Pakenham steers pass 400c/kg as heifers rally by $200 a head

Agents yarded 1700 steers and heifers at the Victorian Livestock Exchange on Thursday where a handful of feedlot buyers pushed prices up by 10-20 cents a kilogram compared to other recent sales.

The fortnightly store sale, albeit mixed in quality and breeds, attracted strong competition for both feeder-weight steers, and heifers with female cattle rallying by as much as $200 a head, agents said.

Independent stock agent Chris Stanley, Yarra Valley Agency, Don Valley, has sold cattle at the Pakenham saleyards since its inception, and offered his final consignment of 300 mixed-sex cattle at the VLE.

The consignment was offered by four Yarra Valley-based vendors and sold by agency Everitt Seeley & Bennetts.

Mr Stanley said he felt mixed emotions about the saleyard's imminent closure on June 30, after the facility's owner revealed last November it could no longer foot the bill for raising land tax bills.

"The sale was very solid for what we offered even though people were selective in the breeding and quality of the cattle," he said.

"I bought 170 cattle for a NSW feedlot at Yea a fortnight ago and prices at Pakenham, for the limited number of feeder steers in that 400-450-kilogram weight range that were here, would have been 10-15c/kg dearer compared to Yea."

Mr Stanley's clients are predominantly based to the north and west of Melbourne and into the Yarra Valley.

"We will send out cattle to Euroa, Yea, Wangaratta, Ballarat and Mortlake now, and the Gippsland clients will obviously go to Leongatha," he said.

"I've sold cattle here at Pakenham for more than 20 years, so it is quite sad to see the saleyard's demise and ultimate closure."

Elders Delaney Livestock & Property director Anthony Delaney said feedlots including Teys Charlton and The Midfield Group were among the most prominent buyers at the June 13 sale.

Teys Charlton bought more than 80 Angus steers during the sale.

Alex Scott & Staff Pakenham livestock manager David Setches said female cattle bought by graziers with the intention to use as breeding stock rose by up to $200 in places.

Among the feature lines was 120 mixed-sex Angus cattle, 9-11 months, consigned by the Lidgett family trading as Glen Pedder, Myrniong.

The drafted including 20, 323kg, steers which made $1280 or 396c/kg, 20, 332kg, steers for $1280 or 385c/kg, 19, 288kg, steers for $1160 or 402c/kg, and 18, 291kg, steers for $1160 or 398c/kg.

The four pens of cattle were bought by Gippsland agent Russell Motton, Motton Livestock, Poowong, for a backgrounder at Healesville.

The same vendor also sold 31, 302kg, heifers for $1140 or 377c/lkg.

Relatives of Glen Pedder, trading as S & J Lidgett, Highton, Greendale, sold 90 mixed-sex Angus, 9-11 months, including 24, 337kg, steers for $1260 or 373c/kg, and 17, 284kg, steers for $1060 or 373c/kg.

Holcombe Estate, Glen Lyon, sold 80 mixed-sex Angus, 7-8 months, including 14, 274kg, steers for $1050 or 382c/kg, and 24 steers for $970.

In other sales, Melbourne Polytechnic, Yan Yean, sold 14 Angus, eight months, 263kg, steers for $1020 or 387c/kg.

P Stratman, Merricks, sold 22 Angus, 446kg, steers for $1800 or 403c/kg to a bullock fattener at Catani.

A & L Denehy sold 12 Angus, 430kg, for $1660 or 386c/kg to The Midfield Group.

B & V McNamee, Flinders, sold 16 Angus, 425kg, steers for $1710 or 402c/kg.

J Tabak, Jindivick, sold five Angus, 558kg, steers for $1950 or 349c/kg to G & K O'Connor, and 12, 451kg, steers for $1840 or 407c/kg to Teys Charlton.

JR & LM Hams, Pakenham, sold 12 Angus, 382kg, steers for $1430 or 374c/kg to The Midfield Group.

L & S Morrisroe, Skye, sold 11 Angus, 563kg, steers for $1940 or 344c/kg.

G Faoro, Carrum Downs, sold 11 Angus and black baldy, 305kg, steers for $970 or 318c/kg.

Old McDonalds Farm sold seven Angus, 302kg, steers for $920 or 304c/kg to a bullock fattener at Catani.

H Brown, Cora Lynn, sold 16 Angus, 293kg, steers for $940 or 320c/kg.

W Burdett, Flinders, sold 14 Hereford, 544kg, steers for $1880 or 339c/kg.

D Paltride, Moe, sold 11 Angus, 662kg, steers for $2000 or 302c/kg to Melbourne-based commission buyer Campbell Ross via Hopkins River.

J & S Pastoral sold 18 Angus, 459kg, heifers for $1580 or 334c/kg to processor G & K O'Connor.

Ken Daley, Willow Grove, sold 13 Angus, 533kg, steers for $2020 or 378c/kg to G & K O'Connor.

R Whitehead, Shoreham, sold seven, 440kg, steers for $1590 or 361c/kg.