WEANER selling in Northern NSW has hit top gear, with a good quality line-up of mostly Angus calves at Tenterfield last week bringing prices up to $180 a head better than last year.
Coastal weaner specialists are today gearing up for the final two days of the big George and Fuhrmann event at Casino, with close to 3500 head expected.
The European Breeds Sale will be held on Thursday and Bos Indicus breeds will be lined up on Friday, both from 11am.
Consistent good performers at the Casino weaner sales, Simmental-cross breeders Bruce and Sandra Jorgensen, “The Valley” at Mummulgum, say 2015 calves in their region are looking very good.
“The quality is there - most people have not deviated from their breeding program,” Mr Jorgensen said.
“We weaned replacement heifers two months earlier and there were no dramas. We feed them well and they handled it.
“We sold off our excess heifers and that gave us more grass so when we did get the rain, there were not as many mouths to feed and they all jumped ahead.”
The Jorgensens will have 110 European Union crossbred steers on offer at Thursday's sale, all by South Australian Simmental bulls selected for high milk and high growth figures.
“We’ve aimed to source bloodlines that fatten on grass and grain as our steers are sought by feedlots, backgrounders and grass fatteners,” Mr Jorgensen said.
“We’ve bred growth into them while maintaining softness.
“We’ve just been to SA to buy more bulls to keep the program going and this year’s bulls are in the top ten percent of breed average for milk and 200, 400 and 600 day growth.”
Hereford-Simmental breeder Ron Dean “Clifton Pines”, west of Casino, supplemented with protein to keep cows milking and says the 100 steers he will have on offer at Casino are ‘as even a line as I’ve ever had’.
Beef consultant Bill Hoffman said coastal weaner producers were in a far better position now than they were this time last year and general confidence in the industry was much higher.
“The frantic times just after Christmas have settled into a more sustainable situation across all sectors, from feedlot steers to the lighter restocker calves through to slaughter cattle,” he said.
“While seasonal conditions are still variable, with some parts very dry there is a fairly positive feeling."
Lines of top-end Northern Tablelands-bred weaner cattle, mostly Angus and black baldy, attracted a strong contingent of backgrounders and feedlot steer producers plus a few bullock fatteners to take prices to a top of $933 at the Tenterfield Feature Angus and All Breeds Sale last Thursday.
There was a 99 per cent clearance of 2100 head which averaged $630.87.
Shan Goodwin
Journalist for The Land on the North Coast.
Journalist for The Land on the North Coast.
