A grass-fed program supplying Coles Graze accounted for 30 per cent of the yarding at the Casterton, pushing prices to $1833 for autumn drop Hereford steers.
Selling agents Elders and Nutrien Ag Solutions yarded 1160 Hereford and Hereford infused steers for the Casterton Annual Hereford and Euro Steer Weaner Sale on January 11.
Active buyers included Miller Whan John, TDC Penola, Nutrien Ag Solutions Casterton, Elders Casterton, Creek Livestock, Ray White Albury Wodonga and AuctionsPlus.
Marc Greening, Injemira Beef Genetics, Book Book, sourced predominantly Injemira blood steers and rated Casterton as “great value buying”, taking home 30 per cent of the yarding to background on properties at Holbrook, Book Book and Tarcutta, in NSW.
Mr Greening paid 460c/kg for Injemira blood steers and 440c/kg for non-Injemira blood pens.
“The cattle aren’t mollycoddled – a lot of these cattle have been running with sheep so you can afford to pay a bit more cents per kilo as you get a lot of compensatory gain,” he said.
“These will be targeted at the domestic grass-fed market through the Coles Graze brand. It is season dependent so I’m looking to get a 290-320kg carcase with 10mm of fat as early as possible.
“We all know the market has come back a bit so the dollars per head is not quite as scary so we might as well buy that heavier animal at a lower cents per kilogram.”
Mr Greening said the majority of cattle sourced at last year’s record Casterton sale have been turned off with the last draft to be finished on crop in April, May and June.
He described the market as positive and pointed to short term trends in the US.
“The fundamentals of the industry are perfect – we have a low Australian dollar, a country full of feed, the US market is rising, there is rainfall in the US and they are in a big rebuild phase at the moment,” he said.
“Retail meat sales are high so as an industry we shouldn’t be sitting back and saying this is the price correction we had to have.
“With the input costs of farming these days, where the prices were is where we need to be.
“From a commercial perspective, as soon as it rains the market will go crazy in the US, exactly like it did here coming out of the drought. In the US they are talking $4000-$5000 cow/calf units.
“If you get involved with these grass fed branded programs and know where your market is heading, there are certainly margins in those cattle at those prices.”
Mr Greening will also be sourcing heifers at the Western District sales for the Injemira joined female program.
In the pens weighing over 350kg liveweight, prices finished at $1546-$1833 or 438-480c/kg – a rise of $5 on the Hamilton sale the previous day.
Hereford steers weighing 280-350kg returned $1162-$1608 or 408-482c/kg – a jump of $34 on the Hamilton sale. There was no real premium in the middle run for European Union accreditation with those pens making $1258-$1587 or 440-474c/kg.
The lighter weight steers under 280kg were down $38 to finish at $823-$1278 or 420-474c/kg.
The Hereford infused steers (Simmental and Limousin cross) sold for $1497-$1697 or 442-468c/kg.
Tom Wilding-Davies, Premium Livestock Solutions, Brisbane, and Rodney Mobbs, Martins Livestock, judged the Herefords Australia champion pen, awarding the sash to Bill and Kathy Lambert, Taronga Herefords, Paschendale, for their top pen.
The pen of 20 autumn drop, Taronga blood steers weighed 349kg and sold for $1669 or 460c/kg to AuctionsPlus.
Mr Wilding-Davies said the steers were weaned, had the health treatments and EU accreditation to maximise a sale, along with length and quality.
Bill Lambert keeps track of his averages each year with the figures telling liveweights have remained relatively stable while the market has fluctuated wildly.
This year the draft averaged 321kg but was back 207c/kg and $575 on the 2022 Casterton weaner sale to finish at 463c/kg and $1489.
In 2019, the Taronga draft had averaged 319kg, 301c/kg and $963 while in 2020 when the draft averaged 329kg, 296c/kg and $977.
By 2021, the Taronga draft was averaging 314kg, 524c/kg and $1650 and then skyrocketed to 670c/kg or $2064 in 2022 while the average weight was slightly heavier at 325kg.
This year’s draft of 87 steers were weaned on December 1 and fattened on a ryegrass pasture.
Bill had anticipated 460-500c/kg for the draft.
“Our rates have gone up 59 per cent and that’s without insurance and other general costs,” he said.
“The steers we carried through last year sold three months ago for $2700 so those people who bought last year are still making a good dollar.”
Bill said the reduction in sale average meant on-farm structural improvements would be postponed.
The top price autumn drop Hereford steers were a pen of 18, EU accredited, March/April drop, Injemira blood steers sold by Alva Downs to Injemira Beef Genetics for $1833 or 480c/kg. This pen also topped the yarding on a cents per kilogram basis.
In the Hereford infused pens, Glenaulin sold the top price pen of Hereford/Simmental cross steers, March/April drop and 384kg for $1697 or 442c/kg to AuctionsPlus.
Among the buyers were Rob and Stuart Macfarlane, Tarrayoukyan, snapping up a pen of EU accredited, Taronga blood steers weighing 278kg for $1278 or 460c/kg. The pair finish steers on grass and thought the pen was a “good buy at that price”.
Geoff and Genevieve Lambert, Paschendale, offered a run of 92 Taronga blood steers at Casterton from their herd of 250 cows.
In 2022, the couple sold 128 steers which weighed 247-365kg and returned 628-722c/kg.
Geoff anticipated 450c/kg and was bang on with their top pen making 455c/kg.
He is absorbing significant rises in fertiliser and chemicals, and a 60 per cent rise in rates.
“Last financial year was an exceptional year for us and targeted our plant and equipment replacement whereas that will be reduced significantly this year,” he said.
Jeoff and Jill Hortle, “Woranga”, sold 345kg Yarram Park and Bowmont blood steers to a top of $1552.
This compares to last year when their top pen weighed 322kg, made 676c/kg and their draft averaged $2176.
The couple offered 108 steers at Casterton and run 260 breeders.
Alva Downs: 18, EU, March/April drop, 382kg, Injemira blood, $1833 or 480c/kg; 33, 379kg, EU, $1796 or 474c/kg
Waterloo Ag: 9, March/April drop, Injemira blood, 367kg, $1717 or 468c/kg
Glenside: 14, Ennerdale and Banemore blood, EU, 362kg, $1694 or 468c/kg
Taronga; 20, EU, 363kg, Taronga blood, $1669 or 460c/kg; 46, EU, 324kg, $1522 or 470c/kg
Avon Park Oakley: 21, Allandale blood, 361kg, $1668 or 462c/kg; 23, 326kg, 467c/kg, $1522 or 467c/kg
Rosebank: 32, EU, Wilkah and Injemira blood, $1659 or 470c/kg.
Strathlea: 12, Melville Park blood, 355kg, $1654 or 466c/kg
Sunningdale: 6, Banemore blood, 348kg, $1608 or 462c/kg
Shallum: 16, EU, Injemira, Melville Park and Taronga blood, 334kg, $1596 or 478c/kg
Lambert: 22, EU, Taronga blood, 349kg, $1587 or 455c/kg; 52 317kg, $1502 or 474c/kg
Tallara Holdings: 21, March/April drop, Injemira blood, 341kg, $1582 or 464c/kg
Butchers: 24, EU, Taronga blood, 349kg, $1563 or 448c/kg
Karingal: 17, EU, Injemira blood, 328kg, $1561 or 476c/kg
Woranga: 24, EU, Bowmont and Yarram Park blood, 345kg, $1552 or 450c/kg
Sutherland Hills: 17, EU, Yarram Park blood, 324kg, $1536 or 474c/kg
Fassifern: 7, March/April drop, Taronga blood, 326kg, $1532 or 470c/kg
Glencairn: 20, Yarram Park and Injemira blood, 322kg, $1532 or 476c/kg
Wilkah: 9, EU, Wilkah blood, 344kg, $1513 or 440c/kg
Hereford cross
Glenaulin: 18, Simmental/Hereford, March/April drop, 384kg, $1697 or 442c/kg
Rosebank: 33, EU, Simmental/Hereford, 320kg, $1497 or 468c/kg
Sunningdale: 7, Hereford/Limousin, 377kg, $1666 or 442c/kg
Rob and Stuart Macfarlane, Tarrayoukyan, bought this pen of EU accredited, Taronga blood steers weighing 278kg for $1278 or 460c/kg.
Neil Cooper, Elders Casterton, presents the Herefords Australia champion pen sash to Bill and Kathy Lambert, Taronga Poll Herefords, Paschendale, at the Casterton sale.
Marc Greening reinvested in Injemira Beef Genetics cattle for Coles Graze and bought cattle from vendors, (back row) Peter Sidepott, Alva Downs, Cam Emerson, Alva Downs, Clive Lawrence, Karingal, Stephen Koch, Rosebank, Alex Sullivan, Shallum, Guy Kentish, Waterloo Ag, Dale Sullivan, Shallum and Anthony Lees, Tallara Holdings. Front, Lindy Emerson, Alva Downs, Carol Emerson, Alva Downs, Marc Greening, Injemira Beef Genetics, Darcy Kentish, Waterloo Ag, and Bindi Lees, Tallara Holdings.
Lachy Day, Days Pastoral, Bordertown, SA, caught up with Guy Kentish, Waterloo Ag, Mount Gambier.
The Elders team led by auctioneer Matt Tinkler sells the lead run at Casterton.
David Jenkin, Banemore Herefords, Penshurst, with a pen from Glenside, Banemore and Ennerdale blood, 362kg, and sold for $1644 or 468c/kg.
Bids fly on the Herefords Australia champion pen which was sold on AuctionsPlus.
Andrew Lyons, Wilkah Herefords, Vasey, pictured with Andrew Harrison, Nutrien Ag Solutions Casterton, sold this pen of Wilkah blood, March/April drop steers, 344kg, for $1513 or 440c/kg.
Kate Luckock, Ennerdale Herefords, Dundonnell, caught up with Kathy Lambert, Taronga Poll Herefords, Paschendale, at the Casterton sale.
Jeoff and Jill Hortle, “Woranga”, sold this pen of EU accredited Bowmont and Yarram Park steers, 345kg, for $1552 or 450c/kg to Injemira Beef Genetics.
Geoff and Genevieve Lambert, Paschendale, sold this pen of 52 Taronga blood steers, 317kg, for $1502 or 474c/kg.
The champion pen weighed 363kg, were EU accredited, and sold for $1669 or 460c/kg.
