These 6-7 year old Shorthorn and Santa/Shorthorn cows near Boggabri, northern NSW with Angus calves topped Friday’s sale among conventional cattle at $1885

A RAPIDLY descending cattle market experienced across Eastern Australia over the past two or three weeks saw numbers offered on AuctionsPlus halve on Friday.

A much-reduced offering of 4284 head saw prices in many categories lift slightly, or at least plateau.

While prices have been steadily climbing for the past 12 months there have been a few corrections along the way, and no doubt producers will be hoping this is just another, albeit more severe correction before continuing on an upward trajectory.

The shortened supply on Friday aided in finding the current market floor, although the story may have been quite different without this week’s timely rainfall in some parts of NSW and Victoria.

In a breakdown of results by weight categories:

• Light steers under 250kg this week sold from 279c to 362c, averaging 314c, down 19c, while heifers in the same weight category made 242c to 330c to average 281c, up 13c.
• Steers 250-300kg made from 306-363c averaging 325c, down just 1c, and heifers sold from 269-280c averaging 275c, a rise of 7c.
• Steers 300-350kg made 285-308c to average 299c, up 7c, and heifers made 263-298c to average 275c, up 6c.
• Steers heavier than 350kg made 295-320c, an impressive jump of 17c.

These Hereford heifers with Angus calves at foot out of Tooraweenah, somewhere in NSW, sold for $1620 on Friday

Breeder cattle are still finding their feet after the recent market correction, and PTIC females were harder to place. Yearling heifers on Friday made from $1210 to $1550, with the top price for Angus heifers in calf to Wagyu out of Walcha.

Buyers are still confident purchasing cows with calves at foot, with first-calvers making $1100 to a top of $1620 for Hereford heifers with Angus calves at foot out of Tooraweenah, NSW.

Six to seven year old Shorthorn and Santa/Shorthorn cows near Boggabri, northern NSW with Angus calves topped the sale at $1885, and mixed age lines made $1310 to $1460, with the top price for two to eight year old Droughtmaster cows and calves at Bungunya, Qld.

Wagyu listings were back on the menu in larger volume on Friday, with heifers being buyer’s choice of the day. Fullblood heifers sold in small pens in southern Queensland made to $2400; 209kg yearling Wagyu cross heifers at Middlemount (Central Qld) made 555c, 227kg fullblood heifers from Bourke sold for 596c and Wagyu/Angus heifers weighing 354kg in Victoria made 525c.

• The AuctionsPlus Roadshow will visit Roma  next week, and locals with an interest in learning about a range of Livestock Selling options are invited to attend the workshop on Thursday 29 October from 5pm. Click here for details.
• Click here to see a summary of full results from Friday’s AuctionsPlus sale.