WIDESPREAD rain across most cattle producing regions lifted weaner prices by 30 to 40 cents a kilogram, or as much as $150 a head, and turned the saleyard mood completely around at the final two days of the big George and Fuhrmann sale at Casino last Thursday and Friday.
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Steers sold to a top of $760 and average $552 at the European Breeds Sale on Thursday, while Friday's Bos Indicus Breeds Sale recorded a top of $714 for steers and $560 for heifers.
Top-end steers were making 190c/kg to 215c/kg, compared to 170c/kg to 180 at day one of the annual three-day sale just a week earlier, while the top pen of heifers at that first sale made just $350.
Repeat custom once again underpinned the solid result, with European Union-accredited hotly contested, although cattle did go as far as Victoria, South Australia and Meandarra in Queensland.
There was an increased number of yard-weaned pens and calves vaccinated against bovine respiratory disease on offer.
The Thursday sale saw 1248 sold while Friday saw 1788 sold, both for a total clearance, which was more than 1800 back on the same sales last year.
Many smaller coastal weaner operations were forced to sell earlier due to the ongoing dry conditions.
Other operations that did have feed opted to hold onto cattle waiting on what they believe will be an even bigger turnaround in coming weeks.
The top pen on Thursday were EU Charolais steers bred by father and son Ken and Michael Somerville, "Girraween", Tabulam, which went to big Northern Tablelands finishers Jackson Agriculture.
Graham Jackson said the 143 mostly European content cattle bought out of Casino at the two sales, for an average $580 or about the 200c/kg mark, will go to the company's Ebor property.
It was the second consecutive year "Girraween" has topped that sale, and all up the Somervilles sold 152 mostly Charolais, with a few Shorthorn-cross steers, to a $680 average.
They then bought the top pen of heifers at the Friday sale, Santa Gertrudis/Herefords from John and Maree Smith's "Glen Ayr", Wooden- bong, as "new blood" supplements to their own replacement heifers.
Paul and Jenny Fuhrmann's "Nelow" at Mummulgum supplied the calves judged champion overall pen of weaners at the European Breeds Sales via EU Charolais steers that made $650 to Greg Upton, Upton Pastoral at Walcha.
The Fuhrmanns sold 180 head to a $615 average.
Upton took 542 EU steers, the majority weaned, to a $623 average.
Most were European-cross and Santa/Herefords.
In the short-term Mr Upton will be looking for agistment for the majority of the Casino purchases.
"We would have paid 170c/kg the week before for these steers but with the turnaround we paid 190c/kg to 195c/kg on Thursday and 210c/kg on Friday - that's the difference rain makes," Mr Upton said.
Bruce and Sandra Jorgensen, "The Valley", Mummulgum, sold 93 EU Simmental-cross steers to a top of $638 to Jackson Agriculture and an average $580.
The Friday sale saw 1203 steers average $490 and 585 heifers average $410.
Ray Humphreys, "Welbatch", Mum- mulgum, supplied the top pen of steers, yard-weaned EU Santa/ Herefords, average weight 300kg, which went to Upton.
"Welbatch" sold 125 steers to an average $588, which was only $7 down on last year's average.
Jim and Jan Smith's "Townview Pastoral", Urbenville, sold 173 EU Santa/Hereford steers to an average of $527 and 167 heifers to a $442 average.
Their steers topped at $672, or around 205c/kg.
Shan Goodwin
Journalist for The Land on the North Coast.
Journalist for The Land on the North Coast.
