Whiteface calves in hot demand as grass finishers and feeders compete

Spirited bidding from steer finishers and back grounders for grass fed programs against lot feeders pushed prices to $1950 for autumn drop Hereford and Hereford cross calves at Wangaratta’s feature sale.

Selling agents Elders and Corcoran Parker yarded 1770 Hereford, black baldy and Euro grown and weaner steers and heifers on January 8 for the Wangaratta Premier Hereford and All Breeds Grown and Weaner sale.

At Wangaratta, cattle were booked to Willinga Pastoral, Wandoan, Injemira Genetics, Book Book, Elders Albury, Corcoran Parker, Kevin Miller Whitty Lennon & Co, Forbes, Conroy Bros, Mokoan Livestock, Alex Scott & Staff Pakenham, Elders Tamworth, Grant Daniel Long Toowoomba and Bindaree Beef.

Vendors pocketed an extra $260 a head or 90c/kg for their autumn drop steers and $215 a head or 98c/kg for their heifers on last year’s Wangaratta sale.

Wangaratta is known for its line-up of quality black baldy mixed sex weaners and grown cattle, and this year didn’t disappoint. Not only are the steers sought by backgrounders and lotfeeders for their hybrid vigour and growth rates but the F1 females are in demand from repeat buyers for their temperament, frame, fertility and milk.

Among the buyers was David Setches, livestock manager, Alex Scott & Staff, Pakenham, sourcing quality Herefords across the week at Wodonga, Wangaratta and Yea for grass fed programs in Gippsland.

“Our clients are wanting steers with temperament, length and weight gain to reach 428kg at 12 months of age,” Mr Setches said. “We were also after black baldy steers around 380kg. The prices for the whiteface cattle were what I expected them to be – a solid 480-490c/kg considering feeder cattle have been around 490-520c/kg.”

Mr Setches was also buying Hereford heifers carrying Greenham Never Ever accreditation, selecting cattle on bone, softness, shape and frame.

“The Herefords make the same money as the blacks under that program, and a lot of the time they perform more so than the black cattle with quicker maturity rates and reduced days to slaughter.”

The sale opened on the heavy grown Hereford and black baldy steers weighing over 330kg liveweight, with the Hereford pens making $1690-$1975 or 434-457c/kg and the black baldies $1780-$2270 pr 456-494c/kg.

Topping the heavy grown black baldies was M and K Jones, Wangaratta, with a pen of 19 weighing 460kg, aged 16 to 17 months, and Greenham Never Ever accredited, returning $2270 or 492c/kg. Wangaratta vendor, K Jackson sold the top priced heavy grown Hereford steers, 18 to 20 months and 455kg, at $1975 or 434c/kg.

In the autumn drop weaners, the purebred steers over 330kg sold for $1530-$1780 or 458-483c/kg, and the middle run weighing 280-330kg made $1410-$1640 or 468-554c/kg. The lighter weight steers under 280kg settled at $1340-$1410 or 527-580c/kg.

The black baldy autumn drop weaners over 330kg finished at $1620-$1950 or 456-494c/kg, and the middle run at 280-330kg settled at $1480-$1645 or 487-519c/kg.

In the heifers, the Hereford females over 300kg sold for $1270-$1430 or 417-449c/kg with the lighter heifers under 300kg making $800-$1250 or 357-431c/kg. The black baldy heifers over 300kg returned $1355-$1900 or 439-476c/kg and those under 300kg settled at $1270-$1370 or 476-458c/kg.

S and P Murtagh, “Cloverlea”, Mudgegonga, topped the autumn drop Hereford steers on $1780 with his pen of eight Sugarloaf blood steers weighing 368kg and selling for 483c/kg. The price was equalled by another vendor: R & R Lumsden, Buckland Valley, with a pen of Rosstulla and Rotherfield steers, weighing 373kg, and returning $1780 or 477c/kg.

Joe Pollard, Mansfield, topped the Hereford weaners on a cents per kilogram basis at 580c/kg for a pen of 10 weighing 243kg and snapped up by Corcoran Parker for 580c/kg or $1410.

Andrew Turvey, Willinga Pastoral, Wandoan, Queensland, and Marc Greening, Injemira Genetics, Book Book, NSW, trucked home the majority of the autumn drop run of steers for their grain and grass programs respectively.

Mr Greening paid to a top of $1640 for a pen of Glendan Park and Morganvale blood steers, weighing 329kg, offered by Tony Reardon, Brooklyn Pastoral, Mansfield. Mr Reardon lists fertility, calving ease, weaning weights, and growth rate as key profit drivers in his herd.

Mr Greening said the calves sourced at Wangaratta were destined for a grass-fed program with a spring turn-off at a 300kg carcase.

He sought Hereford weaners at 290-330kg liveweight for finishing on pasture in the Holbrook area.

“The cattle had the bone, frame and softness and also ticked the boxes with the fact they are properly weaned.”

Wagga commission buyer Andrew Lowe judged the Herefords Australia champion pen and awarded the sash to Tony Marchese, Maindample, for his pen of 28 Tarcombe blood steers, aged 10 to 11 months and weighing 336kg. They were among the draft of Herefords bought by Willinga Pastoral Co for $1630 or 485c/kg.

A livestock cartage contractor and second-generation Hereford breeder, Tony Marchese selects bulls at the Herefords Australia National Show and Sale Wodonga, with the sale steers sired by a National purchase Tarcombe Jacob. Mr Marchese likes the wide selection of quality bulls on offer at the National to suit his 120-cow February-March calving herd.

Heather Street, Valley View Partnership, Mudgegonga, topped the black baldy steer weaners with a pen of 10 aged nine to 10 months, weighing 403kg, and out of Mawarra blood cows. Elders Albury paid $1950 or 483c/kg for the pen.

Mrs Street also sold their sisters, weighing 355kg, for the top weaner heifer price of $1600 or 450c/kg to Matt Spry, Bindaree Beef.

CT Arthur sold the top pen of Hereford weaner heifers, Wirruna blood, weighing 322kg, and 10-12 months, for $1430 or 444c/kg. M and L Murtagh, Wangaratta, rang the bell in the black baldy heifer weaners with a top price of $1900 or 476c/kg for a pen of six weighing 399kg and aged 10 to 11 months.

Daniel Craddock, Corcoran Parker Mansfield livestock manager, said cattle were sold to all points of the compass, from Gippsland to the northeast valleys and up to Tamworth, Goondiwindi and southern Queensland.

Mr Craddock rated the lot feeder competition on the heifers as a highlight, with some females also returning to the paddock in northeast Victoria.

“The confidence is there – buyers have received $3000 plus for their bullocks, and they are happy to buy the young weaners. A lot of the black baldy steers went to grass finishers in Gippsland,” he said.

 

Quotes

Grown steers

D & P Vance, Bridge Creek: 8, black baldy, 489kg, 12-15 months, $2010 or 411c/kg

S & H Mahoney, Mansfield: 14, black baldy, 508kg, 18-20 months, $2010 or 395c/kg; 19 Hereford, 542kg, $1920 or 354c/kg; 14, Hereford, 18-20 months, Sugarloaf and Kirraweena blood, 470kg, $1800 or 382c/kg

A & M Livestock: 6, Hereford, 470kg, 16 -18 months, $1850 or 393c/kg

 

Hereford steer weaners

S & P Murtagh, Mudgegonga: 8, Sugarloaf blood, 368kg, 9-10 months, $1780 or 483c/kg

R & R Lumbsden, Buckland Valley: 12, Rosstulla and Rotherfield, 9-10 months, 373kg, $1780 or 477c/kg

Brooklyn Pastoral, Mansfield: 23, 329kg, Glendan Park and Morganvale blood, $1640 or 498c/kg

Tony Marchese, Maindample: 28, 336kg, Tarcombe blood, $1630 or 485c/kg

Tim Tanner, Bonnie Doon: 9, 327kg, Yavenvale and Days Whiteface, $1620 or 495c/kg

Kentucky Turf Nursery: 15, 316kg, 9-11 months, $1570 or 496c/kg

K Jackson, Tallangatta South: 11, Morganvale, Beggan Hill and Arlo blood, 334kg, $1530 or 458c/kg

M & M Goonan, Mudgegonga: 32, Mawarra and Yarram Park blood, 280kg, $1455 or 519c/kg

Joe Pollard, Mansfield: 10, 243kg, $1410 or 580c/kg

Ed Harris, Mansfield: 10, 243kg, 9-10 months, $1360 or 559c/kg

 

Black baldy steer weaners

Valley View Partnership, Mudgegonga: 10, 402kg, 9-10 months, $1950 or 483c/kg

McGuffie, Glenburn: 14, 8-10 months, 380kg, $1830 or 481c/kg

C & T Healy, Osborne Flat: 15, 355kg, 8-10 months, $1755 or 492c/kg

Kinlemeaky, Mansfield: 11, 10-11 months, 339kg, $1620 or 477c/kg

R & R Lumsden, Buckland Valley: 11, 346kg, Rosstulla blood, 9-10 months, $1600 or 462c/kg

Brooklyn Pastoral, Mansfield: 23, 306kg, 9-10 months, $1570

 

Heifer weaners

Valley View Partnership, Mudgegonga: 11, black baldy, 9-10 months, 355kg, $1600 or 450c/kg

McGuffie Glenburn: 15, black baldy, 8-10 months, 352kg, $1585 or 450c/kg

C & T Healy, Osborne Flat: 7, black baldy, 336kg, 8-10 months, $1550 or 461c/kg

Granite Flat Pastoral, Mitta Mitta: 26, black baldy, 342kg, 8-10 months, $1540 or 450c/kg

C Arthur: 17 Hereford, 10-12 months, 321kg, $1430 or 445c/kg

Tony Marchese, Maindample: 18 Hereford, 309kg, $1390 or 449c/kg