STRONG demand from restockers in areas benefiting from recent rainfall helped lift the market by up to $300 at the Davidson Cameron and Co Special Drought Female Sale in Tamworth on Thursday.
The 800 head yarding saw cattle sourced from the Liverpool Plains and New England regions along with Coonabarabran, Dungowan, Nundle and Baradine.
Agent expectations were exceeded in all markets with PTIC females making just as much as cow and calf units, which had lifted to $1430 thanks to the recent rainfall prospects, according to agent Paul Banks, Davidson Cameron and Co, Coolah.
The offering of largely younger stock was also highly sought after by in-person and phone buyers, some travelling from as far as Gloucester.
One particular buyer on the day, from Upper Macleay, had benefited from solid falls in recent weeks and secured 120 cow and calf units and 70 PTIC females.
With the majority of females on offer black cattle, the cow and calf units averaged $1233 and sold from $820 to a top of $1430 for third-calver Angus cows with Ultra Black calves from Stockyard International, Bellfields, Gowrie.
Red Angus cow and calf units from the Cope Family Trust, Gunnedah, made $1420 while Angus cross cow and calves from Phillip and Julie Andrews, Quirindi, sold to $1390.
The Hobden family, Nundle, offered a large line of mixed breed first and second calvers with Angus calves and topped at $1400. Their Simmental cross heifers with Angus calves made $1100.
The heifer offering made from about $595 to $900.
A price of $1040 was paid for Angus females from D’Hudson RM Family Trust, Mullaley.
Stockyard International also offered Angus PTIC females, which sold from $1300 to $1330.
Cameron Davidson and Co agent Paul Banks said they had predicted the Stockyard International females to make between $900 and $1000 during a good sale, instead they averaged close to $1300.
“It was just two fellas locking together and have that money and they’ve got that feed at home,” he said.
“(One buyer) said he had an order for 300 to 400 cows to buy right now. We were just very lucky he turned up today.”
Stockyard International owner Fleetwood Grobler runs a stud and commercial operation and was forced to offload 90 cow and calf units and 25 PTIC females at the sale to retain feed for Angus females carrying embryos.
While it was difficult to see the “good breeders” go, his stud genetics were too expensive to sacrifice.
His loss were buyer’s gain.
“Anybody who has kept back any cows until this year, it’s good cows, not bad ones,” he said.
After the day’s success, Cameron Davidson and Co are preparing to hold another female drought sale in mid-October.
Cameron Davidson and Co agent Luke Scicluna said Thursday’s offering were youthful females worth putting feed into during these conditions.
“It was certainly pleasing to see good support from outside areas and I think certainly help and put our clients’ minds at ease that the money they have spent on feeding for the last three or four months, they have recovered a bit of it back,” he said.
“It just shows you what this cattle market can do when we finally get a widespread break.”