Quality autumn drop steers a hot ticket at 585c/kg

By Kim Woods

For steer finishers, backgrounders and lot feeders quality Hereford autumn drop steers remained a hot ticket item selling to 585c/kg at the summer sales opener at Wodonga, Victoria.

A total of 5040 cattle were yarded at Wodonga on January 5 for the Premier All Breeds Grown and Feature Weaner Sale including Hereford grown and weaner steers and heifers.

The yarding returned $8.296 million and averaged $1646 or 482c/kg for selling agents Elders and Paull and Scollard Nutrien Ag Solutions. In the breakdown, steers averaged $1729 or 488c/kg and heifers $1511 or 471c/kg across all breeds.

Topping the autumn drop Hereford steer weaners was David Sleigh, Sleigh Pastoral, Ruffy, Vic, with a line of 26 Allendale, Mawarra and Wirruna blood steers, 378kg and selling for $1925 or 509c/kg to Stephen Paull, Paull & Scollard Nutrien, on behalf of grass fed steer finisher Neil Schmidt, Rutherglen.

The pen had been judged as the Herefords Australia champion pen by Albury commission buyer Graham Ward.

David Sleigh also topped the weaner steers on a cents per kilogram basis with a pen of 24 weighing 292kg and selling for 585c/kg or $1710 to Neil Schmidt.

Mr Ward was active in the Hereford pens, buying cattle for backgrounding at Gundagai and northern NSW for supermarkets, and lot feeders in South Australia.

He said the feedlot demand had eased providing an opportunity for supermarkets to step in.

Buyer Neil Schmidt likes the quiet temperament and ability of the Hereford to reach over 700kg by 17 to 18 months of age. Coming into the sale he had sold heavy 380-400kg dressed weight steers for 750c/kg carcase weight in the prime market.

He invested in 79 Sleigh Pastoral steers, weighing 292-378kg for $1710 to $1925.

In the female pens, A T Lonergan, Sandy Creek, topped the heifer weaners with a Rotherfield blood pen weighing 337kg and returning $1430 or 424c/kg.

Cecily Trickett, Culcairn, topped the heifer weaners on a cents per kilogram basis with a pen of Wirruna blood heifers weighing 258kg making 480c/kg or $1240.

Robert Hain, Gunyah Herefords, Cooma, made the trip to Wodonga to sell steers and heifers for the first time at the January sales. His spring drop steers weighing 453kg made $2000 or 491c/kg.

“With Herefords more people are realising there is the ability to value add their calves, keeping them on to feedlot weights. They have the ability to grow out slightly better than the Angus and the people sticking with Herefords realised that is a positive of the breed,” Mr Hain said.

“Commercial Hereford bull buyers like the adaptability of turning a calf off at 10 or 11 months old with the option of taking them forward – they need to get going early, present well and have the ability to take them on if needed.”