AS THE season in the Central Tablelands continues to dry out, the supply of store cattle lifted at the Central Tablelands Livestock Exchange, Carcoar, last Friday.
The quality of the cattle was plainer, although there were a few exceptions across the younger categories of the yarding.
All up, there were 2784 cattle offered.
In line with the decline in the season and due to the time of year, there were more yearlings offered. About 20 per cent of the yarding were yearling heifers.
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Weaner steers and heifers remain in strong supply and accounted for more than half of the cattle offered.
Meat and Livestock Australia reporter Graeme Richard quoted the market well back on the last sale in February with the fresher and younger weaners the strongest.
"Overall, the market fell $300 to $400 a head across most of the cattle," he said.
Most of the weaner steers weighing less than 280kg sold from $600 to $1340, while those from 280kg to 330kg attracted bids from $940 (for plainer pens) to $1320 for Angus.
The bigger runs of black steers in the middle weight range averaged 444 cents a kilogram, but there were plenty of pens that made in the mid-300c/kg.
The heavy weaner steers that tipped the scales at more than 330kg started at $1040 and topped at $1550.
Most of the weaner heifers were between 200kg and 280kg and sold from the low $700s to $950 and only a few exceptional pens sold for more than 400c/kg.
The 280kg to 330kg weaner heifers sold from $850 to $1160, while a few lines weighing more than 330kg topped at $1305.
Yearling steers up to 400kg attracted bids from $1140 to $1490 and those weighing more than 400kg also topped at $1490 for a Hereford pen.
There was plenty of variety in the yearling heifer yarding and those tipping the scales at less than 330kg sold from $860 to $1040, while pens from 330kg to 400kg made from $830 to $1355.
A pen of heavier Angus yearling heifers topped at $1600, while a pen of European-cross heifers sold to the feedlot for $1350.
One Angus steer weighing 540kg sold for $1700.
The supply of pregnancy-tested-in-calf heifers and cows was limited. The PTIC heifers topped at $1400, while PTIC cows hit $1495.
Cows with calves sold from $1450 to $3220. The top pen were Angus sold by S and J Maxwell.
Sally Prass, Rigadoon, Cowra, sold 10-month-old 347kg Red Angus heifers for $1305 and 342kg steers for $1180.
The Johnson family and KL Vissers, Lachlan River Pastoral, Cowra, sold six 605kg Angus heifers for $1600, while S Daley sold 11 Angus steers, 416kg, for $1540.
The Jenkins family, Violet Hills, Rydal, sold 391kg Charolais heifers for $1520; Bannaby Investments, Taralga, sold 393kg Angus weaner steers for $1460, and Junony Pastoral Company, Rockley, sold 461kg Angus heifers for $1400.
The sale was conducted by Central Tablelands Livestock Agents Association.
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