Cattle numbers jumped 18 percent to 9116 head in Friday’s AuctionsPlus cattle sales. While some categories softened, there was not the correction experienced in some physical marketplaces last week.

These Angus cows and calves near Wagga made $2000 on AuctionsPlus on Friday. Click image for a larger view.

The better quality end of the light steers (less than 250kg) being offered online are nudging slowly towards the $4/kg mark, on property, with Friday’s prices ranging from 260c to 383c, averaging 322c, up 8c on the previous week. Light heifers made from 230c to 383c, averaging 279c to drop 4c.

Steers 250kg-300kg steers made 253c to 328c averaging 303c, down 16c and heifers in the same weight category sold from 230-309c to average 263c, down 23c.

Steers 300kg-350kg sold from 275-332c averaging 316c, down 1c, and equivalent heifers made 239-305c to average 267c, down 21c.

The top rates were for steers over 350kg, ranging from 280c to 337c to average 325c, a huge leap of 23c on the previous week, following strong competition from lotfeeders and restockers.

Cows with calves at foot were highly sought-after on Friday, with first-calving Pattawalla blood Angus heifers with Angus calves at foot out of Mangoplah, south of Wagga making up to $2000, and $1860 for unjoined Black Baldy heifers from the same property.

Mixed age lines primarily from Queensland made $1000 to $1370. PTIC females in mixed age lines sold from $930 to $1050, young cows made $1010 to $1100, and first-calvers made $825 to a top of $1200 for Droughtmaster heifers at Blackall in calf to Brangus bulls.

AuctionsPlus will run a free Producer Workshop in Tamworth on Tuesday 25 September from 5pm. Venue is the West Bowling Club. Producers in the area are invited to attend, and enjoy a BBQ and a beer while hearing about some new opportunities available on AuctionsPlus, and provide some feedback.

Highlights on next Friday’s AuctionsPlus sale, August 21:

• 432 Brahman steers a/c Justin & Sally Dyer, Hayfield Station, NT. The ‘Hat Brand’ steers from Hayfield have been sought-after, year after year. This year’s offering includes an outstanding run of 18 decks of heavy steers, No 1s and 2s, average 500kg. Could this listing attract rare live export and processing online bid competition? Click here to access listing. Contact Paul McCormack Elders Katherine 0419 031 777
• 700 quality Charters Towers-bred flatback crossbred and Brahman steers, EU-accredited, milk-teeth 260-300kg, heifers PTIC to Angus bulls. Heifers in ticky country, steers tick-free. Click here to access listing. Contact Tim McHugh, Hogan & McHugh 0413 870 666.

Click here to access tabulated results of Friday’s AuctionsPlus Cattle sale.