GRASS is king and under-pins buying trends at saleyards, especially in the Riverina at Wagga Wagga where this week restockers and feeders euchred processors and were market drivers for much of the 2550-head prime cattle yarding on Monday.
Calves up to 200 kilograms liveweight fetched up to 620 cents/kg, while yearling steers sold to a top of 530c/kg and heifers made to 440c/kg.
Nutrien Livestock, Wagga manager, Peter Cabot, agreed Monday's sale was "hot".
"It's been that way for the past five to six weeks," he said.
"Rain started here five weeks ago and the market has absolutely gone crazy since."
Mr Cabot said restockers were holding their own as it was now a "complete grass market".
"We are getting a lot of cattle from the Southern Tablelands and Monaro and there were heaps of local blokes here just buying cattle to put on crop.
"At this stage I don't think they are worried about how much they'll make out of them, they're more worried about just eating the crop down."
He said 620c/kg in ridiculous money for young calves, but that's what they are making.
"It's not just the odd sale, it's pen after pen, but buyers will grow them to 350kg to 500kg and sell them to feedlots."
Looking at the cow market, which increased by as much as eight cents/kg, Mr Cabot said if cows were big, fat and killable at 600kg to 700kg, they'd make over 300c/kg.
"But leaner cows are also making 300c/kg to 315c/kg because the store blokes are paying that amount for them," he said.
Riverina Livestock Agents P/L director and auctioneer, James Tierney, Wagga, agreed restockers were the drivers at Monday's prime sale.
"Restocker cattle were very dear and feeder cattle were also dearer, although there were very few fat cattle to quote, but what was there sold certainly dearer," he said.
"Feeder and store cows found a lot of competition as well, so those buyers were pushing processors on secondary cows, and have been for probably a month to six weeks."
At Dubbo on Thursday 1900 head are expected to be yarded, 500-head more than last week where restockers also dominated buying for younger cattle.
PT Lord Dakin and Associates' Mark Garland, said restocker calves were making just shy of 600c/kg for the black and black-baldy steers.
"Demand will keep the base solid of the market against processors because it's all numbers driven," he said.
"Grass is king at the moment and restockers will underpin it for a fair while yet, while ever there's feed about."
