A MIXED quality yarding of 4037 store conditioned cattle were offered at the Central Tablelands Livestock Exchange, Carcoar, last Friday.
There were plenty of young steers and heifers up for grabs, but it was the cattle with plenty of weight that sold to solid competition.
Lighter pens of weaners and yearlings did struggle for buyer interest at some points in the sale, which was a reflection of the dry season and buyers unwilling to take on stock with a longer turnaround.
Victorian buyer competition certainly helped buoy prices on the heavier lines of weaner steers and heifers.
There were also a number of vendors selling young cattle earlier than normal, due to the season, and several lines of stock from outside the normal sale drawing area.
Weaner steers weighing up to 200 kilograms sold from $150 to $590 and only a couple of pens climbed above the 300 cents a kilogram mark.
The bulk of the weaner steers tipped the scales at between 200kg and 280kg and sold from $270 to $870, while those from 280kg to 330kg ranged from $680 to $960.
A few pens of quality Angus weaner steers weighing more than 330kg sold from $955 to $1240 a head.
A small number of weaner heifers weighing less than 200kg sold from $230 to $465, while a larger mixed run of those from 200kg to 280kg sold from $320 to $680 a head.
The bulk of the weaner heifers from 280kg to 330kg sold from about $600 to $800 a head and a couple of pens tipping the scales at more than 330kg ranged from $800 to $820.
Weaner heifers weighing more than 280kg sold from $590 to $820.
All up there were about 1600 weaner steers offered and just over 1000 weaner heifers and the National Livestock Reporting Service quoted the market about $50 to $80 a head cheaper.
The mixed quality and weight continued in the yearling steers where prices ranged from $490 to $1130 and values reflected the variability in the offering.
Likewise the yearling heifers sold from $380 to $835, while pregnancy-tested-in-calf heifers ranged from $705 to $800.
PTIC cows topped at $1010 for some well presented Angus females, while prices dipped as low as $340 for one pen.
Cows with calves also varied in value from $620 for a very light pen to $1450 for Angus cows with two to four month old calves.
The sale was conducted by Central Tablelands Livestock Agents Association.
