PHOTO: Hitting the 400c/kg mark today were these Angus cows that Elders Kerr & Co sold in Mortlake, returning $2023ph.
Total Yarding: 551
Not all the regular buyers were present or represented at the yarding of 551 mixed quality cattle, 48 less week on week. Prices for young cattle reflected the more widespread selection in quality but averaged out close to unchanged overall. The grown steers eased slightly and restocking sales of these were 10c/kg cheaper. Friesian steers and grown heifers sold a little better and bulls gained 10c to 15c/kg. Cows overall remained equal in prices.
The few pens of vealers nearly all went to feed on, and they ranged from 445c to 472c for the heifers, and 500c and 520c/kg for the steers. A pen of 15 light weight bulls sold for 602c/kg. Yearlings generally sold between 380c and 480c to restockers and processors with top sales at 490c and 525c/kg. The dairy and plain quality yearlings were mostly from 310c to 370c/kg.
Grown steers made 400c to 442c and restockers paid 400c to 439c/kg. Friesian steers sold from 300c to 358c and the beef breed grown heifers were between 365c and 432c/kg. Beef cows again made 330c to 385c, with dairy cows from 278c to 320c/kg. The leaner dairy cows made 260c to 288c and the plainer quality were from 220c to 255c/kg. Beef bulls sold at 278c, 280c and 298c/kg.