With few sales left before Christmas, buyers competed strongly on whiteface cattle last week to push Hereford steer weaners to 467c/kg and Black Baldy steers to 458c/kg.
At Wodonga, the annual draft of 400 Hereford and Poll Hereford steers from Michael and Anna Coughlan, Tarabah Pastoral Company, Holbrook, drew strong competition.
Their top pen of 16 steers, Wirruna blood, 9-10 months, and weighing 352kg, sold for $1340 or 380c/kg.
Another line of 68 head, weighing 218kg, made $1020 or 467c/kg.
At the same sale, the Webb family, Adelong, NSW, sold 30 Hereford heifers, 303kg, for $1030
Lot feeders, and Gippsland grass finishers competed on the yarding at Sale in Victoria.
F & K Crossfield, Sale, sent in two-year-old Hereford steers, 525kg, to return $1770 or 337c/kg, with the seconds, 485kg, making $1630 or 336c/kg.
In the heifer pens, R & E Newnham, Longford, sold eight-month-old Hereford-Shorthorn cross females, 339kg, to a top of $1215 and an average of $1230.
The Euroa feature steer weaner sale was held in conjunction with AuctionsPlus on December 7 and resulted in Black Baldies selling for 349-403c/kg, Herefords 349-415c/kg and Charolais-Poll Hereford steers 366-386c/kg or $1240-$1360.
The top pen of Herefords was account of J Adie, weighed 277kg, and returned $1150 or 415c/kg.
Heavier steers account of R McGeehan weighed 389kg and made $1360.
The top pen of Black Baldy steers at $1400 weighed 401kg and were offered by R McGeehan.
At the Bairnsdale store sale on Friday, Reed & Manning, Delegate, Vic sold Hereford cows and calves, rejoined to a Hereford bull, for $1780, while G Williamson, Rosedale, sold 16-month-old Hereford steers for $1440.
T Morrison, Bairnsdale, sold purebred steers, 385kg, for $1360 or 353c/kg, while Laurie Woodward, Wy Yung, bought Hereford and Black Baldy steers for $1160 at the Bairnsdale sale.
At Corryong in the Upper Murray, the special store sale resulted in Norm and Sharon Nankervis, Colac Colac, selling a draft of 100 seven to eight month old steers, Rotherfield and Sugarloaf blood.
Justin Costello, Costello Rural, said steer finishers from the Upper Murray, Wangaratta and Wodonga paid to $1280 or 400c/kg for the Nankervis steers weighing 320kg, and $1245 for the lighter calves at 286kg or 435c/kg.
Jack Carmody, Nariel, sold Caromdale blood steers, 15 months, 366kg, at Corryong for $1250-$1330.
Mr Costello said the sale site received more than 2000 hits from the Herefords Australia Facebook page referral.
Hereford steer vealers sold for 322c/kg at the 25th annual IRA Elite Vealer and Weaner sale in WA on December 5.
The steers, 7-8 months, weighed 169kg and returned $1050. Heifer vealers, weighing 318kg, sold for $955 or 300c/kg. Hereford-Friesian chopper cows, 667kg, returned 400c/kg dressed weight or $1308.
At Powranna, in Tasmania, the final store sale for the year on December 8 resulted in prices never before seen at the selling centre.
Heavy and medium weight steers over 330kg made from $1350 to $1550 and averaged 370 to 405c/kg.
Hereford steers, under 330kg, topped at 453c/kg or $1200 while Black Baldies sold to 458c/kg or $1290. Black Baldy yearling heifers, under 330kg, sold to 407c/kg and those over 400kg, to 346c/kg.
At the Naracoorte weaner sale on December 9, Hereford cross heifers, European Union accredited, 287kg, from Mageppa Pastoral Company, sold for 380c/kg, and Black Baldies, 302kg, from S & R Digiordio & Sons made 372c/kg.
Station mated Hereford cows and calves were in demand during the week, with four year-old cows from Violet Town, Vic, topping at $2430 on AuctionsPlus.
Station mated Black Baldy cows, four to six years, with calves, from Coolah, NSW, sold for $2360.
Red Angus/Hereford feeder steers, 15-16 months, 366kg, from Yea, Vic, returned 357c/kg or $1310 on AuctionsPlus, and Black Baldy feeder steers, 378kg, made 353c/kg or $1355.
Also in the crossbred pens, Simmental/Hereford steer weaners, 294kg, from Kingston, SA, made $1180 or 401c/kg, and the heifer portion, 273kg, sold for 391c/kg.
At Dubbo, a consignment of 200 Santa Gertrudis and Santa/Hereford cross heifers, eight to 14 months, sold in the prime market on Thursday.
Martin Simmons, Elders Dubbo Livsetock manager, said the cattle weighed an average of 360kg, made 301c/kg to return an average of $1078.
Hereford steer weaners sold to a top of 435c/kg at the Corryong special store sale on Friday. Image Costello Rural, Corryong.
