park steers paying to the section's $943 top price - bidding 224c/kg for the 11 heaviest steers.

First place was awarded to John Ronzio, Dardanup, for 12 Charolais cross steers weighing 376kg, which sold for the next highest value of $933 at 248c/kg to Jock Embry, Nutrien Livestock, Margaret River/Busselton, who took over buying duties for Mr Waddingham's feeder order while he auctioned the sale.

Owen McLarty, Caris Park Grazing, Pinjarra, collected a few pens of Angus steers paying to $928 at 212c/kg for a duo of steers weighing 438kg offered by Clive Atwell & Co, Mundijong.

Gordon Atwell, Welldon Beef, Williams, was active throughout this section of the sale with several pens of steers knocked down to his account paying to $924 at 248c/kg for eight Angus steers weighing 373kg from CG & AM Wills & Son, Busselton.

P & S Barbetti & Son, Waterloo, were among the sale's largest individual vendors with an outstanding well-bred draft of 89 Angus steers.

Mr Embry paid the draft's $923 top price at 242c/kg for 10 tipping the scales at 382kg for the feeder order while he also secured another five pens of Barbetti steers for two grazier orders bidding from 260c/kg to the sale's 272c/kg top liveweight value for the 290-321kg steers.

Other higher liveweight values were 270c/kg paid by AH & SM Padman for 11 Angus steers weighing 318kg offered by MJ & GM Aldridge, Greenbushes, to cost $859, while Torridon Farm, Donnybrook, sold two pens totalling 22 Angus steers (284-290kg) also for 270c/kg, with Mr Embry snapping them up for two separate grazier orders.

Among the larger individual consignments included Sandlewood Farms, Harvey, with a draft of 72 black Limousin cross steers and Foster Glen Pastoral Company, Benjinup (via Boyup Brook) with a draft of 60 Angus steers.

The sale rounded out with a short run of heifers where the Ronzio family's Charolais cross weaners again featured in the top prices with a line of eight heifers weighing 361kg knocked down to Mr Embry for $701 at 194c/kg for the feeder order.

Mr Galati finished the sale with six pens of heifers mainly for export but paying to $685 at 168c/kg for own account for seven Angus heifers averaging 408kg from the Atwell family's draft and bidding to 208c/kg for 12 Angus heifers averaging 288kg from the Torridon Farm draft.

The Aldridge family's Angus heifers sold to strong liveweight values with a line of 10 weighing 301kg knocked down to Ben Cooper, Nutrien Livestock, Bridgetown, for a grazier client for the sale's 216c/kg top price to cost $649.

Pinjarrah Park's Charolais heifers broke 200c/kg with six averaging 317kg knocked down to Mr Jones' grazier order bid at 202c/kg to cost $640.

ELDERS auctioneer and Donnybrook representative Pearce Watling said it was another reasonable-sized yarding of almost 1300 quality weaners between agents.

"A lovely line-up of Charolais and Charolis-cross calves in the Charolais feature sale which were an absolute credit to the vendors and congratulations to everyone involved," Mr Watling said.

"Steers remained similar to where they have been in the past few weeks.

"Good Charolais-cross steers of 400kg-plus made 202-230c/kg, genuine feeder steers 330-400kg made 200c/kg for plainer types and up to 246c/kg for swish square calves.

"Steers less than 330c/kg were well-presented and stronger at 220-260c/kg with a little bit more grazier interest.

"Good feeder heifers were 10-20c/kg stronger on the back of a live export order and some grass fatteners and feeders that came into this market.

"Heifers were mainly in the 330-400kg range; good Charolais crosses made 160-204c/kg and up to 208c/kg for well-made paddock heifers."