Angus steer weaners sold to $1035 at the 32nd annual Independent Rural Agents (IRA) Pemberton Elite Weaner, Vealer and Breeder sale on AuctionsPlus on Monday.
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IRA Pemberton principals Colin and Kerry Thexton and their family presented a quality catalogue of new season calves and selection of trade cattle and were joined by a number of vendors, prospective buyers and sale supporters to watch the sale live on big screens at the Pemberton Sportsground.
SALE SUMMARY (Prices onfarm)
- Beef steer weaners: 231-303c/kg LWT ($600-$1035)
- Beef heifer weaners: 220-258c/kg LWT ($630-$920)
- Mixed sex yearlings: 375.2-380.95c/kg CWT ($970-$1265)
- Trade cows/heifers: 286.2-290.3c/kg CWT ($1047-$1062)
The sale wound to a close after a couple of hours of modest online bidding with 44 lots totalling almost 1200 head selling for an average of $868 onfarm across all weights and descriptions, reflecting the current beef market and some lots unfortunately failing to meet vendor reserves.
The sale attracted 1591 catalogue views, seeing 62 buyers and 59 viewers logged in from throughout the country, culminating in 402 online bids from Western Australian lotfeeders, graziers and processor buyers.
The IRA sale is Australia's longest running online cattle sale and with the catalogue representing about 95 per cent Lawsons Angus breeding, is among the country's largest offering of commercial Lawsons Angus cattle.
Mr Thexton congratulated vendors on an outstanding catalogue of cattle which was a pleasure to assess.
"It was pleasing to see strong support from lotfeeders, graziers and fellow producers sourcing the quality genetics in the breeding heifer lines," Mr Thexton said.
"The continued support from return and new buyers is greatly appreciated.
"The sale overall was a strong result in the current market and it was great to see such widespread interest online in the sale from throughout the country."
Beef steer weaners dominated the catalogue and topped at $1035 to feeders and 303c/kg liveweight to grass fatteners while fewer heifer numbers reached a top of $920 and 258c/kg to feeders and to $905 for future breeding.
In the trade section, mixed sex yearlings topped at $1265 and 380.9c/kg carcase weight (CWT), while trade cows and heifers topped at $1062 and 290.3c/kg CWT to a local processor.
Weaner steers
Original sale vendor G & B Bendotti, Pemberton, regularly tops the market with its Angus cattle and this year was no exception.
The family's draft of 63 Angus steers headed up the sale on weight, averaging 427.2kg and the nine to 11 month old calves were snapped up by a Wheatbelt lotfeeder for $1035 and 242c/kg liveweight.
The next highest price of $990 at 240c/kg was recorded for a small line of 10 Angus steers weighing 412.6kg from the large sale draft from long-time volume vendor JCC Family Trust, Northcliffe.
These were among 11 pens of steers and heifers purchased by a volume buyer South Coast grass finisher who operated at the top of the market.
Included in the haul was 11 Angus steers averaging 406.3kg from the paddocks of R & M Humphrey, Quinninup, costing $965 and 238c/kg and it paid $950 for three further lines of Angus steers weighing 400kg plus from sale regulars PW & SM Barnsby, Northcliffe/Pemberton, BJ & KA Hulcup, Quininnup and Meerup Breeze Grazing, Northcliffe.
Another long-time sale supporter DW & MA Radomiljac, Pemberton, also received $950 at 245c/kg with the 36 Angus steers weighing 388.2kg heading to the Wheatbelt feeder account while Henderson-Glendale, Mayanup, received $930 from a South West lotfeeder for 25 Angus steers tipping the scales at 405.8kg.
Beef weaner steer liveweight values topped at 303c/kg for 48 Angus steers weighing 302kg offered by Collins Brothers Grazing, Pemberton/Lake Muir, to cost a grazier order $915.
The next highest liveweight value of 285c/kg, also going to a grazier order, was paid for a small line of four Angus-Limousin cross steers averaging 329.3kg offered by DL & MP Pratt, Northcliffe, to cost $940.
Weaner heifers
The smaller numbers of weaner heifers saw the Bendotti family claim the section's top price double with 28 Angus heifers weighing 356.2kg snapped up by a northern lotfeeder for $920 at 258c/kg.
The Hulcup's draft of 23 Angus heifers weighing 358.5kg sold for the next highest values of $905 and 252c/kg to a breeders order, while the Humphrey's heifer contingent of 23 Angus averaging 347.3kg joined the volume grass finisher account for $835 at 240c/kg.
Trade cattle
A decent run of grass-finished yearling steers and heifers were offered mainly from the Boyup Brook region with JS & EN Bagshaw topping the section with 22 mixed sex Angus yearlings weighing 602.1kg heading to a WA processor for $1265 and 380.9c/kg CWT.
The same buyer secured the next two pens of yearlings paying $1130 at 375.2c/kg CWT for 23 Angus yearling heifers weighing 540.4kg from Henderson-Glendale and $1120 at 380.7c/kg CWT for a large line of 51 Angus and Angus cross yearling steers offered by the Cumming family, Jarrahlea, Mayanup.
This processor rounded out the sale with two pens of trade cows and heifers paying to $1062 at 286.2c/kg CWT for 10 mature Angus cows weighing 723.6kg CWT and 17 Angus cows and heifers averaging 693kg from the Hulcup draft for $1047 at 290.3c/kg.
