Wet spurs restocker raid

Paull and Scollard manager Richard Wynne, Corowa, said it was evident that demand was concentrated on the quality end of the 6000 sheep offered.

“It was a sale that saw the quality sheep sell very well, but plain sheep out of condition were hard going,” Mr Wynne said.

Indicative prices included autumn 2015 drop ewe lambs ready to join ranging in price from $148 to $200, while younger ewe lambs sold from $120 to $144.

Older ewes scanned-in-lamb from three-and-half-years-old sold to $186, while four-and-half-year-old ewes made to $182, and older ewes to $146.

Representative pens of ewes sold included 58 autumn 2015 drop ewes sold by Whitty and Beesley, from Burrumbuttock for $148, and 80 June/July 2015 drop ewes, September shorn account the Marshall family, “Noorumbah”, Burrumbuttock, which made $142.

Major Ridge Pty Ltd, “Inglebar”, Mulwala, sold 229 April/May 2015 drop, October shorn ewes for $188, and J.W. Boyd, “Uyanyah”, Brocklesby, sold 140 April/May 2015 drop, December shorn ewes for $170.

Big Red Pastoral Company, “Park Hill”, Bungowanna, sold 210 August/September 2010 drop ewes, September shorn and depastured to White Suffolk rams for $131.

Corcoran and Parker manager Clynton Rixon, Corowa, quoted the sale as having “limited competition on late drop ewe lambs and secondary quality sheep”.

Local restockers were active, competing with buyers from central and southern Victoria and Denilquin.

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) updated its Cattle Industry Projections on Wednesday.

MLA market information manager Ben Thomas said the cattle industry would be influenced by a number of extreme forces in 2016.

“From a cattle supply point of view, numbers during the coming two years will fall to levels not seen in more than 20 years,” Mr Thomas said.

“This alone will more than likely stimulate strong competition between restockers, feedlots and processors for the limited availability.”

The national herd is estimated to fall to 26.2 million head by June 30, before declining slightly again in 2017, to 25.9 million head. If this occurs, it will represent a 3.4 million head, or 12 per cent, fall since 2013 and become the lowest national herd for 24 years (1993).

SCOTT Simshauser from Landmark Tamworth was riding high on bragging rights at Tamworth Regional Livestock Exchange (TRLX) on Monday morning after blowing the 400 cents a kilogram well and truly out of the water with a pen of lightweight vealer steers.

The steers were sold by Agmon Investments and made 430c/kg.

The previous high at TRLX was 400c/kg, also for vealer steers sold by Landmark, just two weeks ago.

At an estimated weight of 170kg the outstanding Angus calves were expected to return $731.

QUEENSLAND restockers took advantage of the Dubbo market and one of the biggest store cattle sale yardings for several months to secure close to a third of the female offering of 2800 head yarded last Friday.

P.T. Lord, Dakin’s Mark Garland, Dubbo, said steers were firm to a fraction dearer.

“It’s probably the biggest store sale were seen for a good while, but a very solid market,” he said.

Cattle came from mostly far west areas with weaner steers selling from $420 for very light crossbreds to $1000 a head for top quality Angus in good condition to average $732 or 327 cents a kilogram (liveweight).

Yearling steers sold from $660 to $1210 while weaner heifers ranged from $445 to $840 and yearling heifers from $690 to $1060.

Cows with calves ranged from $860 to $1690 a unit and pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) cows sold from $700 to $1180.

Botobolar Pastoral, Mudgee, sold 23 Angus steers, 10 months, for $975 while Umbanga Pastoral Partnership, sold 35 Hereford steers 12 to 13 months for $1030.

Among the cows with calves offering was a line of 16 black baldy mixed-aged cows with calves making $1690 a unit, for Mingunyah Pastoral Company, Dubbo. Ulendeah Pty Ltd, Bellata, sold 23 Hereford cows with calves for $1480 a unit, plus five Charolais cow and calf units, same description, at $1550.

NEARLY 900 good quality cattle were yarded for the Tamworth store sale last Friday.

There was strong restocker demand, with buyers mainly coming from the Tamworth region and Mudgee.

Steers sold from $900 to a top of $1165 for yearling steers from Milton Doyle, "St Kilda", Dungowan. 

Weaner steers made between $550 and $1010, with Angus steers sold by Gary and Marilyn Pursehouse, Duri, getting the top price.

Heifers sold from $750 to $1010 for 10- to 12-month-old heifers from McNeil Pastoral, Blackville.

Vealer heifers topped at $1000 for seven- to nine-month-old Angus heifers from the Pursehouse family.

Cows with calves made between $1000 and $2000.

Greg Lye, "Boxhill", Tamworth, topped the cows with calves section selling Angus cows with Angus/Black Simmental calves at foot.

Pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) heifers sold from $900 to $1320, with the Doyle family’s Angus heifers topping the PTIC section.

Agent Ian Morgan said the sale was ”fully firm” on the previous store sale. He expected the store sale next week would be much larger.

”I would expect the prices to remain the same and the demand to continue with the rain that’s been about,” he said.

“There is still very strong and consistent demand from restockers across much of the region.”