Most
of NSW and Victoria received between 25 and 50 mm of rain last weekend which
was very welcome. There was also good
rain in some parts of Queensland but it appears that most of WA and SA missed
out.
Cattle
prices have risen due to the rain with the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator
rising 6.25 c/kg to 369 c/kg, the highest level since March but still 31 c/kg
lower than the same time last year.
There were some very good sales of Limousin and Limousin X cattle this
week as reported in sale toppers.
A confirmatory test on a 4-year-old dairy cow for bovine spongiform
encephalopathy came back positive last week. Given the animal's age, it would
have been exposed to BSE after the implementation of Canada's feed ban in
1997. Secretary of Ag Mike Johanns has
dispatched an expert from USDA to participate in the investigation.
This
is a serious issue for Canada because it appears that the animal became
infected a long time after the feed ban.
At this stage it does not appear that the USA will again close the
border to animals younger than 30 months but even if they did Canada is in a
much better position with greatly increased slaughtering capacity compared to
when the border was first closed. It
will certainly not help the re-entry of Canadian beef into Japan and
Korea. A McD
Japan rejected a single box of U.S. roast beef that was mistakenly
included in a shipment of pork and turkey, an incident that USDA officials say
will not interfere with resumption of beef exports to Tokyo. A single 15-pound
box of sliced roast beef was discovered on July 11 in a larger shipment that
contained about 1,223 cases of frozen sliced turkey breast and frozen sliced
ham.
The
USA are not doing a very good job of convincing the Japanese that their quality
control is of a high level. A McD
In
their first single vendor auction sale of bulls Les and Margaret Alcorn of
Greenacres Limousins at Quirindi, NSW sold 27 of the 28 bulls offered for an
average of $2,750 at Gunnedah Saleyards last Friday.
Top
price of $4,000 was paid twice by Rex and Mark Warden, Bernau Station, Tamworth
who have bought from the stud for nearly 20 years. Top price was paid for 23 month old Greenacres Zimmerman. The Warden's bought four bulls for an
average of $3,625.
Volume
buyer was Norton Crane buying for Dick Austen's Glencoe property at
Coonabarabran who purchased 10 bulls to a top of $3,000 and an average of
$2,525.
Bill
and Patricia Hobson, "Quia", Gunnedah paid $3,570 for Greenacres Zeal
and Stewart and Michelle Graham of "Wirindi", Manilla paid $3,500 for
Greenacres Zabaks.
There
were 10 new buyers of Greenacres bulls in the 14 who purchased bulls.
In a 100% clearance eleven
Limousin bulls sold to a top of $5,500 and an average of $4,636 at the AgGrow
Multibreed sale last week. John and
Rosemaree McCarthy's team of eight bulls topped at $5,500 twice and averaged
$5,062. Tony Zeller of Braeside
Limousins also sold a bull at $5,500.
The
next group of BREEDPLAN workshops offered by the Southern Beef Technology
Services will be held at the following venues:
31st
July – Seymour, Vic.
3rd
August – Sale, Vic.
7th
August – Launceston, Tas.
10th
August – Burnie, Tas.
If
you are a BREEDPLAN member or interested in recording your herd in BREEDPLAN
these workshops are well worth attending.
If you are a Limousin member living in the vicinity of these workshops
and would like an on-farm visit from one of the SBTS team to discuss specific BREEDPLAN
or data input issues please contact me.
Stephen
and Laurice Hope of Shamar Park Limousins had a couple of outstanding sales at
Echuca last week. They sold two
"heifers" one of which was 12 years old which weighed an average of
630 kg for 171.2 c/kg or $1,079. They
also sold a heifer milk vealer by a Belgian Blue X Angus bull out of a Limousin
cow weighing 275 kg for 246.2 c/kg or $677.
Mike
and Pat Perkins, "The Ranch", Quirindi topped the steer section of
the Tamworth market with 26 grain assisted milk and two tooth Limousin X steers
on Monday. Weighing an average of 563.8 kg they averaged 212.5 c/kg or
$1,198. The 10 heaviest steers at 582
kg made 211.2 c/kg or $1,229 and the nine lightest at 544.4 kg made 213.8 c/kg
or $1,164. The steers were sold by Ian
Morgan Livestock to Cargill Meats.
Don
and Sarah Riley sold five pure Limousin steers after 70 days on grain weighing
512 kg for 214.6 c/kg or $1,116 at Gunnedah on Wednesday. The steers were bred by Les and Margaret
Alcorn who sold their brothers in their bull sale last Friday. The agent was
Elders and Cargill Meats bought these steers also.
Warren
and Carlene Scifleet sold two 14 year old cows this week with an average weight
of 740 kg at 155.2 c/kg or $1,148 at the Binnaway Saleyards.
29th July: Casino Multi-breed Bull Sale, NSW.
5th August: Tanholm On-line Bull Sale, Qld (catalogue on the web).
11th August: Northern Limousin Breeders' Sale, Scone, NSW (catalogue on the
web).
29th August: Birubi On Property Production Sale, Borambola, Via Wagga Wagga,
NSW (catalogue on the web).
1st September: Glenview Western Bull Sale, Roma, Qld (catalogue on the web).
2nd September: 16th Annual
Hunter Valley Limousin Sale, Singleton, NSW (catalogue on the web).
9th September: Southern NSW Limousin
Breeders' Sale, Moss Vale, NSW.
26th September: QTL Tramahler Bull Sale, Rockhampton, Qld.
29th
September: Stevens Limousins Female and
Bull Sale, Birriwa, NSW.
24th
November: Classic Limousin Female Sale,
Culcairn, NSW.
29th
January 2007: Premier and Partners in
Progress Production Sale, NSW.
Yours in Limousin
Alex McDonald