Hereford vendors pocketed an extra $163 a head for steers and $69 for their heifers above other British breeds at the 84th annual Mountain Calf Sales last week.
Held at Benambra, Ensay and Omeo on March 5-6, the Mountain Calf Sales yarded 7738 cattle in the Elders dedicated sales to average $1047 and gross $8.1 million.
Among the buyers sourcing several hundred Hereford steers with known performance in average daily gain off grass and compliance with grid specifications for branded programs was Gippsland steer finisher Graham Osborne.
The cattle he bought at the sales last year were finished on improved pastures to 380kg carcase weight for export as boxed beef to the US while the lighter cattle are grazed over two seasons to 400kg carcase weight.
He said it was critical for the grass-fed cattle to carry accreditation and be fully weaned.
“We like to see antibiotic free, grass-fed and vendor bred – that is part of the reason we come here for the genuine producer-bred cattle.”
At Benambra, Greenham livestock manager Sean Kallady, of Warragul, was encouraging Hereford producers to undertake accreditation for the company’s grass-fed Never Ever program.
“All of these cattle go into the grass-fed program, the Bass Strait brand, while in Tasmania it is Cape Grim. These cattle are nil antibiotics and no grain feeding. Most of our grass-fed product goes domestically and to the US,” Mr Kallady said.
“We find with the Hereford program, especially out of the mountains, there is a lot of breeding behind them. We are keen for these cattle to come into our program for the opportunity for people to buy because we know they will hang up well.
“The cattle are definitely performing for us in the chillers and on the MSA index, and we are happy to put them through our plants.”
At Ensay, Ian Lester and his partner Denise O’Keefe, who previously finished steers on King Island for grass fed markets, were sourcing cattle for their new operation at Scotts Creek, Victoria.
“We manage to achieve an average daily gain off grass of around 2kg (with Herefords) – the best we got out of a paddock in the spring was 3.1kg/day. The best purebred Hereford steer in that paddock was 4.2kg/day off grass over six weeks,” Mr Lester said.
“We buy out of these sales for the quality of the cattle and they always perform.”
The Hereford steers are finished from 300kg liveweight to 350kg carcase weight in eight to 10 months – no animal is kept for over 12 months – to Greenhams Never Ever program. He said chiller feedback indicated a compliance rate of 95-100 per cent.
At Omeo, Elders National Livestock Manager Peter Homann was sourcing Hereford cattle for Princess Royal feedlot, Burra, SA, and Killara Feedlot, Quirindi, NSW.
Mr Homman said the Herefords were outstanding with April-May drop calves weighing 400kg plus.
“The producers here invest a lot in their bulls, and everyone can see it,” he said.
“This is certainly one of the flagship Hereford areas in Australia. To do a grass program, I don’t know why you would go past a Hereford or their cross. They convert it into saleable meat, it’s all about yield and performance.”
Whiteface steer prices peaked at Omeo at $1800 and for heifers at $1400.
A cautious start to the 2024 Hereford weaner sales had seen prices peak at $1328 for 405kg autumn drop steers at Hamilton on January 9.
NSW and Victorian buyers came roaring back to the high country creating a bidding frenzy over the top end autumn drop calves with the weight, genetics and consistent performance from the paddock to the chiller.
Repeat steer finishers who had just turned off their steers bought at the 2023 calf sales did not hold back when it came to bidding on the heavy end with prices hitting the seasonal high of $1800 for Herefords in 2024.
The whiteface offering hit its peak when 1402 Hereford and Hereford cross steers and heifers were sold at Omeo on March 6 for an overall average of $1153
The Omeo sale averaged $1288 for steers and $891 for heifers.
This outpaced the steer average at the Omeo Angus sale on March 5 by $163, the heifers by $69 and the overall sale average by $141.
Omeo’s Angus and Black Baldy sale yarded 3394 cattle for an overall average of $1012, a $1125 steer average and $822 average for the heifers.
A total of 1276 head were offered at Ensay with steers averaging $1219 and heifers $864.
The overall average for the Elders Benambra Weaner Sale on March 5 was $1002, with steers averaging $1171 and heifers $740.
A total of 1666 mixed sex whiteface cattle were yarded at Benambra.
So, how were the whiteface calves tracking on a cents per kilogram basis?
At Hinnomunjie Calf Sale, Donald Betts, Bairnsdale, sold his spring drop 637kg Hereford and Shorthorn/Hereford steers bought by Jamie Quinlan, Elders Yea, for $2000 or 330c/kg (curfewed). The seconds weighing 559kg made $1900 or 357c/kg to Nutrien Ag Solutions Dargo.
Mr Betts also offered heavy Black Baldy yearling steers, 582kg (green weight), to $1700 or 343c/kg (curfewed) to Benambra steer finisher Paul Pendergast.
In the females, Donald Betts sold heavy grown spring drop Black Baldies at 522kg green weight for the top price of $1400 or 282c/kg (curfew price) to Jamie Quinlan, Elders Yea.
At Ensay, the April/May drop Hereford calves of Barry and Topsy Newcomen had a green weight of 434kg and were snapped up by repeat buyer Arthur Angliss, Romsey, for the sale’s top price of $1670 or 405c/kg (curfewed).
The seconds weighed 383kg and sold for $1350 or 371c/kg (curfewed), thirds 331kg returned 324c/kg and fourths 270kg made 354c/kg.
Craig Lloyd also weighed his calves and sold a pen averaging 362kg for $1320 or 383c/kg (curfewed) to steer finisher Ian Lester, Scotts Creek. The seconds weighed 343kg and made 393c/kg (curfewed) and thirds 300kg returned 357c/kg.
At Omeo, Simon and Sonya Lawlor sold a top pen of steers with afull weight of 440kg for $1670 or 399c/kg (curfewed). Their seconds weighed 390kg and returned $1450 or 391c/kg.
The Elders team get animated as bids fly in all directions for the Herefords Australia champion pen of autumn drop steers from the Faithfull family.
