Farm Weekly
13th December 2007
First up top at Dardanup $650
A good crowd of more than 60 interested cattlemen turned up to check out the inaugural FarmWorks store cattle sale at the Dardanup Equestrian Centre last week where 250 cattle were offered by appraisal. Buyers and spectators enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere with many good vantage points from the top rail with bids coming for a great distance across the large pen used as a sale ring.
The offering had been handpicked by auctioneer Neil Foale, FarmWorks Boyanup, with quality and values generally being similar to other recent sales. A top price of $650 was paid for a line of PTIC heifers with a line of beef steers the next best at $615. A long line of Friesian steers made $440 while unmated heifers reached $585 and beef poddie steers topped at $242. The sale opened with a line of first calver Chargrey cross heifers with baby calves at foot, with these sold by returning vendor M & MW Levi for $620 when bought by Paul Reilly for Hearman Ag, Donnybrook. The next line of nine Murray Grey PTIC heifers were sold by DN & V Spence, making $640 and going to the same buyer.
Hearman Ag were on a roll, snapping up the next line of six Angus cross heifers due to calve March - April with these costing $570 , again sold by DN & V Spence who then saw their six Chargrey heifers in calf to a Carenda Angus bull top the sale when John Cross, Burekup, put in the final bid of $650. Another three mated females were sold by M & MW Levi, this time going to the bid of Kevin Armstrong, Willowbank Benger at $570.
The sale moved on to several pens of Brahman- Charolais unmated heifers. Unfortunately for vendor Greenwood Grazing, Dardanup, buys continued their aversion to Bos Indicus blood in the South West with three pens failing to attract sufficient support for a sale.
Next up were two unmated Angus heifers from DN & V Spence with these selling to Willowback, Benger at $585 to top this grade of cattle. Another 18 similar heifers were offered by Coastal Grazing, making $480 when they were bought by Westside Cattle Co, Boyanup. A single pen of 16 Friesian steers were the only dairy cattle offered, with the line selling to Green Dairies, Waterloo, for $440, putting Paul Reilly in the seller's circle as well as being the major buyer.
The top of the beef steers were 13 Limousin cross offered by E Nielriezbe, going to the bid of Westside Cattle Co at $615. The vendor also sold two Simmental cross to Acton Park, Busselton, at $575 and 13 Murray Grey for $545, with K P Johnston, the buyer of this line. Another line of steers creating bidding competition were the eight Angus from R Condello, Waterloo, with these snapped up by Westside Cattle Co at $595 with four Grey steers from this vendor going to Green Dairies at $555.
John Ursino, Dardanup, saw his eight Murray Grey steers sell to P & C Frontino, Donnybrook, for $450. The red Angus breed was represented with a quality draft of young cattle from Robe River Pastoral, Pinjarra, with the first line of 12 young steers selling to Cleve Contracting, Harvey for $400. Greenwood Grazing snapped up with a line of five for $315 with the last two poddie sizes going to Stenleese at $138. Melvin Hettner, Brunswick, got four Murray Grey poddies to the sale with these going to South Park, Margaret River at $242. Robe River also offered vealer heifers with a pen of 18 making $300 when bought by Paul Reilly for B & L Johnston, with R Doherty, Wellington Mill selling five Angus for $350, gong to Greenwood Grazing Dardanup.
What the Agent said:
NEIL Foale, auctioneer, said after the sale, "Being an inaugural sale the stock were handpicked for quality, with the result up to expectation. Cows and mated heifers sold well but the unmated heifers were disappointing. Overall I am happy with the result and will be having further sales here in the future."