WHILE the prime cattle markets have been affected by reduced buyer competition via processors restricting kill shifts, the store cattle markets seem to have missed the main brunt of softer pricing.
From bullocks to beefy breeders, values have maintained the dearer trends of last year.
Young Angus cows with calves hit a top of $5800 a head at Maitland on Saturday, indicating there are still plenty of optimistic cattle producers prepared to spend the money to put quality breeders in their paddocks.
Bowe and Lidbury agent Rodney McDonald said the price would have to be near a NSW record for commercial Angus cows with their first calves.
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"It's certainly a record price for the Maitland saleyards," he said.
The Land would be interested to hear if anybody can better that price for a pen sold in the saleyards.
Mr McDonald said the 800 head yarding at Maitland was very good, particularly for the females offered.
"Prices were very strong from start to finish with bullocks topping at $2500 through to two-month-old bobby calves sold at the end of the sale selling for $725," he said.
Breaking down the sale results, weaner steers were a notch higher by about $30 a head and sold from $1650 to $2350.
Mr McDonald said the weaner steers averaged $2000, while the weaner heifers attracted even more demand and averaged higher at $2020.
"The weaner heifers were $40 dearer than last sale and sold from $1500 to $2700," he said.
Yearling steers sold from $2000 to $2525 and averaged $2325, which was $30 dearer.
Grown steers ranged from $2300 to $2500.
The unjoined yearling heifers attracted bids from $2300 to $3100 and were $60 dearer.
Pregnancy-tested-in-calf heifers started at $3000 and topped at $3750.
Mr McDonald said the PTIC heifers were $50 dearer and averaged $3500.
This was slightly more than the PTIC cows, which sold from $2700 to $3700 and averaged $3054. Even so, buyers paid $100 more for PTIC cows than at the last Maitland store sale.
There was a notable premium for any females in calf.
Joined cows averaged $2650 and most sold from $2000 to $3500, while a limited supply of the unjoined cows ranged from $1900 to $2600.
Mr McDonald said the top Angus cows with calves at $5800 were sold by Weirick and Senn, Congewai, to Craig Kennedy.
B Lonsdale and L Gregory sold unjoined 14- to 15-month-old Angus heifers for $3100 to Kent Sanson, Nelson Plains.
Following the sale of its property, Ups and Down Pastoral Company offered its herd of Angus cows with calves which topped at $5100 and averaged $4690.
Jenny Douglass sold 12-month-old Angus steers for $2300, while Alderly Creek Farm, Clarence Town, sold 11- to 12-month-old Angus weaner heifers for $2700.
Buyers attended the sale from the local area, Central Coast, Upper Hunter, Manning region, Bathurst and Coonamble.
The sale was conducted by Bowe and Lidbury, Maitland.
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