Hereford steer weaners broke through the 500c/kg liveweight ceiling during June as the demand for whiteface cattle continued in the nation’s store markets.
During the month, Hereford heifers hit 444c/kg, steers 520c/kg and cows and calves $3050 in a market driven by widespread rain and a shortage of numbers.
A highlight of June was the Crane family’s dispersal of their six and seven-year-old Hereford cows with calves and rejoined to a top of $3050 to set a new record for the Tamworth selling centre.
Victoria rang the bell for the highest steer price when Hereford weaners under 200kg topped at 520c/kg and averaged 509c/kg at the Bairnsdale store sale.
Black Baldy heifers, under 200kg, returned a top of 550c/kg in the same market. Bullocks in the red hot Bairnsdale market sold to $1770 for vendor Jim Pendergast, Penderscourt, Benambra, and 28-month-old Herefords, with an average weight of 576kg. Jim backed up to sell first-calf Hereford heifers with Black Baldy calves for $1860.
On AuctionsPlus, a feature lines of European Union accredited spring-drop weaners were offered by Cobungra Station, Omeo, Vic, and David Parker, Milbis Pty Ltd, Carboor, Vic.
The Black Baldy steers, aged eight to nine months, averaged 187kg liveweight and were sold for 467c/kg or $875 by Cobungra Station.
Cobungra’s Injemira blood Hereford steers 187kg, fetched 459c/kg or $860.
The Cobungra weaned Hereford heifers, 179kg, 8-9 months, returned 444c/kg or $795, with all cattle snapped up by South Australian backgrounders.
At Casterton, David Jenkin, Banemore Herefords, opened the sale with EU-accredited steers, 353kg, selling to Kerr & Co Livestock, Hamilton, for $1370. At the same sale, Blink Bonnie, Lake Mundi, sold EU-accredited heifers, 437kg, for $1450.
At Wodonga, the estate of K Lovick, Merrijig, sold a line of Hereford heifers and cows, PTIC to Poll Hereford bulls, from $1340-$1540.
In South Australia, Brimberry Park sold Yambro blood steers, spring-drop, 219kg, for 457c/kg or $1000 to Spence Dix & Co.
In the same market, Yoho sold PCAS-accredited heifers, 314kg, for 350c/kg or $751 to Landmark Naracoorte and the seconds at 361c/kg.
M & C Agnew sold EU-accredited, weaned Morganvale/Spots Hill/Glentanner blood heifers, autumn-drop, 343kg, for 353c/kg to Princess Royal, while the seconds made 354c/kg.
In Western Australia, MS Farms, Wagin, sold Hereford heifers at Mt Barker store sale for 306c/kg or $1637, while I & J Mackay, Three Springs, sold grain assisted steers, 474kg, for 340c/kg or $1612.
At Muchea, W, J & T Harlow, York, sold purebred steers, 523kg, for 331c/kg or $1735.
In NSW markets, Hereford steer weaners under 200kg returned 435c/kg at Dubbo.
On AuctionsPlus, backgrounder purebred steers, 326kg, 12-16 months, sold for 366c/kg or $1195 while weaned steers, 7-9 months, 236kg, from Mitchell, Qld, returned 385c/kg or $910.
Purebred feeder steers, 466kg, from Glen Innes, NSW, sold for 334c/kg or $1560, and Hereford steers, 382kg, from Tenterfield, made 363c/kg or $1391.
Unjoined heifers, 405kg, from Red Range, NSW, fetched 325c/kg or $1320 and purebred steers, 6-9 months, 146kg, returned 410c/kg or $600.
In Black Baldy markets, backgrounder steers, 317kg, 14-20 months, from Denman, NSW, sold for 364c/kg or $1155 and unjoined cows, 5-8 years, with calves, from Cootamundra, NSW, fetched $1550.
PTIC cows, 11 years, from Young, NSW, made $1260 on AuctionsPlus.
In the Hereford-cross pens, top price honours when to Faraway at Naracoorte store sale with Pasturefed Cattle Assurance Scheme accredited weaner steers, March-April 2015 drop, 443kg, returning 355c/kg or $1575.
Wondolin Pastoral Co, Surat, Qld, sold grain fed Hereford-cross steers, 575kg, to top the Roma prime sale on 319c/kg or $1837.
Hereford-Brahman cross heifers were sold by Noel Thompson, Coraki, at the Primex Field Days, Casino, NSW, for $1660, while station mated Santa Gertrudis-Poll Hereford cross cows with calves from Bundella, NSW, made $1820.
A line of 90 Hereford-cross heifers, 255kg, were sold by Mardathuna Pastoral, Carnarvon, for a top of 294c/kg or $677 to average $611 at Muchea Livestock Centre, WA.
The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator finished the month on 659.25c/kg – up from 570c/kg last month.
Meat and Livestock Australia reports short fed (100-120 days on feed) EU steers, weighing 380-500kg, averaging 365c/kg – up from 333c/kg last month.
In the domestic paddock sales, steers (280-350kg) averaged 346c/kg and heifers (same weight) averaged 326c/kg.
NSW over-the-hooks rates for MSA yearling steers stood at 593c/kg for 280-300kg carcass weight.
