Weaner Steer Prices Hit $895 at Open of Annual Selling Season

Prices of weaner steers reached $895 and weaner heifers $870 on Wednesday at the opening of the Wodonga yearly weaner and grown steer sale. The prices of steers were at 305 cents per kilogramme and 256 cents for heifers due to the strong demand from northern and Victorian buyers.

The buyers paid $65 more for steer weaners compared to 2011.

The number of cattle that selling agents Corcoran Parker, Elders and Landmark scanned for the Premier annual Angus weaner and grown steer sale was 4,420 cattle.

Other independent buyers who participated in the sale were Bradley Jenkins, Andrew Lowe, Damian Whyte, Elders Charlton, Chris Stanley and Peter Touchey.

The bulk of the cattle were sold to restockers and backgrounders whose farms are within a 100-kilometre radius of Albury-Wodonga and those from Korrumburra, Wycheproof, Harden, Forbes and Turnut.

JBS Australia, a major lotfeeder, bought heavier grown steers at $820 to $880 for animals that weighed between 370 and 408 kg.

Mansfield vendor Dr Rod Manning said that Australia's cattle industry is in a golden era based on strong sales result.

"In terms of looking forward to the next five to 10 years, with the seasons going well, it looks as bright as ever for agriculture," Weekly Times quoted Mr Manning.