The market would have been $100 dearer on where it was prior to Christmas
- Agent Angus Stuart, Milling Stuart
DUNEDOO welcomed a full field of buyers from across the state to its first store sale of the New Year last Friday.
About 1200 cattle were yarded for competition with highlights including weaner steers which sold to $2420 a head for Angus and $2250 for Hereford types and Charolais-cross first-calvers which returned $4500 a unit.
"Certainly the market would have been $100 dearer on where it was prior to Christmas," said Milling Stuart agent Angus Stuart.
"There is plenty of feed about and plenty of confidence and it's pretty easy to sell cattle at the minute."
Weaner steers made from $1330 for Friesian types to $2420 for Angus.
The best of those were a pen of six to eight-month old "top of the drop" Angus steers sold by David Saxelby of Closeburn, Mendooran. Mr Saxelby cleared about 40 weaner steers last Friday to average $2340.
Other good sales included Hereford steers described by Mr Stuart as "like baby bullocks," which made $2250, and "big, stretchy" crossbred steers with "plenty of timber" which sold to $2220.
AE Lincoln and Co, Tucklan Valley, Dunedoo, also sold 20 mixed-sex Angus weaners by Narranmore Angus bulls with the steers and heifers making equal money to return $2120.
In other beef news:
Meanwhile most weaner heifers sold from $1140 for Bos Indicus types to $2160 for Angus-cross.
Topping that market were six to eight-month old Angus-cross heifers sold by JC and FA Wightman, Merriwa.
The Wightmans also sold six to eight-month old Santa-cross heifers to $2030.
Tops of the cows with calves were a draft of 15 Charolais-cross first calvers with one to three month-old calves at foot sold by Andrew and Lan Bowman, Shingle Hut, Dunedoo, for $4500 a unit.
Most cows with calves sold from $2440 for crossbred units to the $4500 top.
David and Megan Brooks, Merriwa, sold Angus-cross first-calvers with one to three month-old calves at foot for $4300 and David Thorne, Summer Vale, Gulgong, made $4250 on his Angus first-calvers.
The sale was conducted by Milling Stuart, Dunedoo, and PT Lord, Dakin and Associates, Dubbo.
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