Busy store sale in Leongatha
Strong buying competition
EXCELLENT recent Store Sale prices encouraged vendors to offer their cattle on Thursday in Leongatha, with about 3,800 head available, Welshpool father and son David and Mark Jackman among those who decided the time is right to sell.
“That’s why they’re here,” David said of the Jackman cattle when asked about the current high prices.
A pen of 24 of the Jackman Angus steers, weighing 302 kilos, were sold by Simon Henderson of Phelan & Henderson & Co for $1,770 a head, achieving $5.86 per kilo, while 20 older steer calves weighed at 372 kilos fetched $5.77 a kilo at $2,150 each.
Good bulls is a key to the Jackman breeding philosophy, with Leawood and Pathfinder bulls used to produce the animals they sold on Thursday.
David outlined the advantages of the approach in terms of safety around the bulls due to their gentle disposition, ease of breeding and weight gain.
He explained that while the calves are born a little smaller than those from other bulls he has tried in the past, that proves beneficial, believing he hasn’t had to pull a calf for about eight years.
Smaller birth size is quickly cancelled out by rapid weight gain.
David came to cattle breeding after finishing a deskbound job in Melbourne and has had Mr Henderson as his agent for about 15 years since making that transformation.
Jake Anthony of Phelan & Henderson & Co said 42 of the Jackman Angus heifers averaged 311 kilos and $1,574 a head at $5.06 a kilo.
Sentinel-Times also saw Mr Henderson knock down a pen of 15 Angus steers with Harris blood, from Cindy Brown of Koonwarra, for $2,830 a head, averaged at 512 kilos and returning $5.52 per kilo.
Everitt Seeley & Bennetts sold some Angus Santa Gertrudis cross cattle bred by noted Santa Gertrudis stud Yulgilbar Station on the Clarence River, inland from Grafton in Northern New South Wales.
Those cattle were sent to sister property Bulldog Run in Merricks North on the Mornington Peninsula for 12 months.
A pen of 21 of those steers, weighed at 494 kilos, were sold by Jarrod Bennetts for $2,700 a head, $5.46 per kilo.
The Santa Gertrudis Breeders Association of Australia notes that the cattle thrive in Australia’s toughest conditions, excelling in crossbreeding, weight-for-age growth, food conversion efficiency, and daily weight gain.
While Santa Gertrudis originated in America, the breed is long established in Australia, having been imported by an Australian syndicate in 1952.
SEJ’s Jimmy Kyle kicked off Thursday’s sale, describing the lineup of cattle as “fantastic throughout”, opening proceedings by selling 10 steers from Arbee Pty Ltd in Dumbalk, those animals weighed at 614 kilos and making $5.37 a kilo at $3,300 a head.
A pen of similarly weighted Angus steers from Pirma Investments in Buffalo, averaged at 611 kilos, hit $5.40 a kilo at $3,300 each, with Mr Kyle achieving over $5.50 a kilo on a number of cattle weighing 500 odd kilos from various vendors.
That included a pen of 10 Angus steers from T. Barr-Smith in Flinders that averaged 520 kilos and went to AFA for $2,920 a head at $5.61 per kilo.
Mr Bennetts was seen selling a number of pens of steers in the bracket ranging from approximately 440 kilos to 460 kilos for over $5.80 a kilo, including 21 Angus cattle from Glenacres Nominees in Poowong that were weighed at 443 kilos and sold for $2,610 each to Charlton Feedlot at $5.89 a kilo.
Mr Anthony of Phelan & Henderson & Co said heifer prices were firm on two weeks ago, with weaner heifers making anything from $5 to $5.30 a kilo, averaging about $5.20 a kilo.
He highlighted a pen of 20 Angus heifers from Lofrex Pty Ltd in Ryanston that achieved $5.25 a kilo, weighed at 352 kilos and selling for $1,850 each.
