Cow numbers failed to dampen the red hot market at Tamworth on Monday with prices rising by as much as 18 cents-a-kilogram and a top price not matched since September 2016.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
Best cows sold up to 276c/kg - a price not seen since September 5, 2016 when 520kg-plus cows sold up to 277c/kg.
Despite making up almost one third of the total number of 2030 cattle, up by more than 500 head on the previous week, the strong market wasn't just confined to cows, there was strong demand for young cattle, particularly well finished heifers to the trade fetching up to 23c/kg dearer, heavy steers up to 8c/kg dearer and grown heifers as much as 12c/kg dearer.
It made for some very nice returns with the best of the cows nudging $2000, the heaviest steer making $2200 and the heaviest heifers making almost $1950.
Manilla agent Patrick Purtle of Purtle Plevey Agencies said predictions of the market getting better for cows
It's been a massive turn-around in the space of six weeks
- Patrick Purtle
had arrived and graziers were taking up the higher values and offloading females they had been hanging onto.
"It's been a massive turn-around in the space of six weeks," he said.
"At Gunnedah on Tuesday you couldn't believe out of a drought area how many fat cows were yarded, and with very solid demand. Southern processors have driven the market. The further north, the cheaper it gets, but freight is the difference."
Medium cows throughout the state averaged 237.3c/kg (liveweight), a rise of 12.2c/kg on last week and 19.3c/kg on the same period last year.
Sales in southern areas reached an average 250.8c/kg, 233.6c/kg in the Central West, 242.2c/kg in the Hunter and 323.9c/kw in the state's north.
Heavy cows at Wagga Wagga made from 270c/kg to 310c/kg with D2 and D3 cows varying from 212c/kg to 278c/kg. At Scone cows improved 8c/kg, with plainer 2 scores from 227c/kg to 239c/kg, medium weights 233c/kg to 255c/kg and heavy weights 236c/kg to 266c/kg.
The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator finished on Tuesday at 523.25c/kg (carcase weight ) a small rise on last week.
Feeder yearling steers gained an 8c/kg rise in average this week at 315.7c/kg with southern sales averaging the highest at 330.7c/kg and in the Central West, $315.1c/kg.
Dubbo recorded a rise in feeder steers of up to 6c/kg dearer selling from sold from 240c/kg to 337c/kg.
