Steers hit $2160 at Carcoar store cattle sale

The softer trend across a yarding of 2271 head was expected by buyers and vendors in light of the fast fall in the prime cattle market in recent weeks.

The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator has lost a hefty 146 cents a kilogram (carcase weight) in the past month and on Friday was on 870c/kg.

Some selling agents were anticipating a bigger fall in the store market, but overall the values were on par with recent district sales and even a bit dearer in places.

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Meat and Livestock Australia data indicated the steers were $150 to $300 a head cheaper than the November store sale, while heifers were $200 softer.

However, those figures were across the whole yarding and some pens of top quality and well-bred cattle sold just as well as last month's market.

The quality and condition of the yarding was excellent and reflected the plentiful supply of pastures in paddocks right across the Central Tablelands.

More than half of the yarding were weaner steers and heifers which attracted feedlot and backgrounder competition from both the local area and districts to the south of Carcoar.

Breaking down the sale results, lighter weaner steers up to 280 kilograms (liveweight) sold from $1250 to $1760, while those from 280kg to 330kg were knocked down for $1640 to $1860.

Heavier Angus weaners tipping the scales at more than 330kg sold from $1770 to $1980.

A few pens of weaner heifers weighing less than 200kg topped at $1300, while those from 200kg to 280kg attracted bids from $1130 to $1550.

Most of the 280kg to 330kg weaner heifers sold from $1500 to $1840, and any pens heavier mostly started at $1700 and topped at $1750.

Yearling steers sold from $1280 for lightweights to $2160 for those weighing more than 400kg. Most of the yearling steers tipped the scales between 330kg and 400kg and typically sold from $1800 to $2000.

Yearling heifers sold from $1410 to $1835 and pregnancy-tested-in-calf heifers topped at $2300.

One pen of PTIC cows hit $2650.

Cows with young calves started at $2000 and climbed to a top of $4250 for females with older calves at foot.

The top priced cows, sold by John and Marg Lowe, Oberon, were five Angus on their first calf.

Irvine Farming, Waldegrave, topped the yearling steer market at $2160 with 445kg Milwillah-blood Angus steers, while the weaner steer section of the sale was topped by Bannaby Investments, Taralga, for 367kg Bannaby and Booroomooka blood steers which sold for $1980.

Two pens of Angus steers and heifers (average weight of 403kg and 459kg) were also auctioned at the start of the sale to raise money for the Molong Flood Appeal. The pens were donated by Stirling Pastoral Company and Wakefield Ashurst Developments and raised a total of $42,000 for the charity.