Weaner steers hit 476c/kg, $1247 at Scone

The 1100-head yarding of mostly Angus cattle included a large line of 228 eight- to 10-month-old Angus weaners from Waverley Station, Scone. 

A pen of Waverley heifers was the champion Angus heifer pen, while the steers was won by a pen of eight- to 10-month-old weaners from “Inverary”, Scone.

The best pen of crossbred steers, Limousin-cross weaners, came from “Chatham”, Wingen, while Charolais-cross heifers Karl and Shirley Casben, “Springvale”, Wingen, won the crossbred heifers.

Light steers weighing from 158kg to 229kg sold from 374c/kg to 476c/kg, middleweight steers weighed between 232kg and 285kg and ranged from 390c/kg to 470c/kg, and the heaviest steers weighed from 287kg to 320kg and made between 388c/kg and 416c/kg.

Light heifers weighed from 138kg to 197kg and made between 378c/kg to 400c/kg, middleweight heifers weighing from 210kg to 264kg sold from 330c/kg to 399c/kg and heavy heifers, those weighing between 279kg and 313kg ranged from 352c/kg to 391c/kg.

George Crouch and Heath Eslick, Waverley Station, sold 190 steers topping at 416c/kg and 38 heifers making up to 376c/kg. The Waverley team had the top steers and heifers, with steers weighing 319kg making 390c/kg to return $1247, and a pen of 19 heifers averaging 313kg selling for 364c/kg, returning $1141.

The Casbens sold 63 six- to eight-month-old Charolais-cross calves with the steers reaching $1195 and heifers topping at $1115.

Buyers came from the Hunter Valley, Mudgee, and Gunnedah, with interest from feedlots and backgrounders looking to put cattle on oat crops, as well as a small number of restockers looking for future breeders.

Agent Stuart Sheldrake, MacCallum Inglis, said it was a solid market for all weights thanks to good rainfall in March which set up a good season for fodder crops.