CATTLE numbers at SELX Yass last Thursday were steady with 1400 yarded, with yearlings making up the bulk of the offering, while grown steers in prime condition were limited.
It was reported by the National Livestock Reporting Service (NLRS) that the cattle offered were heavier than the previous sale.
Yearling steer offering was dominated by the purchase of 100 C2 type weighing from 330kg to 400kg by a feedlot with a price range of 232c/kg to 318c/kg for an average of 288.7c/kg up 11c/kg; while 38 C3 steers in the more than 400kg category sold from 280c/kg to 324c/kg to average 314.6c/kg, a lift of 33c/kg when bought by a processor.
Medium and heavy feeder steers lifted 25c/kg to 30c/kg, mainly making from 260c/kg to 310c/kg.
Lighter weight C2 feeder steers weighing 280kg to 330kg sold from 230c/kg to 302c/kg to average 276.6kg a lift of 15c/kg.
Heavy trade steers increased 35c/kg, making from 280c/kg to 324c/kg.
A line of 159 cows in the weight range 400kg to 520kg and D2 type sold from 120c/kg to 194c/kg to average 165.2c/kg, a drop of 20c/kg.
At Wagga Wagga there was a significant lift in numbers on the back of last week's dearer market with an extra 1200 penned resulting in 4600 head offered.
Although there was an increase in numbers, Landmark Wagga Wagga agent Hamish McGeoch said there wasn't a "great supply of prime cattle".
"The better shaped heavy cattle are selling well," Mr McGeoch said.
"The way the season is it is surprising the numbers of prime cattle for sale ... it just shows what producers are doing supplementary feeding their stock."
Numbers of trade cattle increased with the well finished stock having been supplementary fed.
The competition was dominated by feedlot buyers but at lower price levels while a third of the yarding consisted of cows which sold to markedly cheaper values according to the NLRS report.
A limited offering of 38 vealer steers saw values peak at 300c/kg, a drop of 5c/kg for C3 type weighing more than 330kg.
There was a large offering of yearling steers with feedlots dominating competition; in the 280kg to 330kg weight range prices varied for C2 type from 220c/kg to 303c/kg to average 267.6kg a fall of 24c/kg while 312 head in the 330kg to 400kg range prices for C2 type ranged from 236c/kg to 308c/kg to average 273.7c/kg a fall of 17c/kg.
A large line of 324 C2 type heifers, in the weight range 330-400kg sold from 200c/kg to 283c/kg to average 266c/kg a fall of 6c/kg.
Grown steers and bullocks sold to stronger demand from southern processors with C3 and C4 type steers and bullocks making from 246c/kg to 313c/kg.
Numbers at NVLX Wodonga lifted by 190 to 800 on Tuesday, but a fair percentage of the offering were secondary cattle along with some very good supplementary fed yearlings according to NLRS report. The better quality pens of prime C3 steers and C4 bullocks made from 250c/kg to 290c/kg.
