July Market Wrap: Demand continues for Hereford females and heavy steers

Key points:

• Steers surpass $2000/head at Wodonga
• Strong demand for premium Hereford breeding stock across key selling centres
• Herefords dominate Alice Springs Feeder, Steer and Heifer Show Sale

The cream came off the Autumn markets across the nation in July as cold, wet weather set in and the industry faced a market correction for both store and prime values.

The National Livestock Reporting Service’s processor yearling steer indicator hit a peak of 596.06c/kg in mid-June but four weeks later had fallen to 500.32c/kg, equivalent with a year ago.

In the Hereford pens, weaner steers sold nationally from $1214/head to $2010/head or 523-681c/kg, feeder steers made $1775/head to $2580/head or 460-553c/kg and grown steers reached $2760 to $3020 or 449-478c/kg.

Heifer weaners made $1320/head to $1860/head or 509-626c/kg, yearling unjoined heifers hit $2110/head to $2900/head, and PTIC heifers were secured for $2375/head to $3000/head.

PTIC Hereford cows sold for $2420/head to $2700/head, cows and calves made $3000/unit to $3680/unit and first-calf heifers and calves made to $3580/unit.

Strong demand at Wodonga

Rowan Wallace topped the Hereford offering at Wodonga with 346kg steers making $2010/head while J and G MacDougall sold Hereford cows with black baldy calves, four months, for $3000/unit.

Also at Wodonga, G J Hore, Wymah, sold Kanimbla and Rotherfield blood steers, 321kg for $1680/head and B Pritchard, Tallangatta Valley, made $1320/head on Rosstulla blood heifers, 259kg.

Maranoa Pastoral Company, Tallangatta, sold a line of 44 PTIC Hereford cows, 578kg and three to four years, for $2700/head while PTIC cows, 522kg, three to four years, returned $2420/head for Jasmel Nominees, Tarwin Lower.

Unjoined yearling Hereford heifers, 340kg and 12-15 months, returned $2900/head or 557c/kg for M Cottam, Benalla, when sold online while weaned Poll Hereford steers, 272kg and 10 months, made $1820/head or 668c/kg for R and D Aumann, Benalla.

M & J Nominees, Tynong North, sold 287kg steers, nine to 10 months, for $1960/head or 681c/kg and Malabar Farm, Tarwin Lower, sold future breeders, 242kg and nine to 10 months, for $1420/head or 586c/kg.

Strong results at Gippsland sales

At Yea, John Hortin sold Hereford steers weighing 466kg for $2580/head or 553c/kg and Rostella Pastoral sold steers 484kg for $2560/head or 529c/kg. At Leogatha S and T Holch sold Hereford steers, 582kg, for $2900/head or 498c/kg.

At Bairnsdale, Paul Whelan sold second calving Hereford cows with four-month-old calves for $3100/unit while at Western Victoria Livestock Exchange (WVLX), Mortlake, on July 21 grown Hereford steers, 527kg, were sold by the Ryan family, Warrnambool, for 484c/kg or $2554/head.

D and A Clifford sold weaner steers, 12-14 months and 354kg for 558c/kg or $1975/head. I and P McNaughton sold a run of steers, 13-14 months, Ennerdale blood which weighed 392kg and sold for 524c/kg or $2054/head and South Boorook sold EU accredited weaner steers, nine to 10 months and 302kg for 586c/kg or $1770/head. Grown heifers offered by P and D Pastoral returned 520c/kg or $2142 for a pen, 14-15 months and 412kg.

C and J Kilgore had a feature pen at the Victorian Livestock Exchange with 672kg purebred steers making $3020 or 449c/kg, and Julie K Livestock selling 615kg steers for $2940 or 478c/kg plus 582kg steers for $2760 or 474c/kg.

Buyers vie for breeding stock in NSW

Heading north into NSW, Idiens Partnership, Gooloogong sold at Forbes several pens of Hereford cows PTIC to Grathlyn Poll Hereford bulls and due to calve from October 1. Their heaviest cows tipped the scale at 703kg and sold for $2660/head.

B James Pastoral Company, Barratta, sold a draft of 81 station mated Hereford cows, 510kg and 2.5 to 4.5 years, and calves for $3680/unit online. M and M Brennan, Dubbo, sold 72 PTIC heifers, 480kg, 22-23 months, for $3000/head and Roundmount Poll Herefords, Ilford, sold PTIC cows, 611kg, five to six years, for $2500/head.

Bahreena Poll Herefords, Tingha, sold feeder steers, 377kg and 12 to 14 months, for $1775/head or 470c/kg while John Hurley, Vena Park, Wallabadah, topped the Tamworth market with weaner steers at $1960/head.

Europambela Grazing Co, Walcha, sold a line of weaned heifers, 249kg and 10-11 months, for $1360/head or 544c/kg and W Davies, Brooklana, sold a run of 29 weaned steers, 198kg, for $1214/head or 611ckg.

Cawkers Well Station, Wilcannia, sold weaned steers, 307kg and eight to 10 months, for $1700/head or 552c/kg online while KE Gunning, Bathurst, sold steers, 272kg and eight to 10 months, for $1525/head or 559c/kg and the heifer portion, 274kg, for $1545/head or 562c/kg.

Crowther Partnership, Young, sold yearling steers, 348kg and 12 to 13 months, for $1725/head or 495c/kg and Eriwah Pty Ltd, Carrathool, sold weaned heifers, nine to 11 months and 291kg, for $1350/head or 462c/kg.

The Blight family, Gum Creek Station, Darlington Point, sold a draft of weaned steers, nine to 11 months, with the tops weighing 377kg and making $1910/head or 506c/kg.

Woomargama Station, Woomargama, sold a draft of Injemira blood weaned steers, 10-11 months and 235-317kg, EU- accredited and PCAS eligible, for $1360/head to $1765/head or 556-620c/kg.  Kooroong Pastoral, Holbrook, sold unjoined heifers, 22-24 months and 470kg, with calves for $3100/head.

Ben Ledi Pastoral, Isabella, NSW, sold first calf heifers, 460kg and 26-28 months, originally purchased out of the Omeo calf sales, with calves and rejoined to Stanford bulls for $3580/unit.

Wermatong Pty Ltd, Tooma, returned $2375/head for Karoonda blood heifers, 417kg, and 23-24 months, and PTIC to Karoonda sires, and $2575/head for PTIC cows, three to four years ad 548kg.

Lotfeeders drives demand in Queensland

North to Queensland where Hereford feeder steers, 535kg, sold to 460c/kg or $2465/head at Murgon and C and C Burcher, Goondiwindi, sold weaned steers, 333kg and nine to 11 months, for $1550/head or 464c/kg.

Down to Flinders Island and the Bowman family sold weaned heifers, 295kg and 10-11 months, for $1860/head or 626c/kg.

In Tasmania, Tullochgorum Estate, Fingal, sold unjoined heifers, 486kg and 21-22 months, for $2110/head.

Hot demand for yearling steers in South Australia and WA

Across to South Australia, Bendulla Pty Ltd, Mundulla, sold yearling steers to average $1957/head and topped at $2010/head at Naracoorte, rising two-year-old PCAS Hereford steers, 543kg, made $2460/head or 453c/kg for P and B Burchard, Tantanoola, at Mt Gambier.

Tarcoola, Casterton, sold Hereford steers weighing 264-384kg for an average of $1727/head, with the lightest at 264kg selling to Nutrien for $1670/head or 633c/kg at Mt Gambier. In Western Australia, W, J & T Harlow sold Hereford steers, 423kg, at Muchea for 436c/kg or $1844 while G & D Liddiard sold Poll Hereford steers, 246kg, 10 months, at Boyanup for 626c/kg and heifers, 245kg, 10 months, for 522c/kg.

Herefords dominate in the Northern Territory

In the Red Centre, Herefords dominated the Alice Springs Show Feeder, Steer and Heifer Sale on June 30 at the Bohning sale yards – the first sale since 2019 due to Covid.

Before the sale, there was a minute’s silence as a tribute to the late Jimmy Hayes, Undoolya Station.

A total of 4142 EU, organic and conventional cattle were yarded by selling agents Elders, ProStock Central, Grant, Daniel & Long, Red Centre Rural and Eagleson & Co from as far north as Katherine and down to the South Australian border.

The sale started off strongly with 54 milk-tooth EU, USDA and organic Hereford steers weighing 441kg, 16-18 months, topping at 570c/kg or $2514/head for vendor Undoolya Station, followed by the seconds, weighing 384kg steers making 585c/kg.

Winning the best pen of steers, Ben and Nicole Hayes, Undoolya Station, topped at 585c/kg and averaged 571kg for their run of 239 steers.

Mount Skinner, Alice Springs, sold certified organic Injemira blood Poll Hereford steers, 376kg, for 535c/kg and the seconds, 315kg, for 535c/kg.

Palmer Valley sold black baldy steer weaners to 630c/kg, Brad Seymour, Haast Bluff, offered 160 milk and two tooth black baldy weaners to 575c/kg and Lucy Creek Station sold Angus/Santa/Hereford cross steers to 540c/kg.

Generally, feeder weight steers ranged from 500 to 560c/kg while steers from 200-300kg made 540-580c/kg and up to 615c/kg.

Overall, the 4142 head across all breeds and weights averaged 306kg and 513c/kg.

The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator softened quickly to finish the month on 887.7c/kg.

Meat and Livestock Australia reports indicator prices at July 29. for vealer steers at 493.c/kg, restocker yearling steer at 524.9c/kg, feeder steers at 456.2c/kg and processor yearling steers at 481.1c/kg.

Medium steers are at 398.3c/kg, heavy steers at 402.9c/kg and medium cows at 270c/kg.