Hereford demand gains pace on the back of buoyant spring

Store cattle markets and demand for Herefords continued to rise around the country on the back of widespread rain and plentiful paddock feed coming out of winter.

In the steer categories, heavy grassfed yearling Herefords over 350kg returned $2000-$2810 or 520-634c/kg, purebred feeder cattle made $2140-$2550 or 540-616c/kg and purebred backgrounders, $1680-$2180 or 550-659c/kg.

Hereford weaner steers weighing 250-350kg reached $1905-$2410 or 580-734c/kg and the lighter weight steers under 250kg settled at $970-$1500, or 642-677c/kg.

Grown yearling heifers over 350kg returned $1600-$2490 or 492-628c/kg while weaner heifers under 350kg made $1190-$2120 or 548-698c/kg. Non-station mated Hereford heifers with calves were highly sought after by restockers, making $3030-$4160, while unjoined Hereford cows and calves sold for $2450-$3475.

Pregnancy tested in calf (PTIC) heifers finished at $1760-$2800, PTIC cows at $2500-$3210 and backgrounder heifers settled at $1360-$1770 or 553-641c/kg.

In September, Herefords drew the crowd and boosted prices at Bairnsdale store sale with a run of 82 purebred steers, 10 to 12 months, from Ken and Kym Skews at Ensay. The top pen weighing 323kg sold for $2310 or 715c/kg, the seconds at 306kg made $2180 or 712c/kg, thirds at 294kg sold for $2100 or 714c/kg and the last pen weighing 282kg made $2070 or 734c/kg.

Meryl Read, Melrose Herefords, Cann River, sold 404kg steers for $2480 or 613c/kg, 335kg steers for $2230 or 665c/kg, and heifers weighing 408kg for $2490. Peter and Robyn Sandy, Swifts Creek, sold Mawarra blood steers at 385kg to $2340 or 607c/kg, and 296kg heifers for $1780. Simon and Rowena Turner at Reedy Flat sold a draft of 90 steers aged 11 to 12 months, including a pen of 22 weighing 398kg that made $2470 or 620c/kg.

Heavy purebred steers to $2810 at Wodonga

At the Wodonga store sale, a line of 464kg Hereford steers from ‘Wantagong’, Holbrook, sold for $2360 and the AH Odewhan Family Trust, Walla Walla, sold 439kg steers for $2340. A line of heifers from Nixon Partners at Savernake made $1870.

At Sale, CannAg Pty Ltd, Newry, sold heavy purebred steers weighing 505kg for $2810 or 556c/kg and R and G Heywood sold 386kg steers for $2450 or 634c/kg. At Pakenham store sale, St Katherines of Darrimen sold Mawarra blood steers, 489kg, for $2720 or 556c/kg.

At the Euroa store sale, 230kg heifers from ‘East Union’, Gooram, sold for $1400 or 608c/kg and Tarcombe Herefords, Ruffy, cleared 374kg steers for $2110 or 564c/kg.

Stirling Agriculture, Avenel, sold weaned steers, 334kg and 11 to 12 months, for $2030 or 606c/kg. They were by Hereford Super Sire, Wirruna Matty and Allendale blood bulls, and had been finished on a weaner mix, cereal and lucerne hay.

Molesworth Pastoral, Caveat, sold a draft of 38 future breeders, EU accredited, Wirruna and Claredale blood, 276kg and 12 months, for $1930 or 698c/kg, while C Clarke and N Hannaford, Katandra West, sold weaned steers at 143kg for $970 or 677c/kg.

Nola Hodge, Coongulla, sold unjoined Hereford heifers, 237kg and 10 to 12 months, for $1500 or 631c/kg. Nola’s steer portion of the same age, weighing 206kg, returned $1400 or 676c/kg.

Unjoined heifers make 543c/kg at Euroa G and G Lambert, Paschendale, sold unjoined heifers, 464kg and 28 to 29 months, for $2350 or 505c/kg and Taronga Poll Herefords, Paschendale, sold Taronga blood unjoined heifers, 432kg and 28 to 29 months, also for $2350 or 543c/kg.

A and M Boardman, Rhodenvale, Crowlands, sold Spring drop weaned steers, Rhodenvale bred and blood, 306kg and 10-13 months, for $1960 or 638c/kg. At Corryong, yearling heifers weighing 306kg and aged 12 to 13 months returned $1600 or 522c/kg for ‘Carolyn Hill’. They were by Ravensdale and Wirruna sires and out of Kanimbla blood cows, and were Greenham Never Ever accredited.

Barry and Faye Hicks, Gundowring, sold a draft of Yavenvale blood weaned steers, Greenham Never Ever accredited, 414kg and 12 to 13 months, for $2385 or 575c/kg. The seconds weighing 365kg made $2210 or 605c/kg and the thirds $2205 or 603c/kg. The heifer portion weighing 341kg returned $2000 or 586c/kg. 3L Pastoral, Wangaratta, sold non station mated heifers, 401kg and 24-26 months, with calves for $3600. The Injemira blood heifers had been bred on Woomargama Station and had black baldy calves.

At the WVLX Mortlake store sale on September 15, ‘Grevon’ sold purebred cows, five to eight years, second to fifth calvers and 622kg, with Ravensdale blood calves averaging 116kg, for $3000. The second pen, eight to 10 years weighing 392kg with calves made $2450.

D and A Andrew, Longford, sold Glentrevor blood unjoined heifers, 375kg and 12 to 14 months, for $2360 or 628c/kg. Kobyboyn Partnership, Seymour, made $2110 or 606c/kg on steers, 348kg and 12 to 13 months, Glendan Park and Mawarra blood. The heifer portion weighing 320kg sold for $2120 or 662c/kg.

Steers, 10 months, to $2020 at Forbes

In NSW at the Forbes September store sale, Clifford Healey sold Hereford steers, 340kg and nine to 10 months, for $2020 while P and B Thompson sold 311kg steers aged eight to nine months for $1850. The Thompsons also sold 272kg heifers the same age for $1660.

BMS Farms at Tooraweenah have been breeding Poll Hereford cattle for over 50 years and sold 384kg steers aged 11 to 13 months for $2000 or 520c/kg. The EU accredited July/August drop steers were by Kidman bulls and finished on an oat crop.

At the Dunedoo store sale on September 14, SJ McClure of Cassilis sold Poll Hereford steers, 11 to 12 months and Claredale blood, to a top of $1690. Wandjina Pastoral Partnership, Bendemeer, sold PTIC heifers weighing 375kg and aged 16 to 20 months for $1760 or 468c/kg.

Piperco, Cassilis, sold unjoined cows, 562kg and six to nine years with black baldy calves at foot for $3475. At Alectown, unjoined Claredale and Wirruna blood heifers, 453kg and 23 to 24 months with black baldy calves made $4160 for P and H Williams. R and S Webb of Gundaroo, sold PTIC cows, 507kg and four to five years, for $2500.

Bower Livestock Partnership, Singleton, sold 316kg weaner steers aged 11-12 months, Yavenvale and Curracabark blood, for $1905 or 602c/kg while at Binalong, M and Z Giles sold unjoined heifers, 382kg and 23-24 months with calves, for $3030.

Pasture-finished yearling steers fetch 564c/kg

Oakview Pastoral Company, Wantabadgery, sold a draft of 164 yearling steers, 427kg and aged 12 to 13 months, for $2410 or 564c/kg. The steers were Cascade, Bowen, Injemira and Yavenvale blood and finished on ryegrass, phalaris and clover pastures.

Oakview’s second draft of 172 head weighing 412kg made $2350 or 570c/kg; the third draft of 168 yearling steers, 411kg, made $2440; and the 388kg line returned $2300. Their fourth draft of 94 feeder steers weighing 380kg and aged 12 to 13 months returned $2330 or 612c/kg.

Oakview’s future breeders, 298kg and aged 12 to 13 months, made $1860 or 624c/kg. A further draft of Oakview’s 172 feeder steers weighing 373kg made $2300 or 616c/kg.

JJ Ryan at Darlington Point sold Yarram Park and Merawah blood unjoined heifers, 373kg, for $2020 or 541c/kg. They were originally bought out of the Adelong feature store sale. Boongara Farming, Jerilderie, made $2050 or 492c/kg on heifers, 416kg and 15 to 17 months.

Umbamgo Pastoral Partnership, Peak Hill, sold a draft of 33 feeder steers, 366kg and 15-19 months, for $2140 or 583c/kg while Warraberry Shorthorns and Angus at Parkes sold Poll Hereford heifers, 256kg and 10-12 months, for $1760 or 686c/kg.

Towyn Jones, Yass, also sold Stanford blood weaned heifers, 364kg and 10-13 months, for $2050 or 563c/kg and Nalya Pastoral Co, Bombala, sold Gunyah blood PTIC cows, 661kg, five to 11 years and joined to a Gunyah bull, for $3210.

G and T Heffer, Barham, sold Willowood blood feeder steers, 472kg and 12 to 15 months, for $2550 or 540c/kg while Mannus Valley Livestock sold non-station mated heifers, 399kg and two years, with calves, for $3820.

Inverell backgrounder steers in demand

Mountain Valley Pastoral Co, Inverell, sold steers 346kg and 12 to 14 months for $2010 or 580c/kg and Narbethong Pty Ltd, Mudgee, sold backgrounder steers 254kg and 10 to 14 months for $1680 or 659c/kg, and unjoined heifers 252kg and 10 to 14 months for $1500 or 593c/kg.

Nalya Pastoral Co, Cathcart, sold 268kg heifers, 11 to 12 months, for $1500 or 558c/kg while Byron Pastoral Co at Inverell sold PTIC heifers 402kg and 23-24 months for $2210. A and D Jones, Harden, sold Ravensdale blood backgrounder steers weighing 396kg and aged 12 to 13 months for $2180 or 550c/kg and DJH Agriculture, Cootamundra, sold Kidman and The Ranch blood unjoined heifers, 310kg and 12 months, for $1700 or 548c/kg.

In South Australia, K and S Higgs, Cape Douglas, sold PTIC heifers, 599kg and 26-28 months to a top of $2800, and Woakwine Station at Magarey made $2370 for their heifers, 522kg and 24-36 months and joined to Injemira bulls.

At the Mount Gambier market, Teys Charlton paid $2710 for 488kg steers from Shiloh Park, Compton, while Miller Whan & John paid $2410 for 344kg steers from Miloroy Pastoral, Mingbool and $1750 for 339kg steers from GT Trading, Clay Wells.

Unmated heifers to $1770 at Wandoan

In the north, Beacon Hill Pastoral, Wandoan, Queensland sold a draft of 193 weaned backgrounder heifers, non-station mated, 213-276kg and six to 14 months, for $1360 to a top of $1770 or 641-637c/kg. The steer portion, 293kg and nine to 14 months, made $1930 or 658c/kg.

Cattle Creek Grazing Company at Cecil Plains sold PTIC heifers 463kg and 24-30 months, for $2465 while Lure Pastoral Co, Kumbia, sold weaned steers, 233kg and six to nine months, for $1500 or 642c/kg and their sisters, 208kg, for $1190 or 570c/kg.

Across in Western Australia, seven pens of Hereford cross heifers from Laureldene Farms, Boyanup, set the standard at Boyanup store sale, topping at $1940 and the thirds at $1820 to Robert Gibbings, Elders Capel, for mated heifer producers.

In Tasmania, Stuart Smith, Latrobe, sold steers, 202kg and 10 to 12 months, for $1350 or 668c/kg and heifers, 184kg and 10 to 12 months, for $1280 or 692c/kg. M Pennell, Sheffield, sold yearling heifers, 256kg and 11 to 12 months, for $1610.

P Sattler, Bridport, sold backgrounder heifers, 249kg and 11 to 13 months, for $1380 or 553c/kg while New River Beef, Ringarooma, sold weaned steers, 312kg and nine to 10 months, for $2000 or 640c/kg.

The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator rose slightly to 1074c/kg, up from 1041.6c/kg at the end of August.

Meat and Livestock Australia reports indicator prices at September 30 for vealer steers at 605.9c/kg, up from 589.8c/kg in August; restocker yearling steers at 662.6c/kg up from 644.6c/kg; feeder steers at 513.5c/kg up from 504c/kg; and processor yearling steers at 537.5c/kg down from 550.4c/kg. Medium steers rose to 462.2c/kg from 455.1c/kg in August; heavy steers slipped to 449.73c/kg from 466c/kg; and medium cows rose to 358.2c/kg from 334.5c/kg.