WEANERS sold to a firm market for the inaugural Armidale powerhouse weaner sale last Friday, with steers reaching 460 cents a kilogram and averaging 402c/kg and heifers making up to 394c/kg for an average of 350c/kg.
The 1550 head yarding included 1300 good quality New England weaners, as well as 160 breeders, and attracted demand from the Central West and New England as well as Queensland and South Australia.
Restockers were strong on all types, while lotfeeders were looking for heavier heifers weighing more than 280kg.
Lightweight steers sold from 420c/kg to 460c/kg, middleweight steers made between 390c/kg and 450c/kg, and heavy weaner steers ranged from 360c/kg to 400c/kg.
Henry Lookey, “Goodview”, Guyra, topped the steers at $1460, while Bob Church, “Haystack”, Guyra, had heifers that made $1250.
Lightweight weaner heifers ranged from 375c/kg to 394c/kg, middleweight heifers sold from 350c/kg to 385c/kg and heavy heifers made between 300c/kg and 340c/kg.
PTIC cows reached $1525 for eight- and nine-year-old Angus cows from Mr Church.
Cows and calves topped at $1640 for crossbred cows with young calves from Richard Young, “Thistlebank”, Tingha.
“It was a good quality yarding a few big lines of cattle and the cattle had plenty of weight in them,” said agent Craig Waters, Davidson Cameron and Company Guyra.
“As winter comes numbers will drop around here, so I think the market will firm.”