The smaller yarding of 620 head offered bargain buying to those in attendance at last Friday’s Dubbo store cattle sale with weaner steers selling up to $60 a head cheaper compared to the sale a fortnight ago.
There were fewer highlights with agents suggesting graziers had found stronger competition at Thursday’s prime sales for their drafts which affected the decline in store yardings.
Prices were keener on Thursday with competition from the number of meat buyers present.
However, Matt Weber, Carter Lindsay and Weber, Dubbo, said Friday’s sale offered good lines of cattle, despite limited numbers.
“Last Thursday’s (prime) market had a mixed quality yarding but there were some very good lines of cattle at Friday’s sale, including a few good runs of black cattle,” he said.
“The heifer market was a little bit stronger but steers were tougher selling while there weren’t many females to quote on.”
Weaner steers sold from $200 for light Angus calves to top at $640 a head for heavy Hereford steers from the Lewis family, Collie. These were purchased by a Melbourne buyer.
The steer run averaged $405 or 200 cents a kilogram, back 68c/kg on the last sale.
Heifers remained firm, selling from $180 to $490 for a pen of nine to 10-month-old Angus heifers from the Underwood family, Coonamble, purchased by AJF Brien and Sons, Coonamble.
Heifers averaged $385 or 188c/kg.
Females were in short supply with only a few pens of cows and calves, pregnancy-tested-in-calf cows or dry females.
A line of Simmental cows with young calves at foot topped the sale at $770 a unit.
Only two other pens of cows with calves were on offer. They sold for $400 and $420 a unit.
PTIC cows sold up to $360 a head for Angus cows in plain condition while dry cows sold up to $320 each.