A TOP quality yarding led to a high of $2280 for pregnancy-tested-in-calf females at the Gunnedah female sale on Thursday.
The 1800-head yarding, which included 500 well-bred Angus breeders in a herd dispersal from “Keelendi”, Pilliga, sold to restockers at Tamworth, Barraba, Gunnedah, Narrabri and the Hunter Valley.
Breeding units topped at $2460 for Tim and Marnie O’Brien’s first pen of “Keelendi” cows and calves. They were rising six-year-old Angus cows with calves and PTIC to Angus bulls.
Greg Maguire, Powerhouse Pastoral, “Tindaroo”, Nundle, had the top PTIC cows, with his black Simmental three-year-old cows, on their second calf, making $2280. PTIC heifers sold to a top of $2020, for four pens of two-year-old heifers from “Keelendi”.
Davidson Cameron and Co agent Hunter Harley, Narrabri, said good breeders would continue to attract strong demand going into winter.
“It was an outstanding sale because restockers are happy to pay for good quality breeders – they appreciate the genetics behind these cows,” he said.
“We’re still down on numbers and we’re finding that people have sold their weaners and their empty cows, taking advantage of the good prices, so I think there’s good demand for breeders.”