A quality run of autumn drop Hereford steer weaners brought out those supplying grass fed programs with bids to $1965 and 655c/kg across the 2023 summer weaner sales at Wodonga, Wangaratta, Casterton and Hamilton.
The Premier Hereford, Hereford Cross and Euro Grown and Weaner Sale at Wodonga on January 6 grossed $5.572 million and averaged 463c/kg or $1639 for steers.
Hunter Valley grass fed steer finisher Ken Sylvester, Scone, judged the Herefords Australia champion pen, awarding the sash to David Trethowan, Cookardinia, NSW, for his pen of 20 Wentworth blood steers weighing 397kg.
The March/April drop calves were snapped up by a steer finisher for $1965 – the top steer weaner price for purebred Herefords across the entire summer run.
Ken Sylvester finishes Herefords for Greenham’s Never Ever program, JBS Australia and NH Foods.
“Herefords are one breed where you can always sell yourself out of trouble – they hold up in the bad times and do well on grass,” Mr Sylvester said.
Topping the Hereford run across the summer sales on a cents per kilogram basis was Garry Zauner, Bungil, with steers weighing 215kg and making 655c/kg or $1410.
The second top price in the purebred pens across the sales circuit went to Leon Wheeler, Wallacedale, for his pen of EU accredited, Yarram Park and Mawarra blood steers, weighing 409kg.
They were bought by grass fed steer finisher Paul Mason, Wellington, NSW, for $1930 or 472c/kg. Mr Wheeler’s seconds, a pen of Shorthorn/Hereford steers, February drop, weighing 402kg, returned $2001 or 498c/kg, the second top price across the sales circuit for Hereford infused steers.
David Sleigh, Sleigh Pastoral, Ruffy, topped the Premier All Breeds Grown and feature Weaner Sale at Wodonga on January 5 with Allandale, Mawarra and Wirruna blood steers, 378kg, selling for $1925 or 509c/kg to steer finisher Neil Schmidt, Rutherglen.
The pen had been judged as the Herefords Australia champion pen by Albury commission buyer Graham Ward.
A grass-fed program supplying Coles Graze accounted for 30 per cent of the yarding at the Casterton Annual Hereford and Euro Steer Weaner sale on January 11. The sale grossed $900,000 and averaged 460c/kg or $1415 for 637 steers averaging 307kg.
Marc Greening, Injemira Beef Genetics, Book Book, sourced steers to background on properties at Holbrook, Book Book, and Tarcutta, NSW, to finish to 290-320kg carcase with 10mm of fat for Coles Graze.
The top price autumn drop Hereford steers were a pen of European Union accredited, March/April drop, Injemira blood steers sold by Cam and Carol Emerson, Alva Downs, Tahara, to Injemira Beef Genetics for $1833 or 480c/kg. This pen also topped the yarding on a cents per kilogram basis.
At the Hamilton All Breeds Weaner Sale on January 10, Ben Davies, Thomas Foods International, judged the Herefords Australia champion pen and selected the lead pen in the draft from John and Liz Craig, “Inverell”, Casterton and Hamilton.
The March/April drop calves were Yarram Park blood, 389kg, and carried accreditations for European Union, Greenham’s Never Ever markets. They were bought by repeat buyer Paul Mason, Wellington, for the top purebred Hereford price of $1828 (470c/kg).
At the North East Victoria Premier Weaner Sales at Wangaratta, Riley Murtagh, Corcoran Parker, Wangaratta, awarded the Herefords Australia champion pen to a line of 32 Glendan Park blood steers, nine to 10 months and 352kg, offered by Tony Reardon, Brooklyn Pastoral, Mansfield.
The pen was snapped up for the top price in the Hereford steer weaners of $1710 or 485c/kg by Two Rivers Pastoral, Yackandandah.
Across the summer sales circuit, Hereford/Simmental steers sold to top of $2081 or 498c/kg for Injemira blood, 418kg, steers sold by Alva Downs, Tahara.