In a busy week for spring store sales across southern Australia last week, steer finishers paid to 561c/kg for Hereford weaner steers and $2525 for breeders.
Herefords were also in demand at the Myrtleford annual spring cattle sale, topping the cow and calf, steer and heifer categories.
In Victoria’s south-west at Hamilton, purebred heavy steers topped at $1825 and heifers at $1498.
Selling agents yarded 1251 head at the Bairnsdale store sale on Friday, down 280 on a fortnight ago, with lotfeeders, restockers and steer finishers competing strongly.
Yearling Hereford steers, 330kg and under, topped the sale on a cents per kilogram basis at 561c/kg to return $1300.
Among the steer finishers was Laurie Woodward, Wy Yung, paying $1235 for eight to nine month old Hereford steers to fatten to bullock weights from vendor G & G Allan, Cann River.
Meat and Livestock Australia’s National Livestock Reporting Service quoted Hereford weaner steers, under 200kg, selling to a top of 500c/kg or $1000.
In the weaner heifers, purebred pens sold to 452c/kg or $995, and yearling heifers, under 330kg, sold to 467c/kg or a top of $1050.
In the heavier heifers (330-400kg), Black Baldies sold to 314c/kg or $1240 and purebred females to $1210.
Among the heavier steers, 330-400kg, Black Baldies made 371c/kg and Herefords 391c/kg or $1445.
Black Baldy steers, weighing 400kg plus, sold to 340c/kg or $1700 and the purebreds to 393c/kg or $1700.
Hereford cows with calves, under two months, topped this category on $2000 and Herefords also topped the market overall for cows with calves, two to four months, on $2125.
The latter were Hereford heifers with Shorthorn-Hereford cross calves offered by Jim Pendergast, Penderscourt, Benambra.
Eddie Hams, Landmark Leongatha, bought most of the Penderscourt draft for restocker Geoff Wallis, Inverloch.
Hereford feeder heifers made to a top of 329c/kg to return $1170.
Dan Ivone, Paull and Scollard, Myrtleford, quoted the Myrtleford annual spring sale on October 28 as strong for Hereford cattle with support from the North East valley steer finishers and restockers.
The sale had been moved to Wangaratta due to recent floods.
The herd dispersal of Old Kentucky, Londrigan, of 49 Poll Hereford cows with Injemira blood March drop calves and PTIC, topped the yarding at $2525, and were bought by Timberlane Pastoral, Tallangatta. The seconds sold for $2400.
IBP, Havilah, sold unjoined Hereford heifers with Angus calves, two to four weeks, for $2025 to Rodwells, Yea, and the seconds at $2070.
J & P Mathieson, Whorouly South, sold a run heavy Hereford steers, 473kg, to top the market at $1610.
Their second pen of 20 steers, 417kg, made $1480, and bought by Cameron Hilton, for feedlot entry, and the thirds, weighing 366kg, fetched $1300 or 355c/kg.
Matt and Lisa Beach, Whorouly South, sold Hereford steers, 317kg, for $1240 or 391c/kg, and Coolangubra, Buckland Valley, sold purebred steers, 314kg, for $1235.
“The sale was solid with steers generally selling for 340-350c/kg for the bigger steers, while the lighter steers were up to 420c/kg and the lightweight weaners to 495c/kg,’’ Mr Ivone said.
In the heifers, J & P Mathieson, topped the sale with two-year-old Hereford heifers, 455kg, at $1400, the seconds weighed 422kg and returned $1355 to top the yearling category, and the thirds at 376kg made $1295.
In the Black Baldy heifers, G & P Harrington, sold a pen 341kg, for $1180, and originally bought out of the 2016 Omeo calf sales.
The Maguire family, Havilah, sold Black Baldy steers, 418kg, for $1460 or 349c/kg.
At the Hamilton annual feature spring cattle sale, Hereford steers topped at $1825 or 408c/kg and heifers at 412c/kg or $1498.
Brendan Fitzgerald, Tarcoola, Coleraine, sold a big run of spring 2015 drop steers, South Boorook blood, with the top pen weighing 449kg and selling for 357c/kg or $1602. The top pen of Tarcoola heifers weighed 323kg and sold for $1046.
Barry and Dianne Kinghorn, Milroy, Byaduk, sold European Union accredited steers, autumn 2015 drop, 520kg for 351c/kg or $1825, and heifers 457kg for 328c/kg or $1498.
EU accredited Hereford steers, spring 2015 drop, Yarram Park blood, offered by Paul and Caroline Malseed, Orana, Condah, averaging 387kg, sold for 368c/kg or $1424 and the heifer portion, 325kg, for $1023.
Rounding out the purebred results, Pepper Partnership, Lochredal, sold heavy steers, 452kg, for $1554 or 344c/kg and heifers, 434kg, to $1432.
Further north in NSW at the South Eastern Livestock Exchange, Yass, Mylora Pastoral Company, Binalong, sold a draft of 150 Poll Hereford heifers, Wirruna blood, six to 12 months and yard weaned, to a top of $930 to Brendan Abbey on behalf of local restockers. The steer draft of 155 head, same age, sold to a top of $1110 and averaged $994.
In prime markets at Wodonga during the week, Hereford cows continue to maintain their selvedge value with the Trethowan family, Cookardinia, selling heavy cows, 801kg, for $1924.
In the grown steers, B & S Wood, Gundowring, sold purebreds, 660kg, for $2145 or 324c/kg.
