BETTER cattle prices in 2015 have agents and vendors confident a fall of rain will maintain the market coming into the southern autumn weaner sales.
Southern NSW sales will start next week with the Cooma special calf sale on April 1.
Monaro Livestock and Property director of livestock Will Dixon, Cooma, said the amount of rainfall in the next fortnight would determine how the market shaped up.
But, he said expectations were positive given the buyer support the autumn sales attracted.
About 4200 cattle will be offered at the Cooma sale, mostly ranging from six to nine months of age.
Mr Dixon said the bulk of the young yarding would be Angus, with Hereford calves and black baldies also offered.
With feed limited on the western side of the ranges, the autumn market could slip away if rain held off, he said.
The season on the Monaro had been so good that Monaro Livestock and Property will this year hold a second calf sale on April 29.
"We've been blessed with the best season in living memory," Mr Dixon said.
"We had a long spring and we didn't have a summer really - we maintained green feed the whole way through.
"We have surplus feed so the second sale will allow people to put more weight on their calves because we can afford to hold them longer."
If rain arrived, Mr Dixon said Angus steers could hit 270 cents a kilogram (liveweight) while better heifers would be expected to make 230c/kg.
Given many producers had sold off dry cows and surplus females, he predicted heifers to sell well.
It's a similar story at Tumut, with its annual autumn sale scheduled for April 8.
McAlister Saunderson Stubbs co-principal Rob Stubbs, Tumut, said price expectations were strong across the board.
About 800 weaner steers, along with 700 weaner heifers, pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) females, and cows and calves, would make up the yarding.
Mr Stubbs said the market for breeder cattle should remain firm and buyers were expected to chase well-bred replacement females.
"With the amount of females that have been through the prime system, females should sell really well," Mr Stubbs said.
"Yearling heifers have also been making good money through feedlots so I think there will be strong demand for our females."
He said buyers often came from the Riverina, Victoria and South Australia, and weather permitting, from the north, too.
In particular, there had been early interest from Central West buyers.
"All our cattle are vendor bred - that's the big catch cry of our sales," he said.
"Whatever premium is out there, it usually comes to the surface about this time - we're expecting strong rates, above previous years' good results."
"A lot of vendors have stepped up and want to capitalise on this sale."
On June 12, Gundagai will host its 74th annual weaner sale.
In the morning, 1200 cattle will be sold at Abingdon Station, Gundagai, followed by 4000 steers and heifers at the saleyards.
"By June we'll normally have had our break, and there's confidence to go in and buy when you know what winter and spring is looking like," said McAlister Saunderson Stubbs co-principal Abb McAlister, Gundagai.
"This sale attracts return buyers - it's always top quality and the buyers know that."
The bulk of the yarding will be Angus and Angus-cross, with six to seven-month-old weaners up to 14- to 15-month-old steers and heifers offered.
"We've had good summer rains but some further rain is vital to the cattle market overall," he said.
"If we get the seasons to go with us the next few years are looking really good."
Aiming high at Tumut
PAT Murray expects his steers to achieve the best price in years when they go under the hammer at Tumut on April 8.
He will also offer Angus cows with calves.
Given he sold the unjoined sisters of the cows six weeks ago for $1150, he hoped the market would keep enough momentum to return $1500 on his 12, three-year-old cows with January/February calves at foot next month.
Mr Murray runs 170 head across his two properties, "Rosebowlee", Tumut, and "Gadara", Adelong.
He said buyer competition was the benefit of selling at the autumn sale.
"This sale offers proper breeders' cattle; they're locally bred and the buyers know what they're taking home," he said.
Mr Murray (pictured) will also offer 20, 15-month-old steers and hoped to achieve his best price in years if the market stayed where it was.
"In the past two months the spike in cattle prices has been unreal; I haven't seen such a sudden rise in a lot of years," Mr Murray said.
"Everybody has been cashing in on cows, it's a good time to be selling breeders."