Females sell to record $3340 at Mt Barker

Landmark’s Great Southern Blue Ribbon Female Sale resulted in a 100 per cent clearance matched by a record average price of $2539 per head for 656 cattle sold for a record gross of $1.665 million at Mt Barker last week.

The average price was up $919/head on last year when 689 females sold on the rail for an average price of $1620/head.

Landmark auctioneer Harry Carroll was in awe, “the sale was amazing”.

“The quality was exceptional,” he said.

Although the yarding was down on previous years, continued increased demand pushed the top price to a record $3340/head for a pen of two Angus-Friesian PTIC cross heifers, offered by The Southern Trust and purchased by GA & MB Clarke, of Marbelup.

This same vendor also sold the equal third top-price of the sale for a pen of eight Angus-Friesian PTIC cross heifers for $3160 to RA Adam & Co.

This price was matched during the offering of cows when a pen of nine pure Angus PTIC second calvers, offered by Dundeal Holdings, sold to Murray River Farms.

With 42 per cent of the yarding, consisting of 279 head, the pure Angus PTIC heifers sold to a record top-price of $3020 on four occasions to four different buyers.

One of those buyers was Noel Barstow, of Arizona Farms, Lake Grace, who said the cattle industry couldn’t be better.

Mr Barstow was successful on two pens of 10 two-year-old Angus heifers with Coonamble bloodlines PTIC to Angus bulls and offered by regular vendor Warren Forbes, of Dundeal Holdings, Narrikup.

“We run a herd of 1700 breeders with similar Angus bloodline,” Mr Barstow said.

Mr Forbes, who offered 116 head of cattle, said the sale’s increased prices reflected the buoyant calf market.

Volume buyer Barry Panizza, of Albany, purchased 20 pure Angus PTIC heifers and 20 first cross Angus PTIC heifers, to the sale’s second top-price of $3220 for a pen of eight Angus-Friesian cross PTIC heifers offered by RG Woodward & Co, of Narrikup.

“Although I paid up to $1000/head more this year, I am not too concerned as the cattle I bought in previous years are now worth more and my asset base has increased substantially,” he said.