Quality females in hot demand from restockers at Benambra sale

By Kim Woods

Restockers and local grass fatteners went head-to-head on the quality Hereford heifers to push up prices by $100 a head at the Benambra Weaner Sale

A big crowd of buyers and vendors descended on the Benambra yards for the opening Elders whiteface fixture of the 83rd annual Mountain Calf Sales on March 7.

The selling agents Elders Omeo penned 1700 Hereford, Hereford cross and Euro steers and heifers for the fixture.

Hereford spring drop steers settled at $1830-$2090 but the focus was on the autumn drop weaners where prices finished at $750-$1810.

A limited offering of Hereford/Shorthorn steers sold for $1600-$1720.

In the heifers, purebred prices finished at $600-$1360.

The opening pens of spring drop 2021 steers topped at $2090 for Beloka Pastoral and bought by Gippsland steer finisher Graeme Osborne.

Elders southern livestock manager Matt Tinkler judged the Herefords Australia champion pen and awarded the sash to Russell and Steph Cornall, Benambra, for their pen of 26 steers.

Mr Tinkler said the steers exhibited temperament, bone, consistency, evenness and length.

The Mawarra, Sugarloaf Creek, Karoonda and Warragundi blood steers sold for $1650 to Marc Greening, Injemira Beef Genetics, Book Book, NSW.

It was the first champion pen award for the young Cornall family at the sale.

The couple offered 101 steers and 24 heifers after retaining 110 heifers as replacements.

Mr Cornall aims to breed quiet, medium framed, easy doing cattle that fatten reasonably quickly.

“All our cattle are worked with low stress stock handling techniques in the yards. It keeps the labour input cost down and the cattle do well straight away for the buyers.”

Topping the autumn drop Hereford steers was Ray and Max Pendergast, Benambra, with a pen of 14, March/April drop steers selling for $1810 to Delaney Livestock and Property.

Richard and Anne Faithfull, Benambra, topped the heifers with a pen of 22, Greenham Never Ever accredited, and returning $1360 to Elders Omeo.

Among the restockers active on the heifers were Darren Askew, Mokoan Livestock Agency, Benalla, paying $1160 for a pen of 22 from Russell and Steph Cornall, and Robert Newnham, Longford, paying $1310 for a pen from Ray and Max Pendergast.

Scott Anderson, Benambra, sold 22 steer weaners for $1560 and runs a herd of 150 Hereford cows.

He does grow out some steers on improved pasture to twoyear-olds weighing 700-800kg for Greenham Never Ever and JBS programs. Scott yard weans and supplementary feeds the cattle to have them quiet for the annual Benambra sale.

David Hill, Elders Omeo, said the front lane autumn drop weaners had sold “exceptionally well”.

Mr Hill said restockers and local grass fatteners had competed on the heifers.