Restockers saved their powder for day three of the annual George and Fuhrmann weaner sales at Casino with top priced heifers demanding $1700 a head.
The feature sale, with all lines of cattle carrying indicus cross with Hereford, and a smattering of Simmental and Angus, appealed greatly to the volume Queensland buyers in the steer department, while in the heifers the locals gave buyers from over the border a fair run for their money.
Of the 1299 head on offer the 723 Santa Gertrudis/Hereford steers filled the under-cover selling centre in a very consistent line to average 377 cents a kilogram or $1224 a head to reach a top of 418c/kg and $1525.
Best priced Santa-cross heifers, 693 head sold liveweight averaged $1449 to hit a peak of $1700 for the champion bred by John and Maree Smith, Woodenbong.
These future breeders met with stiff competition eventually going to repeat client Terry Murray, Tomki, who will put them to an Angus bull and offer them in calf at a later date.
Volume heifer buyer of those Santa/Hereford types bred by the Smith families was Dale Jones, Ivery Downs at Colinton, Qld, who bought 199 head, mainly from John and Maree Smith, and bid to $1560 for the tops.
He will put them to his own Speckle Park stud-bred bulls ahead of induction into their own feedlot.
"We will carry those calves right through," Mr Jones said.
The Fuhrmann family, Melaleuca south of Casino, paid up to $1500 for Smith heifers to put to Charolais bulls with weaner calves likely sold through George and Fuhrmann.
Yulgibar Santa Gertrudis stud paid to $1540 for heifers with their own sire genetics, bred by Jamie and Vanessa Smith, Urbenville.
Jim and Jan Smith, Townview, also sold the same cross heifers to $1540 with observers shaking their heads at the family's prowess, with one seasoned sale-watcher commenting, "I tried for 60 years to breed calves like those."
Indeed judge Joe Streeter, Kaminya at Taroom, Qld, said he had been visiting the Casino sales for 30 years and continued to be "blown away every year by the quality of cattle.
"Santa/Herefords suit us at home and we'll keep buying them," he said.
Mr Smith, who mows kikuyu paddocks to keep them in a vigorous growing phase, blamed the excellent season for his efforts, insisting these weaners were eight to nine months old off their mothers with no grain supplement.
Certainly these breeders were in a different class but others sold very well on the day.
Champion Bos indicus-cross heifers, Brahman/Hereford, with Bizzy and Jomanda blood on the sire side put to McPherson and Reid Partnership bred Hereford heifers by Darryl Amos, Old Bonalbo, sold for $1300 to Melaleuca to join with Charolais.
The top pen of this cross made $1460 and the average of 45 heifers sold was $1384.
"They were true weaners, just off mum," Mr Amos said. "The cows had access to dry lick."
The Amos steers captured bids to 404c/kg for 260kg or $1050, going to the Budd family's enterprise Cooga, at Wandoan, Qld, to background on buffel grass and finish on grain.
Keith and Jacky Larsson, Mallanganee, sold red Brahman/Hereford steers that made 398c/kg, or $1225 also going to Taroom, Qld, to background on buffel grass.
Mr Larsson, who swaps replacement breeders with his brother Stuart, sold heifers of the same cross to $1020.
Droughtmaster/Hereford heifers, with McPherson blood, from Paul and Wendy Carter, Afterlea, sold for $1080 to Warwick, Qld where they will run with a Charolais bull.
Their brothers sold for 392c/kg.
Darryl Summers Brahman/Hereford sold for 398c/kg to Wandoan, Qld.
Tallawa Partnership, Mallanganee, sold Brahman/Angus to 416c/kg, to be backgrounded and later fed on Cooaga, Wandoan.
The sale was hosted by George and Fuhrmann.
