![Jack Whitty of Kevin Miller, Whitty, Lennon and Company, Forbes, with a lovely line of 12- to 14-month-old Angus heifers sold by CJ and RL Hall for $850 a head at Carcoar last Friday. Picture by Karen Bailey. Jack Whitty of Kevin Miller, Whitty, Lennon and Company, Forbes, with a lovely line of 12- to 14-month-old Angus heifers sold by CJ and RL Hall for $850 a head at Carcoar last Friday. Picture by Karen Bailey.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/yLeFMnh28MAxupuQMFvs9Q/92deddf7-c237-4101-8362-d5107f08d8a4.jpg/r0_762_4032_3029_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
There's nothing like ending the year on a high, and for cattle and lamb markets both yardings and prices have bounced.
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This week will be the last opportunity most graziers have to sell their livestock at saleyards before the new year. It's resulted in a rush to sell which has meant some yardings have more than doubled in the past fortnight.
It's also amazing what a bit of rain and sprinkle of confidence in the season will do for boosting prices.
Buyers have re-entered the market with gusto and forced up prices across all categories.
NSW trade lambs climbed more than 70c/kg in the past week to sit at 626c/kg (carcase weight), while the state's heavy lambs demanded prices that were 100c/kg dearer and hit an average of 688c/kg.
The lamb market at Wagga Wagga last Thursday push up the indicator prices - the average price for heavy lambs was 717c/kg, while trade lambs averaged 667c/kg.
Furthermore, buyers at prime lamb sales on Monday upped the pace with trade lambs averaging 685c/kg at Tamworth and 676c/kg at Dubbo. The heavy lambs at Dubbo averaged a hefty 791c/kg, too.
Most of the cattle indicators probably peaked last week in NSW, but values still sit well above the prices of a month ago.
To put the recent price lift into perspective, with the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator early this week at about 570c/kg it's a significantly better proposition than the late October price of 350c/kg.
For those who like to work in dollars a head, a quick "back of the envelope" calculation has current EYCI cattle averaging $1080, compared to about $650 back in October.
New player enters online marketplace
THE world of online livestock selling is expanding with the launch of On the Box, an independent service boasting the benefit of being instant as its point of difference.
The new platform was launched by Tim McRae and Greg Szudrich, both of whom worked for AuctionsPlus, which On the Box will compete directly with.
They say their new website is designed for simplicity and speed, with the biggest difference being it is not driven by a sale time.
"Rather, the vendor loads up and is on the market immediately, staying listed for seven days, with the reserve and buy now price visible," Mr McRae said.
It utilises an offline assessment entry app and simplified stock assessment.
Mr Szudrich said in partnership with Spenda, a ASX finance provider, vendors would be offered access to short-term finance.
"Spenda will offer a fully integrated digital payment solution through On The Box," Mr Szudrich said.
Regional saleyard cattle results
Note: sale prices listed below are in cents a kilogram (liveweight).
CAMDEN: (255 head) Vealers: 195-420; Yearling steers: 246-390; Yearling heifers: 192-378; Grown steers: 170-212; Grown heifers: n/q; Cows: 55-208.
NOWRA: (152 head) Vealers: 220-338; Yearling steers: 150-338; Yearling heifers: n/q; Grown steers: n/q; Grown heifers: n/q; Cows: n/q.
MOSS VALE: (1046 head) Vealers: 100-222; Yearling steers: 190-372; Yearling heifers: 120-354; Grown steers: 170-282; Grown heifers: 215-260; Cows: 120-248.
MAITLAND: (920 head) Vealers: 200-350; Yearling steers: 245-326; Yearling heifers: 170-270; Grown steers: 210-250; Grown heifers: n/q; Cows: 130-190.
ROMA: (7379 head) Vealers: n/q; Yearling steers: 200-404; Yearling heifers: 120-344; Grown steers: 199-276; Grown heifers: 208-238; Cows: 96-216.
- The First Draft takes a look at some of the weekly highlights across the markets. If you have a story tip, email markets@theland.com.au