BREEDERS sold to a stronger market at the annual Gooch Agencies autumn female cattle sale at Gloucester last Friday, when heifers with calves reached a top of $2875 a head.
The 800-head yarding of mainly good quality breeders from the Gloucester region attracted strong demand from restockers at Kempsey, Wauchope, Maitland, Dubbo and the local area, with only a small number of older cows going to processors.
Agent Bill Dwyer said most categories were stronger thanks to widespread rain and a shortage of female cattle, with yearling heifers $100 dearer, cows and calves up to $150 dearer, and joined cows up to $350 dearer.
“The cattle were lighter in condition but it was very strong sale all the way through,” Mr Dwyer said.
Good quality heifers and calves sold between $2225 and $2750 depending on the size of the calves at foot.
The top pen of heifers and calves came from Brett Thompson, Dungog, who sold 30-month-old Angus heifers on their first calves for $2875 to David Slack, Gloucester.
Bob Dee, Bulahdelah, sold a pen of heifers and calves for $2750 to the Kemp family, Dungog.
Older cows and calves were very strong with most selling between $1725 and $2150.
Pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) cows topped at $2025 on two occasions, with Bob Dawson, Wauchope and Jon and Chris Erby, "Wycombe Park", Dungog, each selling a pen of 12 cows to the Dorney and Shultz family, Bulahdelah.
PTIC Simmental-cross heifers from Nathan Middlebrook, Gloucester, sold for $1575 to Don Noble, Rookhurst via Gloucester, and Barry Henderson, “Skibo Downs”, sold 47 PTIC cows, averaging more than $1300.
Most quality PTIC cows sold from $1220 to $1525.
Unjoined heifers topped at $1825 for a pen of 20-month-old Angus heifers from Ed and Tina Robinson, Gloucester, which were sold from Col and Sally Martin, “Bowman Farm”, Gloucester.
Most yearling heifers made between $1100 and $1275, with the lightest selling between $850 and $1075.
Devon/Charolais-cross from the Coombes family, “Mograni”, Gloucester sold for $1090 to Wayne Smith, while Shorthorn heifers from J&S Pastoral, Gloucester sold for $1100 to Basil Schneider, Krambach.
Weaner heifers topped at $925 for heifers from Kilburnie Angus, which were bought by the Hattam family, Booral.