Demand and quality variable at Leongatha Store Sale

RECENT strong prices at the Leongatha saleyards persuaded Sale farmer Barry Hollonds to sell there for the first time in years at Thursday’s Store Sale, and he was pleased with the decision.

“I usually sell over the hooks,” he said before his 11 Angus steers, weighed at 654 kilos went for $3,320 a head at $5.07 per kilo, sold by Anthony Delaney of Elders Delaney Livestock and Property, Mr Hollonds labelling the price as “very good”.

He runs up to 100 steers, usually buying them from the saleyards in Bairnsdale and Sale when they already have a bit of age, and running them on irrigated country.

“Sometimes, if I buy the right cattle I can be out of them in three months,” he said, remarking they require very little hay, grazing on good-quality pasture.

He bought the cattle he sold on Thursday in February.

Mr Hollonds is a keen reader of The Weekly Times, and Stock & Land, and hopefully now the Sentinel-Times, and keeps a close watch on the cattle market.

Sentinel-Times saw Mr Delaney sell steers from John Maclachlan P/L of Longford that were Glencoe bred with NZ and Banquet Genetics and were both Never Ever and JBS Farm Assurance accredited.

A pen of 28 of those Angus cattle that averaged 438 kilos were knocked down for $2,500 a head at $5.70 per kilo, while another pen of 20 weighed at 501 kilos went for $2,750 each at $5.48 a kilo.

Mr Delaney said of a pen of 20 P&A Fenney, Briagolong steers, “They’ll do and do and do,” before they were snapped up by commission buyer Campbell Ross for $2,250 a head, weighed at 403 kilos and achieving $5.58 per kilo.

He described a pen of 17 Angus steers from Mick Filtness of Alambee Reserve likewise, the auction sign for those cattle highlighting their quietness and Hazeldean blood, those animals ticking all the boxes and selling for $1,940 a head, equating to $5.98 per kilo at an average weight of 324 kilos.

They were bought by Neil Darby of Alex Scott and Staff Warragul.

Nutrien SGL’s Jack Ginnane picked up another pen of Filtness cattle, the eight Black Baldy steers fetching $1,830 a head, $5.94 per kilo on an average weight of 308 kilos.

Travis Sutton of Baw Baw Livestock kicked off the heifer section of the sale, with four Angus cattle from G. & J. Walker of Drouin West that were weighed at 406 kilos selling for $1,960 a head, $4.82 a kilo.

An eye-catching pen of 18 Walker Speckle Park cattle, described by Mr Sutton as “very good speckles”, achieved $1,790 a head, weighed at 379 kilos, $4.72 per kilo.

Commission buyer Anthony Hullick picked up a pen of 13 heifers on behalf of Westside Meats from CA Wade of Stratford for $1,850 a head, a return of $5.01 per kilo at an average weight of 369 kilos, that pen sold by Dane Perczyk of Alex Scott and Staff Leongatha.

Meat & Livestock Australia market reporter Brendan Fletcher said of Thursday’s sale, a yarding of approximately 2,770 head, “Quality was Wintry again with a good selection of heavy Angus Yearling steers and a more mixed offering of lightweight weaners and yearlings.

He remarked that while most local agencies were represented among the buyers, they were a little more selective this week, while a large field of feedlot buyers kept prices for suitable cattle fully firm.

“In the lightweight pens, competition was more intermittent in line with quality, and averages reflected this,” Mr Fletcher reported.

Mr Perczyk of Alex Scott and Staff also remarked that prices for heavier steers tended to be firm while lighter ones were generally cheaper.

“The heifer job was probably cheaper all around,” he said.