Summary: 3586 yarded, ave 348kg, 310.4c/kg, $1078/head; Steers 360-430kg $1065-$1319, av 306c/kg; 280-360kg: $841- $1184, av 318c/kg
One miserly truckload of backgrounder cattle was bound for New South Wales following the opening day of the Hamilton weaner sales on Monday.
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See subscription optionsThe single northbound load, which was dispatched to the Bathurst region, was purchased from the final lanes of 3586-strong Angus steer yarding when the majority of the heat had subsided from the demand.
Widely acclaimed as one of the best quality weaner pennings ever assembled at Hamilton, an abundance of heavy weight lots filled the opening lanes as top end drafts constantly weighed 380 to a top of 430kg.
These pens were contested by a handful of persistent feedlot orders placing bids mainly in the 300 to 315c/kg price bracket for both weaned and EU-accredited lots.
Unweaned lots were at times sold at discount as the vast majority of these heavyweight sales realize per head values between $1100 to a to of $1320
However as pen weights dropped back towards weights of 360 kg a strong live export, by Landmark International, was ignited kicking the selling rate by 8- 12c/kg. The order claimed a staggering 1050 head for the day which essentially meant it claimed almost half of all the calves weighed under 360kg and literally bid on all the reach.
The majority of all these mid to lighter end calves were sold in a price range from 308 to a top of 331c/kg which saw only a handful of pens sold under $900 as mostly $950 to $1100 a head.
The next major competitor on the day was the Mt Gambier-based Miller Whan John agency buying for the Ogilvie Group and others while Teys Charlton, Hopkins River, Thomas Foods and Princes Royal were the prominent of the feeder orders.
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