Wauchope bullocks to $1010

Two- to three-year-old bullocks, mostly Angus, Hereford and Santa Gertrudis-cross, in good store condition sold to a top of $1010, with most making $720 to $800, or about the 150 to 155 cents a kilogram mark.

Intermediate steers, 16 months to two years old, made $480 to $650, while younger cattle aged five to 12 months made $240 to $450.

Only 603 head were yarded, less than half the usual numbers offered at the annual sale, with many producers opting to pull their cattle out of what they expected to be a tough market and hold on for rain.

Most cattle stayed within the Lower Macleay region, with odd pens going to the Taree and Hunter districts, and were bought by bullock specialists who will grow them on for another year or finish for the Japanese ox job.

The sale was conducted by Wauchope Stock and Estate Agents with auctioneers John O'Brien and John Corrigan.

Mr O'Brien said given seasonal and market conditions, it was a solid sale.

"Older cattle sold very well and parts of the young cattle sale were good but cattle in rough condition with no quality and no shape were hard to sell," he said.

While the market was back 10 to 15 per cent on this time last year, it was up slightly on the December Wauchope store sale, although the quality on Friday was better, Mr O'Brien said.

The first pen, which made the $1010, were Santa-crosses supplied by Brian West, Yarras, and went to Scott Lawrence, Lawrence Livestock at Gresford.

Mr Lawrence took 20 head of heavier bullocks to an average $900 for clients who finish bullocks, including a pen of quality Poll Herefords from James and Robyn Flannagan, Hollisdale, for $800.

Bullock finisher Bill Meehan, Kinchela, took 27 mostly Angus bullocks, all over 400kg, to a $750 average, which he said was down about 15pc on prices he paid this time last year.

"I bought at three sales on the coast this week and the market was similar at all," he said.

"Generally, I think the store market on the coast has held up well compared to elsewhere because we've had just enough rain to keep our strip going."

Byabarra cattle trader Robbie Wilson sold milk-tooth Santa/Hereford bullocks, average weight 475kg, for $740 to Kilmore and Sons, near Kempsey.

"We needed to reduce numbers before winter - it was either irrigate or destock," he said.

"Our cattle made around 156 cents a kilogram which is not bad, considering the season and the market."

A pen of Santa steers, average weight 360kg, from Tim Duffy, Comboyne, made $600 to Allan Griffin, Lower Macleay.

Bullock finisher Allan Prior, "Greenfields", Bellimbopinni, bought nine four- to eight-teeth crossbred bullocks, weighing about 400kg, for $475, which he plans to take on for a year.

He has been buying at this annual sale for about 12 years and said 2014 was the cheapest he'd seen it.

"There was, however, a bit of a shortage of the bigger cattle and so a bit more competition for them," he said.

John and Patricia O'Brien sold Hereford steers, 270kg, for $450 to R.G. Hollis at Yarras.

George Waldron, Glen Ewan, sold 11 Hereford steers, 18 months, for $310 and black polls for $305, which he said was half what he'd normally get.