Maitland yarded 1000 head of store cattle for the Bowe and Lidbury April sale on Saturday with Angus cows, pregnancy tested in calf with big calves at foot topping the bidding at $3300.
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It was a tale of a single valley divided by differing climates, with those in the Upper Hunter keen to offload ahead of a drying winter while those closer to the coast have feed to burn.
Never-the-less buyers were conservative with their bidding, given the recent influx of young cattle onto the store market.
Steers sold to a top of $1420 for milk tooth, going onto feed in Western Sydney, with most calves selling for $850 for milk tooth Hereford to $1310 for Angus with a touch of Euro.
Most cows sold from $1175 for poll Hereford PTIC to $1450 for Angus in calf to Charolais.
Angus heifers unjoined made $1400.
Tanya Hooley, Scone, sold Santa Gertrudis and Droughtmaster cross cows with calves for $2500, going to the Macleay Valley, with a lack of autumn rain in the upper valley forcing her to destock.
"It was overly wet last year and now is completely dry. We've gone from one extreme to another in four months," she said. "From Musswellbrook on up it's feeling it."
Limousin cows with black limo calves from the Eveleigh family, Booral, following the sale of their property, sold to $2150.
Speckle Park/Grayman cows with Speckle Park calves in calf to the Speckle bull brought $2400 for D Brown, Scone.
Victoria Park Investments, Durness Station, sold Angus heifers PTIC to Boambee and Victoria Park low birthweight bulls, due to calve in September, to a top of $2350 going to Bulahdelah, where there has been almost too much rain of late.
Steve King, Bulga via Singleton, paid the top sale money for Angus three in one units off Paterson country and he also paid $2600 for similar, with Boambee and Urban Angus blood, from a Maitland breeder.
Angus cows with Sugarloaf, Knowla and Urban blood on their first calf from Bingleburra Park, Gresford, sold to $3100 going to the Mulligan family trust, Clarence Town.
Philip and Sharon Nash, Bishops Bridge, paid $2800 for Murray Grey cows from the Coombes family, saying the current market offered value for buyers.
Steers sold to sober buyers, in spite of the good quality with a run of 19 Angus weaner steers from Rennylea cows by a Sugarloaf bull, 320kg, from Karin Hynes, Nelsons Plain, making $1390.
Milk tooth Angus steers sired by KO Angus bulls from Cloud Valley, Yarramalong Valley sold to $1375.
The Chapman family, Putty, sold Angus/black baldy steers for $1175.
Noel Brown, Allynbrook Pastoral, sold Angus steers from first calf cows for $1025.
Sam Vumbaca, Peats Ridge, sold Angus steers with Euro content, 337kg, for $1310.
The sale was hosted by Bowe and Lidbury with Greg Lidbury, Rodney McDonald and Michael Easey taking turns to collect the bids.
