Scott Golding, Lake Creek, Lake Cargelligo, was pleasantly surprised when he sent 29 vealers for sale at Central West Livestock Exchange, Forbes, on Monday to see 10 Limousin/Angus vealers average $1442 a head (419.2 cents a kilogram).
He was aiming to give his cows a break before they calved in two months, and decided to offload the vealers, that were nine to 10 months.
"We just sent them over there because they were ready to go," Mr Golding said.
"When the agent (Forbes Livestock) told me what they'd brought I thought 'fantastic'. I didn't think they'd go that good."
Mr Golding's vealers weighed 342kg, with another lot of four Limousins making 427.2c/kg bringing $1302, the best results from his offering.
Forbes Livestock's Jake Grace said "these blokes held on during the drought it's a great reward for them".
Mr Golding had partially destocked in April, but held on with a core herd and now was benefitting from the good season near Lake Cargelligo, with the lake storage at 64 per cent full and rising, a sign of how things have changed, and how well his vealers had done.
Vealers ranged from 412c/kg to 428c/kg at Forbes on Monday where the quality was high.
Across NSW vealers had generally been trending about 10c/kg dearer in the past week.
MC Herd bought the whole of the vealers on offer at Forbes, put up for sale by Mr Golding's Lake Creek Pastoral and also Sweet Grass Livestock, that averaged 302.1kg at 419.1c/kg, averaging $1265.
Kevin Miller Whitty Lennon and Co agent Luke Whitty, Forbes, said there were quite a few vealers poking through the market after the "colossal" season. Most entered the market in the 360kg to 400kg weight range.
Vealers had also been hitting the high-mark at Singleton where European-cross breeds made up the bulk of the offerings.
Nathan Thirkell, Bailey Property and Livestock, Singleton, said the market was certainly on the up for vealers.
"We probably have one of the best vealer markets around," he said.
Some European-cross vealers had recently gone 444c/kg to 448c/kg at the high end of the market. That was compared to about 425c/kg a few weeks ago.
The demand was still strong despite the pressure from coronavirus restrictions affecting restaurants.
"Generally vealers will go to your wholesalers or your butcher shops," he said.
"The market is still very strong for vealers despite what is going on."
At Casino on Wednesday, 650 vealers went to market and T&W McCormack's Peter McCormack said good vealers were becoming scarce.
"The market is good, it's strong," he said.
Store interest is a big part of it too, he said.
Vealers at Casino were generally bringing 410c/kg to 420c/kg.
"The good ones are very very scarce," he said.
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