A HEALTHY spring, elevated demand for breeding stock and healthy online competition produced record prices at Hamilton’s annual Spring Store Cattle Sale on Thursday, with weaner heifers selling to 485c/kg.

The 1684 head penned drew massive interest from far eastern Victorian and northern Australia, with feedlotters beaten on the bid by restockers from previously drought and fire-affected regions.

“To be honest, this is one of the dearest store sales I’ve ever seen … the heifers are the dearest ever sold at Hamilton,” Lanyons Stock and Station Agents manager, Warren Clark said.

“There was hardly an animal sold under $4 a kilo; our first pen sold to 422c, the best 520c/kg.

“We had one fella, who sold cows four weeks ago, he had calves off them and said to whack them in; they were around 90kg lighter than calves he sold at the weaner sales and got $200 more for them.

“We’ve got grass right through this eastern seaboard now, lack of numbers in the far north … we struggled through the weaner sales, probably got out reasonably well with an unknown season, but since then we’ve had a marvellous winter, the north has had rain and they’re looking for quality grass-fed cattle.

“The prices were just through the roof.”

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