Prices for all categories of Hereford cattle rebounded nationally in August as nerves around foot and mouth disease eased in the store and prime markets.
For purebred steers, heavy grass finished cattle made $2045-$3490 or 405-573c/kg, while yearling steers sold for $1770-$2600 or 480-593c/kg. Weaners over 300kg made $1920-$2400 or 547-650c/kg and the lighter weights under 300kg achieved $1258-$1950 or 616-780c/kg.
Backgrounding steers finished at $1520-$1660 or 596-656c/kg.
Unjoined grown heifers made $2303-$2435 or 488-532c/kg, PTIC heifers $1450-$2200, PTIC heifers with calves sold for $3040-$3080 and unjoined heifers with calves $2900-$3200.
Weaner heifers made $1062-$1699 or 444-669c/kg, yearling heifers $1287-$1950 or 408-587c/kg and backgrounding heifers settled at $1570 or 552c/kg.
Joined Hereford cows made $1800-$2125, unjoined cows with calves made $2900, joined cows with calves $2300-$3500 and dry cows $1820-$2960.
Heavy Hereford steers reached a stellar height during the month at Bairnsdale when David Brownlow, The Camp Pastoral, Bairnsdale, sold a line of two-and-a-half-year-old steers weighing 761kg for $3490 or 458c/kg to commission buyer Campbell Ross at the Bairnsdale store sale.
Also taking advantage of the Bairnsdale market for heavy grass-fed cattle was Geoff Johnston, Walpa, with 669kg steers, Centennial and Ardno blood, returning $3180 or 475c/kg. Kent Park, Mount Taylor, sold purebred steers, 340kg, for $2140 or 629c/kg, lighter steers weighing 329kg for $2140 or 650c/kg, the thirds at 318kg for $1920 or 603c/kg and the fourths at 295kg for $1950 or 661c/kg.
At the Wangaratta August store sale, A and F Ashworth sold two-year-old Hereford heifers, PTIC to a Raglan bull for a spring calving, for $1450 and cows, eight to 12 years, 475kg, for $1820. Hereford steers, 368kg and 12-13 months, returned $1770 for Dalander Pty Ltd.
L and L Attree, Corryong, sold PTIC heifers, 504kg, Wirruna blood and 24-26 months, for $2200 or 435c/kg in online sales.
At the Mortlake store sale on August 18, R and L Murrell sold grown Hereford steers, 466kg, 18 months, and Ennerdale blood, for 534c/kg or $2488, and the seconds weighing 418kg and 16 months, for 542c/kg for $2265. The thirds weighing 423kg returned 538c/kg or $2275.
In the same market, A Richens sold grown steers, 359kg, Injemira blood and 15 to 18 months, for 570c/kg or $2046 while Robert Sinnott, Oakvale, Yambuk, sold grown steers, 16 to 18 months, Allandale and Days blood, and 513kg for 544c/kg or $2791. Oakvale’s seconds weighed 476kg and returned 520c/kg or $2475.
B and G Hand sold weaner steers, 203kg and seven to eight months, for 780c/kg or $1583 while AJ Rundell sold yearling steers, EU accredited, 15 months, and 321kg, for 565c/kg or $1814. In the lightweight weaners at Mortlake, Rosland Property Pty Ltd sold steers, 238kg and eight to nine months, for 682c/kg or $1623 and a pen weighing 207kg for 742c/kg or $1536.
The grown heifers returned a top of 532c/kg or $2303 for McRae Trading Trust and a pen weighing 433kg, 24-26 months, Karundah blood. Their first pen weighed 499kg and made 488c/kg or $2435. Among the younger females, heifers aged 10 to 11 months, Bowmont and Eulong blood, and 298kg, returned 570c/kg or $1699 for P and J McIntyre.
Nola Hodge, Coongulla, Gippsland, sold weaned steers, 239kg, nine to 11 months, for $1660 or 694c/kg while at Leongatha store sale Abrahamson sold steers, 478kg, for $2740 or 573c/kg, Homebush Livestock sold steers, 525kg, for $2800 or 533c/kg and J and K Macauley sold a pen of Hereford steers, 291kg, for $1860 or 639c/kg at Leongatha.
At the Gordon Sinclair Memorial Spring Store Sale at Wangaratta, yearling steers aged 15 to 16 months, Wirruna and Eadsville blood, and weighing 405kg, returned $2360 or 583c/kg for vendors J and C McKenzie and Nixon Partners sold steers, 15 to 16 months and 460kg, for $2600 or 565c/kg. G and D Comerford sold steers, 344kg and 15 to 16 months, for $2120 or 616c/kg.
Mike and Shirley Trewin, Bungil, sold a line of Yavenvale and Wirruna blood steers, 327kg, at Wodonga, for $1940 or 593c/kg and the seconds, 292kg, for $1800 or 616c/kg. Also at Wodonga, Koorong Pastoral, sold Poll Hereford steers, 378kg, for $2020 or 534c/kg.
Don Cameron, Bowna, sold Wirruna blood steers weighing 246kg for $1420 at Wodonga, and Robert, Scott and Marcus Reid, Chudleigh, Howlong, sold their annual draft of Sugarloaf blood Hereford steers aged 12 to 14 months to a top of $2500 for a pen weighing 460kg.
In NSW, Jasgal, Mullengandra, sold weaned steers, 183kg and six to seven months, for $1395 or 762c/kg while the heifer portion, 180kg and same age, made $1205 or 669c/kg.
Greenhide Pastoral Co, Trangie, sold station mated cows, 512kg and 2.5-4.5 years, with calves for $3150 while L and S Merriman sold Hereford steers, 354kg, for 490c/kg or $1736 through Nutrien Livestock at the South Eastern Livestock Exchange, Yass. Also selling at Yass was A and R Webb with 505kg steers, making $2045 or 405c/kg.
Background steers, 252kg and nine to 11 months, returned $1660 or 656c/kg for J and L Chaffy, Tamworth. In the Forbes store market, S and E Baxter, Boonella Pastoral Company, Condobolin, sold Hereford cows, 456kg, with their first calves for $2900.
Hindmarsh Enterprises, Adelong, sold future breeders, 261kg and eight to nine months, for $1530 at the Elders Tumut and Adelong AuctionsPlus Feature Sale. The vendor also sold backgrounder steers, 254kg and eight to nine months, for $1520 or 596c/kg.
In the same market, Mundongo Pastoral, Tumut, sold weaned heifers, 267kg and 10 to 11 months, for $1320 or 493c/kg, G and R Shipp, Tumut, sold steers, 315kg and 12 to 13 months, for $1880 or 595c/kg, D and L Piper, Gundagai, sold weaned heifers, 298kg and 11 to 12 months, for $1350 or 452c/kg.
Wirruna blood yearling heifers weighing 332kg and aged 12 to 13 months returned $1950 or 587c/kg for Chaston Pastoral Company, Gerogery, while PM Properties Pty Ltd, Goulburn, sold Mawarra blood unjoined heifers, 478kg and 2.8-3.8 years, and their Angus cross calves for $3200.
Corella Pastoral, Coolah, sold Dalkeith blood weaned heifers, 271kg and 11 to 12 months, for $1580 or 581c/kg while K and Y Williams, Cowra, sold non station mated cows, three to eight years and 534kg, for $2960. The Wilson family Pastoral, Gurrundah, sold PTIC cows, five to six years and 556kg, for $2125 and their PTIC cows, six to seven years, with calves, returned $3500.
At the Forbes store sale on August 26, S and E Baxter, Boonella Pastoral, sold Hereford cows, three years, 456kg, with calves for $2900 while P and S Wright sold heifers, 13 to 15 months and 355kg, for $1440 and lighter heifers, 295kg, for $1220.
North to Queensland and L and S Curtis, St George, sold PTIC heifers, 454kg and 24-27 months, with calves for $3040, and heifers, 443kg and 24 months, with Speckle Park cross calves and rejoined to an Angus bull for $3080.
At the Roma store sale, Yvonne Johnson, Innesvale, Gunnewin, sold Hereford steers to 618c/kg reaching a top of $1940 to average $1757. The Hereford heifers sold to 574c/kg reaching a top of $1582 to average $1492.
J and J Abbott, Tara, sold cows, 460kg, joined to a Devon Court bull and four to seven years, for $1860 while Sunwood Pastoral, Chinchilla, sold station mated cows, 552kg and seven to eight years, for $1800. Terry Pitt, Blenheim, sold Hereford steers for $1430 at the Stariha Auctions Laidley sale.
The Proud family, Surat, sold backgrounder heifers, EU accredited, organic, 284kg and nine to 11 months, for $1570 or 552c/kg.
At South Australian markets, L Leake, Mount McIntyre, sold steer weaners, nine to 10 months and 242kg, for $1510 or 624c/kg to Green Triangle Livestock at Mt Gambier.
Topping the Strathalbyn market was a pen of July/August 2021 drop steers weighing 439kg from Shoal Point, Kimba, making $2400 or 547c/kg. R Carmichael, Weetulta, offered March/April 2021 drop steers for $2290 or 557c/kg.
Across to Western Australia and Quaindering, Williams, sold 315kg heifers for 408c/kg or $1287 at the Muchea store sale and Alec Ferguson, Beverley, sold steers, 233kg for 540c/kg or $1258 in the same market.
At Boyanup store sale, Hereford steers weighing 571kg were sold by K and L Warburton, Brunswick, to Roy Gibbings, Elders Capel, for $1943. Also at Boyanup, Hereford cross heifers weighing 654kg, trucked in by K and E Roberts & Sons, Elgin, topped the yarding at $2303 or 352c/kg going to Ken Tuckey buying for Kookabrook Livestock Trust.
The Boyanup sale ended with pens of mated Poll Hereford cows with calves ranging from first calvers to mature cows which had been running with Poll Hereford bulls and offered by the Moltoni family, Greenland Poll Hereford stud, Pemberton. These were purchased by Cameron Harris, Elders Manjimup, for $2300.
At Muchea Livestock Centre, I and J Elliott, Eneabba, sold a run of Hereford heifers, 278kg, for $1234 or 444c/kg, heifers weighing 261kg for $1239 or 474c/kg, a pen at 247kg for 450c/kg or $1112 and the lighter weights at 236kg for 450c/kg or $1062.
In Tasmania, R and M Spillane, Beulah, sold yearling heifers, 384kg and 12-13 months, for $1820 or 473c/kg, and yearling steers, 308kg and 12-13 months, for $1610 or 522c/kg. Their top pen of steers at 414kg and 12-13 months made $2090 or 504c/kg. N Spillane, Beulah, sold yearling steers, 312kg and 12 months, for $1640 or 525c/kg.
The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator recovered to 1041.6c/kg after bottoming out in July at 887.7c/kg.
Meat and Livestock Australia reports indicator prices at August 30 for vealer steers at 589.8c/kg – up from 493.c/kg in July, restocker yearling steer at 644.6c/kg up from 524.9c/kg, feeder steers at 504c/kg up from 456.2c/kg and processor yearling steers at 550.4c/kg, up from 481.1c/kg.
Medium steers rose to 455.1c/kg from 398.3c/kg in July, heavy steers recovered to 466c/kg from 402.9c/kg and medium cows rose to 334.5c/kg at 270c/kg.