A SMALL yarding of cattle did not deter buyers from bidding cows with calves up to $4000 a unit at Scone on Thursday.
About 255 head were yarded for the monthly sale and while weaner heifers and steers made up a strong portion of the yarding, it was cows with calves that stole the show.
A stand alone Speckle Park heifer with cow at foot topped the category at about $4000, while restockers looked to cash in on the rest of the offering, with most pens selling from $3000 to the $4000 top.
Scone stock agent Warwick Clydesdale, Davidson Cameron and Company, said competition for pens was strong throughout the cows with calves category.
"We had 255 cattle, which might sound like a small yarding, but it was good to have a store sale back here in Scone," Mr Clydesdale said.
"The advertised Shorthorn cows with calves offered by the Fleming family topped at $3500, which looked like a bit of value as the sale went on because they were A-grade quality.
"As we continued through the category we had a lot of young cows with calves, which weren't quite up to the quality of those Shorthorns, but they were still pretty handy and making $3200 to $3600.
"I think the top Speckle Park heifer with calf at foot sold for a bit more than $4000, while anything that had a calf you could wean with it, you were looking at $3400 to $3900."
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It was a similar story in the pregnancy-tested-in-calf category as Mr Clydesdale said most pens sold for about $3000.
"In the PTIC run, we had a really smart draft of Red Angus cows, which were big-framed, mixed-aged cows and full of calf to an Angus bull, which made $3000 a unit," he said.
"There was also a tidy draft of Angus cows, which weren't too young or too old either, that made just under $3000.
"Even your more aged cows that appealed to the traders were still making $2700 to $3000."
Buyers also enjoyed the offering of quality weaner steers and heifers, which Mr Clydesdale said sold from $1900 a head to about $2100.
"There was a good run of 44 black calves, of which the steer calves topped at $2170, while the heifer calves got to $2080," he said.
"They were pretty smart weaners by Booroomooka bulls and out of the high country, but they had a bit of stand up about them.
"We also had a pen of yearling Charolais heifers that were ready to join, which made $1960
"The locals certainly supported it and everyone came out and had a bit of a crack."
The sale was conducted by the Scone Associated Agents Pty Ltd.
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Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
