Sales for heifers proved a feature of the Casterton spring store cattle sale in Victoria’s Western District on Thursday.
In a sale offering 1300 head and preceding the big Kerr & Co spring sale at Hamilton, sales of Angus heifers were pushed to a high of $1540 a head as restockers seeking quality lines for breeding purposes took the fight to lot feeders.
The heifer market toppers were a Banquet-blood line offered by grazing syndicate Matlock which has leased property in the Casterton area.
The group offered a first draft pen of 57 Angus, aged 16-20 months. And weighed at 446kg a selected yard of 19 was sold to Colac-district breeder George Gigas of Beeac while the remaining 38 was re-offered and cleared at $1450 to Thomas Foods International.
A second-draft pen of the Matlock Banquet-blood heifers, 402kg made $1380 and $1370 with the same two buyers featured.
Other sales of spring 15-drop heifers were sold from $1080- $1270 a head with the heavier drafts weighed at more than 360kg averaging 337c/kg while the lighter drafts under this weight averaged 350c/kg.
Steer sales saw feeders and bullock finishers from the western-border, Gippsland and northeast Victoria as well as the Riverina all staking a claim to build loads.
Steer sales were mostly made in the 350-380c/kg for the heavier feeder weights and 370-405c/kg for lighter backgrounder steers.
Premiums on occasions were paid for EU-accredited lines with a yard of Banemore Hereford steers, 415kg, sold for $1550 a head to be remained in the EU-system.
Teys Charlton feedlot also paid the equal top for the steer yarding - $1550/head - for two yards of Angus weighed at around 500kg.
These were sold by Lyndon Lea and Bushells Creek while Matlock sold 15 Angus steers 419kg at $1510 and Maryvale- an EU-accredited Angus pen of 18, 390kg at $1490.
Two further pens of Matlock Angus steers, 41 head at 367kg and 43 head at 344kg, made $1410 and $1370 a head respectively, with both lots sold to interests at Millicent, SA.
