THE Victorian weaner sales mark the first day of the year for most producers, so naturally they are hopeful the cattle market is in their favour when the New Year rolls around.
Casterton Angus producers Geoff and Susan Sinclair, “Noss”, are hoping the market is firm come January when they will offload 115 of their Angus steers. It will be their first major payday since they returned to the family farm 12 months ago.
Mr Sinclair, a painter in Queens-land, returned to “Noss” after the death of his father Ray who started breeding Angus cattle 10 years ago and was a long-term successful vendor at the Casterton weaner sales.
“We used to sell a mixture of everything but the buyers were chasing the Angus pretty hard in the yards and paying a premium, so my father decided to switch completely to Angus,” Mr Sinclair said.
The next generation at “Noss” is carrying on the tradition and the Sinclairs are aiming for their eight-to nine-month-old steers to reach 350 to 380 kilograms come sale day.
This is the second year the Sinclairs will offer European Union-accredited cattle, which Mr Sinclair says is a bonus as it results in a premium price.
At the January weaner sales at Casterton this year their Angus steers averaged $860 – about 220 cents a kilogram.
He said those steers were heavier than what they would be offering in the New Year sale as they had an exceptional season last spring.
“We missed the spring this year; the spring rain is normally very reliable here. It has been patchy this year and the season has gone off pretty quick,” Mr Sinclair said.
By the time they are sold the steers will have been weaned for five weeks and the 70 Angus heifers will have been weaned for six weeks as they will be sold on January 11 at the Casterton weaner heifer sale.
The calves were fed lucerne for a week in the yards when they were weaned and now they have returned to the paddock they are grazing on clover and hay.
He said most years their cattle were secured by regular local buyers, but with the strong market last January they were a bit too dear for the locals with the larger companies in fierce competition.
The Sinclairs run 230 Angus breeders with the aim to have all their progeny cleared at the January weaner sales.
Selling agent Greg Bright, Landmark Casterton, said he expected the New Year weaner sales at Casterton would be strong, given the market had opened up elsewhere.
“I don’t think the market will be as strong as last January. I don’t think the calves will be as heavy as we have had a terribly wet winter and a short spring,” Mr Bright said.
He said the cattle would still present very well.
“I think the cattle will be back to the normal weights – last year was the exception to the rule,” Mr Bright said.
Mr Bright said news Swift Australia wouldn’t be buying out of the weaner sales this year shouldn’t knock the market about too much.
“We will still sell them – they won’t go to Swift but there will be plenty of other keen buyers,” Mr Bright said.
He said there would be strong competition from northern Victoria, while South Australian buyers from Penola, Naracoorte and Mount Gambier would be particularly strong, as well as those from NSW and Queensland.
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