Just over 700 head were yarded for Thursday’s Grafton store sale with cows and calves to $1540. Prices were back on last month.
Steers to 400 kilograms averaged $787 to top at $1083, compared to last month’s $853 average and $1123 top.
Heifers to 540kg averaged $606 topping at $1021 versus last month’s $732 average and $1164 top.
Cows sold open auction averaged $1132 and topped at $1540 compared to $1302 average and $1800 top in January.
Ron and Maxine Frame, Copmanhurst, sold a pen of six-tooth Charolais/ Brahman cross steers for 260c/kg or $1418 to Mark and Paul Carlton, Ulmarra. At this sale one year ago the same kind of cattle were making 320c/kg to 349c/kg.
Brian and Charlie Killmore, Kinchela, bid for the top priced pen of heavy steers, also bred by the Frame family, six-tooth mixed British with a touch of ear, 563kg at 254c/kg or $1433.
Mark and Paul Carlton, Ulmarra, weren’t far behind with a bid of $1418 for six-tooth Brahman cross, 545kg at 260c/kg.
Top-priced weaner steers by Heifer Station sold for 332c/kg or $1026. Another pen from the same Page family, Angus cross, 257kg, made 362c/kg or $933 selling to repeat buyer Don Skarratt, Carrs Peninsula.
The Matthews family, Chambigne, sold 14 weaned Angus, 259kg, for 348c/kg or $902 to Luke Matten, buying for his mum Jane, Upper Orara.
Derek Morgan, Nymboida, sold milk tooth Brahman cross steers, 378kg for 286c/kg to bring $1083.
Lance Timms, Brushgrove, purchased a late Valentine’s day present for his partner Desley Spencer - a pen of light Brangus 160kg for 260c/kg or $416.
Females in demand
Heifers from Carnana Station, Coombadjha, under manager Bryan Crispin, made to $1021, with Neville Beaumont, Dorrigo, buying the milk tooth red factor cross, 415kg for 246c/kg. It will be fed on silage for 70 days before going to Woolworths.
A second pen of similar, 352kg, made 218c/kg or $769 also going to Dorrigo.
Charolais/ Brahman cross heifers by the Page family Heifer Station, 275kh, made 264c/kg or $728.
A Speckle Park heifer, 215kg, made 298c/kg or $641 bought by Ken McNamara for Ruth Donohue, Seelands, who will put her to a stud Brahman bull and produce a “Brackle”. The keen under bidder, Neville Beaumont, Dorrigo, also had an idea to do with breeding.
Malcolm Lloyd, managing CQ Pastoral properties at Baryulgil and Frederickton, bought a number of cows with calves and will “freshen them up” on a good season’s worth of grass at Baryulgil before sending them to the lower Macleay for winter fattening.
Doboy Station on the Nymboida, which also has a Lloyd on the books, sold more than a dozen older Brahman first cross cows with big British and Euro calves for up to $1380, Riverview being the buyer.
Hosted by Farrell McCrohon and Ray Donovan agencies, the sale attracted buyers from Dorrigo, Glen Innes and Toowoomba with most staying on the North Coast.
