There may have been a much smaller crowd for day two of the opening Naracoorte weaner sale for the year than day one, but heifer prices followed the same dearer trend to steers.
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The majority of the heifers sold between $2.60/kg and $2.75/kg although a few select lines destined for breeding made $3/kg to $3.20/kg.
It took just under an hour for the 1500 head- less than half of Thursday's steer offering- to find homes. Most remained in the South East but a few also sold to Davidson & Cameron, Gunnedah NSW through an order from commission buyer Jeremy Cummins.
The very best bred heifers equalled the prices their steer siblings had made the previous day.
This included 30 April/May drop Angus from RJ, JE, AB&CA Smith, Joanna, which secured top price honours of $1170.
The 355kg Glatz bloods were bought by Spence Dix & Co's Jono Spence.
The Smiths sold their complete 2023 heifer drop with their 26 seconds making $1010 and another 14 (309kg) selling for $810.
The Hann family, Nampara Pastoral Company, Lucindale, secured many of the best breeder types to be grown out and mated to their yearling Angus bulls and offered in PTIC female sales at Naracoorte and Mortlake, Vic, next year.
Operating through Elders Mount Gambier they paid $3.16/kg for 20 March/April drop Angus from MG&TM Smith, Lucindale. The Nampara and Granite Ridge bloods were 347kg.
"If we can buy back our genetics we do, they were a nice even pen of heifers and they are bigger heifers so they will grow out well," Nat Hann said.
Nampara also outlaid $2.74/kg for the heaviest pen of heifers from another of their bull clients AC Davidson & Co. Penola. The March drops weighed 370.6kg.
Also in Nampara's tally were 10 EU Angus heifers from Powerscourt Pastoral, Robe for $1140. The Pathfinder bloods were 410kg.
WV James & Son, Cooranga, Lucindale, which sold the majority of their heifers in Elders' December weaner sale, received $1090 for some of the later drop Angus which were 391kg.
Elders Lucindale branch manager Ronnie Dix described prices as "very fair for everyone" although noted there was less breeder activity than previous sales and "nothing from the north".
He said the sale failed to reach the highs of Elders exceptional pre-Christmas sale where heifers averaged more than $2.90/kg but was certainly dearer than the other December sales.
There was also a lot more weight in this yarding of heifers.
"Three of four of our lots which were complete drops didn't come below 360kg to 400kg whereas last month there were a lot of heifers in the 280kg-340kg range," he said.
He bought a B-double load of EU black heifers for a client to background in the paddock as well as a B-double load of Euro crosses for a client to feed, averaging $2.65/kg for both of them.
Among these were 16 Limousin/Angus heifers from SJ&AR Zilm, Lochaber, which made $1080. They were 400kg.
"We had a good run of cattle with a bit of Euro in them which means you can feed a heifer like a steer, and you can put weight on them in the paddock and in spring they don't go to fat," Mr Dix said.
Another big two-day weaner sale will be held in Naracoorte on Thursday, January 18 and Friday, January 19.
