Strong demand for top-quality weaners drew a large crowd to the Armidale weaner sale on Friday which saw steers hit 378 cents per kilogram.
A 2024-head yarding of predominantly black Angus cattle from the New England region attracted a wide buying circle with purchasers ranging from local New England areas and a solid buying contingent from Queensland, encompassing Dalby, Roma, Warwick and Chinchilla.
The strong market saw steers reach a top of 378c/kg and average 323c/kg, while weaner heifers topped at 324c/kg, averaging 255c/kg and yearling heifers made a top of 288c/kg to average 265c/kg.
The best of the weaner steers topped at 378c/kg for under 300kgs, to make $954 and average $865 per head, going predominantly to be backgrounded for grain and antibiotic-free, grass-fed markets and feedlotters.
Steers between 280kg and 330kg made to 369c/kg to average 340c/kg, and $1,058 per head, while weaners over 300kg sold from 306c/kg to 320c/kg and averaged $1,194 per head.
Weaner heifers to 200kg made 324c/kg, with the 200kg to 280kg range selling from 256c/kg to 286c/kg, averaging $650 per head. Medium weight heifers sold to 271c/kg to make $856.
Heifers pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) in the 450kg-plus range sold to $1500, while the remainder averaged $1059 per head.
Anthony and Kerry Bull, "Byron", Guyra topped the steers at $1244, while George Rose, Longford Angus Stud, "Longford", Armidale made the top price for heifers at $1500 per head with 12 head PTIC to a low-birthweight Longford Angus bull, due to commence calving in August for six weeks.
Among the larger lines of cattle were 500 head of Angus and crossbred heifers, pregnancy-tested empty, from James Harris, Abington Station, Uralla which sold to a top of 288c/kg for $1152 per head and averaged 280c/kg.
David, Louise and Mark Carolan, Nalorac Pastoral Company, "Lyndhurst", Armidale offered 300 black Angus steers and 80 black Angus heifers, EU-accredited. The yard weaned steers, which averaged 233kg, were in high demand, making a top of 378c/kg.
Ray White Rural Guyra/Armidale selling agent Blake O'Reilly said the day saw a very strong market pushed by the demand for quality lines of EU-accredited, yard-weaned weaner steers.
“Steers sold to 378c/kg and on the current market I’d say that’s up by about 40 cents, driven by the renowned performance of the vendors’ weaner steers,” Mr O’Reilly said.
“The weaner heifers got to 324c/kg and that’s probably 30 to 40 cents dearer for light-weight, well-bred Angus heifer weaners, but all the heavier British and Euro heifers were firm on the current weekly market.”
Ray White Armidale will offer 3500 Angus and Angus-sired, New Engalnd-bred weaners at its second weaner sale on Friday May 4.
