LANDMARK Hamilton will sell steers on Tuesday, January 4, and Thursday, January 6, and heifers on Thursday, January 13.
AC, MJ & GJ Gull,Greengully, Tahara
THE pastures at Greengully befit the property's name this year and its mixed-breed weaner calves are showing the full bloom of a good year.
Athol and Joan Gull, along with son Graham, will sell 25 Angus steers and 13 Angus-Hereford steers through Landmark and, through Elders, a further 20 Hereford steers and 50 black baldy and Hereford heifers.
Recently, the Gull herd has been influenced by Banquet Angus bulls.
Graham estimates the steers will weigh about 350kg on sale day, which would be on a par with last year's weights.
The unweaned calves were born in February-March and have had one drench.
"We heard people were being offered 220c/kg in the paddock, so we hope prices are as good or better in the yards, but it is all a bit of a gamble," Graham said.
D. Robertson, Nangana, Grassdale
THE Nangana calves walk calmly across the pastures at Doug Robertson's Grassdale property.
"The thing I like about the Banquet bloodline that I use is it gives the cattle a great temperament," Doug said.
"They are very quiet and easy to handle."
Doug is set to sell 170 Angus steers and 130 heifers and expects the top calves to weigh up to 400kg this season.
Last year, his top steers weighed 389kg with an average weight of 344kg.
They made good money at about $610.
The healthy-looking calves will be yard-weaned a month out from the sale, treated for bovillus, have a 5-in-1 vaccine and be drenched.
"It is the best season in 20 years - we couldn't have ordered any better," Doug said.
SL & KL Robertson,Glenferrie, Paschendale
STEVE and Kay Robertson expect their calves to weigh in heavier this year, thanks to the ample grass on their Merino property.
They will sell their usual line-up of 80 steers and 60 heifers.
Steve said the steers would probably range in weight from 330-340kg.
"We had a cold winter here, but the good feed helped balance that out," he said.
Steers were yard-weaned on December 10 and the heifers one week later.
All the Robertson calves receive a 5-in-1 vaccine at marking time, plus a pour-on drench.
The Banquet-blood calves fetched an average of $600 a head last year and Steve, like most breeders, hopes for an even better result this year.
"About $700 a head would be a welcome price," he said.
N&F Young, Nevflo, Cullenya, Minhamite
AS many farmers have found this season, hay cutting and baling has proved a challenge for Neville and Florence Young at Caramut, due to the unseasonably wet and stormy weather.
But the rain has provided excellent pasture for the Cullenya calves.
This year, the offering will be comprised of 80 Angus-Hereford steers, 55 Poll Hereford steers, 45 Angus-Hereford heifers and 50 Poll Hereford heifers.
The 230 March-April-drop cattle are EU-accredited and have been given a 7-in-1 vaccine.
"This year's drop could weigh 300-360kg," Neville said.
"It has been a good autumn, but then the cool spring in this region could have set them back a bit."
They will be weaned before Christmas, in the yards, then into paddocks and have some supplementary feed.
The family bought the property 37 years ago.
Neville said the first 10 years had wet winters, but the next two decades had seen dry winters.
"But now we're back to the old wet winters and all the dams have filled," he said.
"But we're glad we put new tracks in this year, as we wouldn't have been able to get around otherwise.
"I hope they sell well."
DJ Lyons Partnership, Melville Park, Vasey
DAVID and Olwyn Lyons will send 36 steers and 25 heifers to the weaner sales in the new year.
The steer portion of the Melville Park-blood Herefords are sold through Landmark Hamilton and the heifers go via Elders Casterton.
David said his calves would be de-horned, drenched with 7-in-1 vaccines and treated with trace elements for fly protection.
Calving at Melville Park is from mid-March and David said he was very pleased with how they were growing.
"The season is good and there is plenty of grass," he said.
Melville Park's annual on-property bull sale is on Monday, February 28.
A line-up of 35 bulls will go under the hammer, including both polled and de-horned Herefords.
J&J Kane, Collingwood,Coleraine
JOHN and Jenny Kane will sell 70 steers and about 70 heifers.
"We keep a portion of heifers for our own self-replacement Banquet-blood herd," John said.
"We moved into Banquet cattle about five years ago.
"It has been a very good move and our cattle have improved greatly."
The calves will be weaned for the second year in a row.
"I am not convinced we get a premium for weaned calves and I think that is something that needs to be addressed," he said.
"We wean them in an area where they have good access to shade and water."
The Kane cattle are EU-accredited.
They are not drenched, as John said he believed in developing healthy soils that produced healthy pasture.
That, in turn, produces healthy animals and happy consumers.
"It is a simple philosophy and we are getting results," he said.
"We rotationally graze and faecal egg counts show we don't have worm issues."
John feeds his cattle supplements via the watering system and they also get a 5-in-1 injection.
"Steers this year could weigh up to 300kg and heifers 290kg," John said.
"That will be about the same weight as usual, due to the long, wet and cold winter."
The herd begins calving in March.
"We consistently have buyers coming down from southern Queensland and northern NSW seeking our cattle, as they like them for their moderate weights," John said.
Last year, the Kanes' steers fetched 177c/kg and heifers 175c/kg.
"This year, we'd expect 200-220c/kg," he said.
John, who went into farming after a professional career in government organisations, said he had decided to focus on cattle production and do it well, instead of trying to do too many different things at once.
Wondooma Partnership, Wondooma, Coleraine
KEVIN and Thelma Shaw, along with son Darryl, who works off-farm, run 100 cows and 300 sheep.
They are offering 40 Angus steers and 40 Angus heifers.
The Shaws' Angus calves, Boonaroo-blood, will be vaccinated and drenched.
Kevin estimates the property's heavier steers will weigh 350kg this year.
He said they were often snapped up by repeat buyers from the local area.
"We've had very good conditions, so I hope they sell well," Kevin said.
Glenesta Angus,Drumborg
HUSBAND-and-wife team Nigel and Elizabeth Paulet moved from careers in pharmacy and public relations to farming 11 years ago.
This year, they will sell about 90 autumn-drop steers.
The cattle have been treated with a 5-in-1 booster and drenched at weaning.
Nigel said the steers would be weaned for four to six weeks and be treated with Pestigard Vaccina two weeks before the sale.
He estimated the Glenesta steers would weigh 325-350kg this year, up on the 275kg that the tough, wet season produced last year.
"I believe in the auction system," he said.
"I think the weaner sales are a great annual fixture that I look forward to.
"It is the one time of year when I get to benchmark my cattle's performance against others."
