BREEDING cattle were in strong demand at the annual Maitland spring female sale on Saturday, where cows and calves reached $2650 a unit.
All categories sold to a dearer trend in the 900-head yarding, which included 250 weaner heifers, 1000 PTIC heifers, 300 cows with calves, 150 PTIC cows and 100 unjoined cows.
Bowe and Lidbury agent Rodney McDonald said it was one of the strongest sales ever conducted by the agency, with buyers coming from the Hunter Valley, Gloucester, Tamworth, and Shepparton in Victoria.
“The market was unbelievable and was particularly strong for cows and calves and the top end of the preg-tested cows,” Mr McDonald said.
Weaners were $10 dearer than previous sales, PTIC heifers and cows were $300 dearer, cows and calves fetched $360 more and unjoined cows were firm to $100 dearer, depending on quality.
Weaner heifers aged from six months to 15 months sold from $650 to $1450, averaging $950, and PTIC heifers ranged from $1500 to $2075, averaging $1700.
PTIC cows made between $1200 and $2000, averaging $1700, and unjoined cows sold from $900 to $1500, averaging $1200.
Victoria Park Pty Ltd, Durness Station, Tea Gardens, sold the top Angus PTIC females for $2075 to Geoff Hawkins, Gloucester.
The business also sold a pen of black baldy PTIC cows for $2000 to Phillip Mudd, Maitland.
The biggest demand was for cows and calves, which made between $1300 and $2650 and averaged $2080.
Murray Forrester, Boondandilla Partnership, Singleton, sold the top pen of 12 Angus heifers with calves for $2650 to Rob Mackenzie, Macka’s Australian Black Angus Beef, “Berrico”, Gloucester.
Dungog producer Alec Tickle sold eight black baldy five-year-old cows with calves for $2600 to Mr Mudd.
Shane Blackmore, Yarramalong, sold Angus and Brangus cows and calves in a herd dispersal, with 30 units topping at $2325 and averaging $2249.
Bronus Pty Ltd, Dungog, sold eight Angus heifers and calves for $2475 to Mr Mackenzie.
Jim Tickle, Sugarloaf Angus, Dungog sold Angus heifers (not station mated) for $1480.
