Wednesday’s sale was smaller than the previous week, but those presented met good demand from a local buying bench.
The yarding of 530 dairy beef weaners was half that offered last year, and the calves tended to be either very heavy, or at the lighter end of the scale, with few actually sitting around the 100kg mark. The market however was at expected levels, with bull prices up $30-$50 on 2016 levels. Very few lighter Hereford-Friesian bulls were penned, and 100-110kg sold for $550-$640. Heavier lines, 120-134kg, returned $650-$710, with most trading at $5.30-$5.43/kg.
Friesian bulls sold to expectations, with light lines well up on last year's prices, but the gap closed significantly as the weight increased with buyers working to per head budgets. Those 78-95kg sold for $430-$530, while 100-110kg returned $500-$575 and 120-135kg, $565-$580.
Heifer numbers were low but this market also showed improvement as 93-127kg Hereford-Friesian made a respectable $470-$562.
Though the number of cattle to sale was lower on Wednesday at FRANKTON, those presented met good demand from a local buying bench.
Prime steers were first up for the day with prices solid. Beef-bred steers, 598-704kg, sold over a tight band at $2.85-$2.88/kg, and Beef-Dairy cross, 546-637kg, were strong at $2.90-$2.96/kg.
Two-year steers sold to keen interest, with Beef-cross, 376kg, lifting to $2.87/kg, and Friesian-cross, 435-490kg, up to $3.14/kg. Heifers were steady, with Hereford-Friesian, 423-489kg, returning $2.74-$2.85/kg. A line of Shorthorn heifers, 397kg, garnered $2.90/kg.
Returns were varied in the 1-year pens, with Angus-Friesian steers, 278-302kg, back to $2.95-$3.01/kg, whilst those 310-340kg lifted to $3.25/kg. Heifers of the same breeding, 230-269kg, also lifted, finishing at $2.96-$3.01/kg, as did Friesian bulls 385kg, $2.71/kg.
Autumn-born weaners sold on a steady market and Hereford heifers, 200kg, made $635, and Friesian bulls, 177kg, $680.
Boner cows were well received with the majority fetching $2.09-$2.30/kg.
