THE steers were restless in their pens at the largest ever Myrtleford Annual Weaner Cattle Sale on March 8, where around 2400 cattle went under the hammer.
The quality yarding aided by a reasonably wet summer helped achieve higher than expected results amidst a recent drop in market prices.
“The quality was outstanding,” Nutrien Ivone Agencies livestock agent Wade Ivone said.
“There was a lot of weight in those cattle, more weight than we've seen in a lot of other yardings of cattle and they presented very well.
“Also we've had a fairly good season up here up until it got dry a couple of weeks ago.”
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He said many of the cattle purchased will head to Northern New South Wales, but there were also strong North East Victorian buyers.
He said cattle prices have dropped recently due to dry conditions, but the sale had performed well.
“The market has certainly softened a bit, but I think it was a fairly solid sale on what the market conditions are at the moment.”
The Eastern States Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) puts the average cattle price at around $1189 per head, a little down from a recent peak, but well above the steep market drop last year, which bottomed at just over $654 per head.
Three vendors – JC and J Gardner, G and P Ivone and R Muller – all received the top price at $1390 per head for their steers.
Heifers topped $1050 per head, achieved by J and B Fraser for their Angus heifers and R Muller with 20 Angus Herefords.
Steers averaged 335 kilos at $1200 per head, while heifers averaged 252 kilos at $857 per head.
According to Smoko cattle farmer Graham Wells, last Friday’s cattle quality was “as good as they’ve ever presented” in the nine years he has travelled to the sale.
“The cattle presentation, growth on them all, was of excellent quality right through,” he said.
“As usual, the agents presented them very well through the yarding as well.
“I thought the result was good for the sellers and I think buyers would still have room for profit in them as well.”
He sold 11 heifers at $1100 per head – far higher than their purchase price of $380 in October last year, after a significant market drop.
“We put a lot of weight on them and that sort of thing, but the market has increased quite well,” he said.
Kancoona cattle farmer Gary Jones sold 27 steers at $1360 per head.
“It was a little bit better than I was expecting,” he said.
“I thought if I got $1300 I would be doing pretty well.”
Gary Howell has spent around 45 years working on the farm, and he said this past season has been fantastic as the wet summer has ensured good pasture for the cattle.
“It's just starting to dry a little bit now, but up until now it's been fantastic for us,” the Rosewhite farmer said.
"I’ve been on the farm all my life and it's probably one of the better seasons we've had for a fair while.”
Mr Howell took 40 Angus steers fathered by Pinnacle and Murramungee bull to the Weaner Cattle Sale at Mathesons Lane in Myrtleford.
Like many in the alpine region Mr Howell’s 600-acre property has passed through generations, first owned by his grandfather, passed to his father and them to him – but his family wasn’t always breeding cattle.
They started in dairy but transitioned to beef around 45 years ago and started breeding Angus cattle.
He said many of his cows are of the Alpine Angus bloodline, but he recently began breeding with different bulls to ensure healthy genetics.
