Boyanup heifers sell to $3800

Boyanup’s 30th anniversary heifer sale, conducted by Elders last Friday, reached new records as buyers buoyed the strong beef industry that has vealer prices at all-time highs.

With a 100 per cent clearance, the sale grossed $2,061,550, just $34,100 short of the 2016 record, but it achieved its highest top-price of $3800 and best average price of $2775 from the offering of 743 F1 heifers.

Elders auctioneer Alec Williams said once again the quality and presentation of the sale was outstanding, but more so due to the excellent season.

“This augured well for the day, as it was the 30th year that this sale was held,” he said.

“Vendors should be commended on the offering and their commitment and patronage over this period, with a lot of vendors still offering quality females in this sale that were involved in the first one.”

Mr Williams said the sale itself reflected the quality line-up.

“There was good buying support from areas north of Bunbury, locally, Williams and increased support from the south coast due to better seasonal conditions,” he said. “Elders would like to thank past and present buyers for their support over the years with many return buyers, some of which have been attending throughout the sale’s history.”

Elders South West livestock manager Robert Gibbings said sale vendors had improved their heifer offering over the years.

“The sale, which is supported by vealer producers, was a great success on the back of vealer prices reaching $6.40/kg, the highest-ever paid in WA,” he said.

Young Sidings veal producer Rick Weight, of FH Weight & Co, said quality cattle made the top money before he secured the overall top-price of the sale, bidding to $3800/head for a pen of eight Murray Grey cross Friesian PTIC heifers, AI synchronised mated to a Unison Limousin bull.

“I have bought similar lines by a Limousin bull and the milk calves sell well at Mt Barker saleyards,” he said. “I put a Morrisvale Limousin bull over my 110 breeders.”

Mr Weight also paid $3300/head for another pen of eight Murray Grey cross Friesian PTIC heifers also offered by Elgin vendor Mike Roberts and his family, of KS & EN Roberts & Son.

The Roberts family’s offering of five pens of Murray Grey cross Friesian for a total 36 head that sold for an average price of $3332, was the highest average price paid among the offering of four different cross-bred combinations.

The Angus cross Friesian section of the sale made up 89 per cent of the catalogue numbers with 88 pens offered from 10 vendors for a total 664 head that all sold for an average price of $2751/head.

Repeat buyers Mick Terrigno, of Alba Rosa Trading, at Jardee, paid the $3350 equal top-price for a pen of eight Angus cross Friesian heifers mated to an Angus bull and offered by Milners Farm. Mr Terrigno, who produces calves for Woolworths, said he liked that the heifers were owner-bred.

Don Terrigno, of Jardee Grazing, at Jardee, secured the other pen of $3350 equal top-price Angus cross Friesians AI mated to Angus bulls and offered by Elgin Dairies.

Regular volume buyer Kim Dunnet, of OM Dunnet & Co, of Nannup, secured four pens, or 32 head of Angus cross Friesian heifers for a total average price of $3100/head. He also secured three pens, or 16 head of Hereford cross Friesian heifers, all AI synchronised mated to a Unison Limousin bull and offered by the Roberts family, to a top-price of $3000 and total average price of $2963.

Mr Dunnet also paid $3000/head for five Murray Grey cross Friesian heifers.

“I particularly thought the Hereford cross heifers were good value; they produce good milk,” he said.

Cundinup buying account BJ & FH Thomas secured eight pens, or 64 head of Angus cross Friesians for an average price of $2863.

Mr Roberts and wife Loretta and their son, Alex, who offered 27 per cent of the catalogue, or 198 head, were the volume vendors.

“Our attention to offer AI synchronised mated heifers, to a Limousin bull, at this sale allows shorter calving periods to the buyers,” Mr Roberts said.

“They (buyers) only have to watch heifers calving for three weeks and the calves are all the same size.”

Mr Roberts, who was the son of a dairy farmer, said he had offered PTIC heifers every year since the sale’s inception.

“It is a lot of work preparing heifers, but we (family) work as a team,” he said.