With New Year celebrations over, Herefords finished 2016 on a high with whiteface steers hitting 502c/kg and F1 vealer mothers topping at $2950 in the nation’s store markets during December.
F1 vealer mothers were a sought after item during the month with joined Hereford-Friesian cross heifers, 2.5 to three years, sold by Warrnambool stock agent Dan Carey at Warrnambool for a top of $2400 and average of $2147.
At the same sale, Mindarra Park, Mokoan, Vic, sold Hereford-Friesian cross calved heifers for $2500-$2700.
At Western Australia’s Boyanup Supreme Springing Heifer Sale, Hereford-Friesian cross heifers sold for $2900-$2950 to average $2919, while purebred steers topped the Manjimup cattle sale at $1818.
Herefords opened the Ballarat sale to top at $1845 for 593kg steers offered by A & F Liston, Carranballac, while P & K Property sold Poll Hereford steers, 560kg, for $1825.
At the Dubbo store sale in NSW, Tony and Anne Bishop sold a draft of 80 Poll Hereford steers, 22 months, to top the steer pens at $1300, average $1200 and return up to 360c/kg.
Black Baldy steers hit 502c/kg during December at CTLX Carcoar, while Hereford steer weaners, under 200kg, sold to 426c/kg and heavier steers, 200-280kg, returned 408c/kg.
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.
Mr Costello said the sale site received more than 2000 hits from the Herefords Australia Facebook page referral.
A highlight of the month in the on-line sales was the dispersal of Geoff and Di Notman’s Mt Widderin commercial herd at Skipton.
The European Union-accredited herd, ranging from 2009-drop cows to 2016-drop weaned heifers, realised $1440-$1450 for the weaner heifers, eight to nine months, 368kg.
PTIC heifers, 20 to 21 months, sold to a top of $2340 while PTIC first calf heifers to $2600.
Joined cows, four years and over, sold from $2160 to a top of $2460.
At Powranna in Tasmania, the final store sale for the year resulted in prices never before seen at the selling centre.
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.
In Queensland results, backgrounder steers, 9-16 months, 292kg, from Hannaford, returned 349c/kg or $1020 on AuctionsPlus.
Feeder heifers,15-20 months, 372kg, from St George, made $1165 and unjoined cows, 5-10 years, with calves sold for $1825.
In other Black Baldy results, CIA Mann Family Trust, Derrinallum, sold steers, 409kg, for $1380 or 337c/kg at Ballarat. McClelland Ag sold steers at the same sale, 418kg, for $1420 and heifers, 394kg, for $1380 or 350c/kg.
Among the Hereford-cross pens, Hereford-Shorthorn steers (unweighed) sold for $1330 at Casterton, and Hereford-Simmental heifers made $1210.
A draft of cast-for-age Charolais-Hereford cows with calves from Windaroo Pastoral Company, Denman, topped the Dubbo store sale at $1980.
The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator finished the month on 634.5c/kg – down from 642.75c/kg.
Meat and Livestock Australia reports short fed (100-120 days on feed) EU steers, weighing 380-500kg, averaging 360 c/kg – down from 362c/kg last month.
In the domestic paddock sales, steers (280-350kg) averaged 349c/kg and heifers (same weight) averaged 329c/kg (unchanged on November).
NSW over-the-hooks rates for MSA yearling steers stood at 564c/kg for 280-300kg carcass weight.
The first Hereford consignments for 2017 will be offered on Friday, January 6 at the Naracoorte Combined Agents Weaner Sale, and the Colac steer weaner sale on Monday, January 9.
This will be followed by the run of Western District weaner sales starting at Casterton on Tuesday, January 10 and Wodonga on January 12-13.
Around 1100 Hereford and Hereford-cross mixed sex weaners will be offered at the Upper Goulburn Rivers Classic annual weaner sale on January 11 at Yea.
