World News – UA – Innovative Marketing Exposes Kimberley Cattle to Hot Red Eastern State Young Cattle Market – Beef Central

HAVING the right cattle, in the right place, at the right time in the market cycle saw a breeding station in Kimberley (WA) achieve extraordinary sales results for 2,100 young cattle offered on AuctionsPlus on Friday last

Currently tapping into the feverish Eastern States market for information and restocking cattle, Hancock Prospecting’s Fossil Downs station on Friday offered 1,600 Droughtmaster Information steers and some 500 heifer sisters.

The ads featured a very unusual selling feature: The seller paid all freight from their home port near Fitzroy Crossing, Wash., to the Roma sales center in southern Queensland (or equivalent)

The move effectively exposed Fossil Downs cattle to a much larger potential buying audience, amid unprecedented demand for quality young cattle in eastern Australia

Yard records have been set for young cattle in the eastern states in recent weeks (see the current Roma store sales report, click here), and the youth indicator Eastern cattle (a combination of yearling steer and heifer and states calf prices) yesterday hit 7875c / kg, just below the record 793c / kg set earlier this month

The 1,600 Droughtmaster Info steers and 500 heifers offered by Fossil Downs on Friday set all-time records for the sale of Kimberley-based cattle – even with the large freight component deducted

The steer part was 6 to 12 months old, with the light end weighing an average of 155 kg for a phenomenal live weight of 642 c / kg, while steers heavier at 230 kg made 575 c

Another major draw to shoppers of stores in short supply today was the sheer size of the single-brand cattle supply

The steer part went in three ways, all intended to get into fattening programs after setting the background A heavier line went to a briefing in South Queensland which is aligned with a large grain farm; a second line went to a feedlot information buyer in the Hunter Valley area of ​​New South Wales; and the third went to an information shopper in the Riverina area of ​​southern New South Wales

The 500 Droughtmaster heifers offered Friday, aged 7 to 16 months, saw the heaviest end weighing an average of 200 kg do 536 c / kg, while the lighter 155 kg heifers made 547 c, both lots heading to briefing materials in the southern WA region Again, both prices were easily all-time records for heifers raised in Kimberley

This isn’t the first Kimberley shipment that the Northern Rural Supplies marketing agent has offered with the Freight Incentive this year, however, with three previous offers completed – but Friday was by far the most important Before 2020 , however, the ‘freight compensation’ strategy had never been attempted, but the surge in the value of young cattle in the east this year was the catalyst

Normally, Fossil Downs would keep these steers and heifers at heavier weights and sell them in the live export market within a year, but the seller made the decision to take advantage of the current grass fever in the States. from the East for young cattle Friday’s sales had « completely wiped out » the reserve placed on cattle ahead of the sale, Beef Central was told

Indeed, the steer part probably made more dollars / head than if it had been held an extra season and sold on boats in 2021, weighing perhaps 100kg heavier. For comparison, Indonesian steer boats above 300kg in the Kimberley are currently doing around 350-355c / kg

Another big factor in Friday’s historic sale was the breed type and reputation of Fossil Downs for handling cattle

It’s fair to say that the higher grade Brahman cattle, typical of the Kimberley region, would not have attracted the same support from restaurateurs in the southeastern states

All of the cattle in the Fossil Downs Friday sale were direct sires from Droughtmaster, using high-priced bulls from some of Queensland’s top Droughtmaster studs including Glenlands, Valera Vale, Piggotts, SC, Lynsey Park , Barlyne and Munda Reds Most bids were 50% at five-eighth Bos Indicus, with a good percentage described as flatbacks

The quality of the yard is clearly evident in the AuctionsPlus reviewer, the photos of Todd Walsh posted here and at the top of the page, taken by Stacey Ford Photography

« The beauty of the Droughtmaster cattle here is that they have enough content to get on a boat, or can return to the feeder / background market like those steers and heifers from Fossil Downs », Andrew Stewart of Northern Rural Supplies Broome said

So how much will it cost the seller to land the Fossil Downs steer portion in Rome?

Hancock has chosen not to comment on this article, but we have asked the securities industry for an « educated guess »

Loading these light steers at 38 on the bridge, it is estimated that the trip from Fitzroy Crossing to Roma will cost $ 133 per head This is based on a freight rate of $ 150 / bridge / km, but it is possible that Hancock negotiated a cheaper rate with the carriers, given the scale of their business.It’s also possible that Hancock would use the return trip to haul a few bulls west as return freight, given recent sales of Droughtmaster Spring Bulls

Expected shipping cost of $ 133 / head does not include spelling extended to Katherine and Winton, en route Expect to add spelling fee of 75c / head / day, plus $ 70 / fat round bale of hay (one bale per deck per day), and spelling class unloading / loading fee of $ 10 / deck

With optimal animal welfare outcomes in mind, Oxen are given extra long spelling when stopping at Katherine and Winton en route Including extended spelling, it will take a week and a half for cattle to arrive in Rome, Beef Central was told

Andrew Stewart of Northern Rural Supplies said his company sold more Kimberley region cattle this year than ever before, as local producers took advantage of sharp swings in prices for young cattle

Hancock bought 400,000 ha Fossil Downs from longtime owners of the Henwood family in 2015 Hancock has invested heavily in high quality Droughtmaster genetics since then The Fossil Downs herd is widely regarded as perhaps the best herd Large-scale, controlled-mated Droughtmaster in Northern Australia

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Interesting The Studs Mentioned The Fossil Downs cow herd has a huge influence on Minlacowie and Wingfield Genetics, as original owners John and Annette Henwood have sourced many sires from our studs for many years John was very particular in his sire selection Selection of lighter colored bulls Polled with very tidy sheaths Length, scale and bone with good strong heads are also very important for John John and Annette made a amazing job moving their cattle herd to one of the best Droughtmaster herds in the area If not the best

Cattle, Roma, Droughtmaster