Top quality yarding at Tamworth feature sale

The 5000-head yarding will feature quality calves from Barraba, Baradine, Narrabri, Quirindi and Manilla, with the challenge judging to be held prior to the sale.

Barraba weaner producers Roger and Geraldine Bomford, Cotswold, Barraba, will have 80 six to seven-month-old Angus steers in the sale.

The Bomfords will also look to sell more in future sales, depending on the market.

"We've got about 40 or more later calves that we're not going to wean just yet, but if the market is good, we'll look to sell those in another Tamworth sale," Mr Bomford said.

The calves are by Peakes Angus and Clunie Range Angus bulls, that are selected for shape, length and butt shape.

"I buy my bulls with the cow in mind, and they've got to have good shape and skin."

The calves will be yard weaned for eight days on silage and wheaten straw, with a further five days on feed prior to the sale.

"By the sale, they'll have been bunker trained and they'll be ready to go," Mr Bomford said.

"I think the lead pen should reach 300 kilograms, and it's looking like a pretty handy average of about 250kg, which is about 70kg or 80kg behind where we would be in a good year.

"We finished feeding here in November, because we had 140 millimetres of rain in early December, but we're just starting to feed again now. It filled all the dams and gave us enough pasture to get them going until now."

Past weaners have gone to backgrounders in the New England and South East Queensland, but some of the bigger calves have gone direct to Rangers Valley.

Mr Bomford plans to decrease numbers this year, focusing on their best females.

"Normally we'd be running 450 cows, but we've cut that back down by over a 100 cows from this time last year, and we'll be coming back to about 200 cows this winter because the long-term forecast is not great. I learnt a lot from last year and I think made my decisions a bit late, so they're going early this year."

The sale begins at 11am on Friday, March 15.