Repeat buyers returned seeking known quality and performance to pay to $1706 for autumn drop Hereford heifers at Hamilton to wrap up the 2023 Western Districts weaner sales circuit.
Selling agents JM Ellis & Co, LMB Livestock & Land, Lanyons Stock and Station, Kerr & Co, Southern Grampians Livestock and J & J Kelly yarded 2488 Hereford, Angus, Black Baldy and Hereford infused heifer weaners for the Hamilton weaner sale on January 13.
Active buyers in the final sale of the week-long sales circuit included Charles Stewart and Co, Hamilton, LMB Livestock, Yarram Park Herefords, Miller Whan & John, Ray White Albury Wodonga, Injemira Beef Genetics, and JE Ellis & Co.
The sale grossed $3.67 million and averaged 483c/kg or $1477. The Hereford offering averaged 468c/kg or $1374 and Black Baldies 461c/kg or $1388.
There was just a single pen of Hereford weaner heifers over 350kg liveweight making $1706 or 474c/kg.
The purebred heifers weighing 280-350kg returned $1270-$1641 or 430-492c/kg – a rise of $73 and 28c/kg on the morning’s Casterton sale.
The lighter weight pens 280kg or less finished the week at $939-$1362 or 390-490c/kg – down 8c/kg on the Casterton sale.
The Hereford infused pens sold for $1408-$1679 or 450-480c/kg while the black baldies over 300kg made $1358-$1614 or 420-480c/kg – a jump of $34 and 28c/kg on the morning’s sale.
The black baldies weighing 300kg or less also finished the week strongly with a rise of $79 and 22c/kg to settle at $1276-$1412 or 450-498c/kg.
Topping the Hereford run was Leon Wheeler, Wallacedale, on $1706 or 474c/kg for his opening pen of EU accredited Yarram Park and Mawarra blood heifers weighing 360kg and selling to Charles Stewart & Co.
Mr Wheeler’s seconds weighing 318kg made the top price in the purebreds on a cents per kilogram basis of 492c/kg or $1564, selling to repeat buyer Yarram Park Herefords.
He had retained 75 heifers and offered 100 head averaging 326kg.
Matt Spry, Ray White Rural Albury, judged the Herefords Australia champion pen and awarded it to Cam and Carol Emerson, Alva Downs, Tahara, for their pen of 21 Injemira blood heifers, EU, and weighing 329kg. The pen sold for $1566 or 476c/kg to Elders Holbrook.
Mr Spry said the pen exhibited length, type, quality and evenness.
Cam Emerson had retained 150 heifers in the 700 autumn calving herd and offered 80 heifer weaners at Hamilton.
“The sales have been fairly solid and heifers sold pretty well. The prices held firm and stable throughout the whole week. Last year was fantastic but we are not comparing the market with last year,” he said.
“We sell our Simmental/Hereford cross heifers to the live export market to China out of Portland, and we have another lot to go in February.
“The family has been breeding Herefords since 1905 and started with Simmentals 50 years ago. The Herefords have always been the strength and base of our program.
“The Hereford breed stands for itself for its ability to do well in our country, it’s a wonderful product and has shown in spite of competition it stands on its own with anything that comes up against it.”
Cam selects Hereford bulls with constitution, marbling, calving ease and suitability for the grass-fed market.
“In 1971 we were 100 per cent Hereford and infused European blood into part of the herd to give us tremendous size and weight. The Simmental cross steers this week weighed 418kg and sold for $2081 or 498c/kg,” he said.
“The nine to 10-month-old export heifers are progeny of Simmental/Hereford cows joined to a Simmental bull.”
In other infused pens, the top price in the Black Baldies was $1614 achieved by A & L Brown for heifers weighing 327kg and returning 434c/kg.
Sam and Robin Rundell, RS Rundell & Sons, Breakaway Creek, offered 47 Glendan Park and Oak Down blood heifers to average $1401. Their top pen weighed 298kg and returned $1460 or 490c/kg to Yarram Park Herefords.
The family dovetail 400 autumn and spring calving cows with 2000 crossbred sheep, and retained 60 heifers while also selling the bottom end on the export market to China for the past two years.
“It wasn’t a difficult decision to send some here because we have had a return buyer for the last four or five years,” Sam said.
The family like the breed’s docility and select on frame and muscle.
The brothers paid tribute to their father, Bob, who passed away the day before the sale at age 85.
They described him as a passionate Hereford breeder who had founded the Breakaway Creek Hereford stud and then went on to run commercial cattle only. Bob used genetics from Ennerdale, Golf Hill, South Boorook and Injemira.
Andrew Lyons, Wilkah Herefords, Vasey, offered cattle across the week and also caught up with clients.
“The run today was impressive and the first line of cattle were strong all the way through with good weights on the joinable heifers,” he said.
“Even when you look through the second run there is no second-grade cattle in there. There was good strong competition from a wide range of buyers.
“We are coming down from a top and haven’t crashed that drastically – the vendors can still make good money at those prices as they are a lot better than two years ago.”
Herefords
L Wheeler: 24, EU, 360kg, Yarram Park and Mawarra blood, $1706 or 474c/kg
Alva Downs: 21, 329kg, Injemira blood, EU, $1566 or 476c/kg
Orana: 15, 315kg, Yarram Park blood, EU, $1537 or 488c/kg
Rowan: 25, 301kg, Yarram Park, Glendan Park and Injemira blood, $1474 or 490c/kg
R S Rundell & Sons: 19, 298kg, Glendan Park and Oak Down blood, $1460 or 490c/kg
Giant Rock Partnership: 33, EU, Injemira blood, 301kg, $1426 or 474c/kg
Harry’s Block: 10, 315kg, Wilkah blood, $1354 or 430c/kg
The Wash: 12, Wilkah blood, 280kg, $1232 or 440c/kg
Black Baldies
A & L Brown: 15, 372kg, $1614 or 434c/kg
Alva Downs: 17, 348kg, Injemira blood, $1580 or 454c/kg
Murndal: 25, 329kg, $1579 or 480c/kg
Derek Brown: 25, 331kg, $1469 or 444c/kg
Bell Pastoral: 10, 313kg, $1439 or 460c/kg
Hereford infused
Black Stump: 5, Hereford/Simmental, 370kg, $1679 or 454c/kg
The pen of heifers weighing 360kg opened the Hereford run for vendor Leon Wheeler and sold to Charles Stewart & Co for $1706 or 474c/kg
The LMB Livestock & Land team sell the opening run of autumn drop Hereford heifers at Hamilton.
Maddi, Jorja, Michelle, Isabella, Sam, Robin and Tamara Rundell, Breakaway Creek, sold this pen of Glendan Park and Oak Down blood heifers, 298kg for $1460 or 490c/kg to Yarram Park Herefords.
Paul Malseed, “Orana”, sold this pen of Yarram Park blood heifers, 315kg, to Yarram Park Herefords for $1537 or 488c/kg.
Matt Spry, Ray White Rural Albury, with son Angus, judged the Herefords Australia champion pen at Hamilton.
Donna Eichler and Leon Wheeler, Wallacedale, sold this pen of EU accredited, Yarram Park and Mawarra blood heifers, 360kg, for $1706.
Bids fly as the Herefords Australia champion pen is sold by Kerr & Co.
Cam and Carol Emerson, Alva Downs, Tahara, are presented with the champion pen by Herefords Australia deputy chairman Marc Greening.
Phil O’Keefe and Ben Griek, Farena, Wootongvale, sold this pen of Taronga blood heifers, 270kg, for for $1188. They offered 29 March/April drop heifers at Hamilton.
