SOUTHERN buyers buoyed with recent rain chased the quality lines among the 800 head yarding at Dubbo store cattle sale last Friday.
The smaller yarding may have reflected the forecast of rain with some producers hanging on to stock a little longer, however, agents were satisfied with the result even at the cheaper rates sales have experienced but in line with prime cattle sales of the week.
Steers weaner values were down by at least $70 selling from $450 for crossbreds to $965 for a line of well presented Angus steers with the 140 head averaging $655 or 294 cents per kilogram.
There was only 40 yearling steers which sold from $710 to $920 a head.
The 120 weaner heifers, also $70 cheaper, sold from $390 for light crossbreds to $700 a head for Angus calves and averaged $535 or 267c/kg.
PTIC heifers ranged in price from $485 to $820 for some Red Angus among the 30 head while another 30 yearling heifers sold from $380 to $560, also Red Angus.
Values remained firm for the cows with calves section where some 200 units were offered and sold featuring a Poll Hereford herd dispersal of 49 units topping the sale at $1700 while other sales resulted in prices from $680 to $1620 for Shorthorn units.
PTIC cows made from $610 to $1240 for the Poll Herefords and several pens of dry cows sold from $550 to $690.
Carter Lindsay Weber agent, Steve Gay, said the cows with calves section sold well and up with Thursday’s prime cattle market values.
“These cows were in good condition considering the season and the calves were fresh,” he said.
“There were quite a few western cattle in the mix with all selling very well in comparison to yesterday’s prime sale where heifers could have been 20 cents cheaper on feeder heifers but the cow section was pretty strong yesterday and that helped out the cows with calves today.”
Feature of the sale was a stand-out line-up of drafts of quality Poll Hereford breeding units in a dispersal for Craig and Kerri Woods, Lockdale Pastoral Company, Narromine, whose 49 cows with calves topped at $1700 while younger PTIC cows sold to $1240 and older matrons to $1100.
Mackay family’s Winnabri Partnership, Trangie, sold 15 Poll Shorthorn seven-year-old cows with one to three month-old calves sold at $1620.
The Anderson family, “Koree”, Cambelligo, sold 54 Hereford cross cows PTIC to Angus bulls averaged $496 topping at $540 to a Canowindra restocker with the remainder selling to a Dubbo district restocker.
A consignment from Nyngan of 17 Angus and Murray Grey aged cows with calves one to three months sold to Mudgee for $1470.