Friday’s AuctionsPlus sales continued the recent sequence of outstanding results, especially for some larger lines of northern cattle.

Numbers offered on Friday totalled 6242 head, down about 1000 head or 13pc on the previous week. About three quarters of the offering came out of Queensland and more than 1600 of those are now heading to buyers in NSW – again demonstrating the online platform’s ability to reach out to more distant buyers.

In a positive sign, there were also some restocker cattle moving back across the border into Queensland, and NSW buyers (some buoyed by rain) snapped up the majority of the cattle offered out of Victoria and South Australia.

There were 368 buyers logged-in to the Eastern States northern/southern sales, which produced a clearance rate above 90pc at auction.

Light steers under 250kg offered on Friday were exclusively out of Queensland (mostly dry areas), and ranged in price from 253c/kg to 411c liveweight, averaging 351c. Heifers in the same weight category made 242-475c to average 335c.

Steers 250kg-300kg sold from 273-361c to average 331c, up 31c, and heifers in the same weight category (predominantly yearlings out of Queensland) made 241-301c/kg averaging 267c, down 24c.

Only two lots of steers in the 300kg-350kg category were offered, making 301c and 313c, while heifers made 255-319c to average 298c, up 20c.

Plenty of feeder weight cattle were available this week with steers over 350kg selling from 287c to 341c to average 314c, up 22c.

Standouts included a line of 156 428kg EU-eligible Brahman steers from May Downs, Central Queensland selling for 287c or $1229; 423kg Angus steers at Coonamble making 336c or $1427; and 354kg Angus cross steers in Victoria selling for 341c or $1210.

The heaviest yearling heifers were 360kg Angus selling for 324c or $1170.

Cows and calf units again topped the $2000 mark, this week with a small line of Angus first-calvers selling for $2050, and other lines of first-calvers making $1700 to $1840.

Proven breeders made $980 to a top of $1775 for four to six year old black baldies with Angus calves. Mixed age and older cows made $1270 to $1490.

Yearling PTIC heifers sold from $855 to a top of $1300 for Santa heifers near Roma, in calf to Santa bulls. Proven breeders made $1260 to $1520, with the top price being for four to none year old Angus cross cows in calf to Angus.

In the sale’s Wagyu segment on Friday, registered Fullblood heifers out of southern NSW made $2751, and in Emerald, 12-40 month old unjoined F4 heifers made $1820.

 

Big lines attract plenty of buyers

Some big Queensland lines again featured in Friday’s sale.

A run of 700 young Brahman and flatback steers and heifers sold account Jack Mann from Charters Towers sold strongly, enhanced by the added attraction of EU eligible status.

Within them, a line of 192 backgrounder flatback steers 18-22 months averaging 284kg live, made 339.6c/kg or $964/head. A second lighter pen of 204 steers, 267kg at similar ages, made 273.1c/kg or $730/head.

A younger pen of 178 lighter flatback Brahman cross EU-eligible backgrounder steers from the same vendor, 263kg at 12-18 months, made an exceptional 345.9c/kg or $881 a head.

A drought-forced sell-down of 790 weaned calves and weaners from the Allen family’s Forest Park Santa Gertrudis Stud, Alice Downs, Blackall, also produced results well above expectations on Friday.

The offering gave buyers some interesting insights into cow-and-calf values. Bull, steer and heifer calves weighing between 94kg and 134kg sold from $445 to $520, while an older and heavier draft weighing 203kg made $775 or 381c.

One lot of 100 weaned purebred bull calves 98kg at 3-5 months, sold for 489c/kg or $480 a head. Another 55 Santa purebred bull calves, 134kg at 5-8 months sold for 386.9c/kg or $520/head, while a mob of 130 weaned heifers, 94kg at 3-5 months, 474.9c/kg or $445/head.

While the two lots that sold at above 400c/kg were extremely light weight by Queensland AuctionsPlus listings standards, it is possibly the first time a line of non-Wagyu cattle sold at auction in Queensland have made above the 400c/kg mark.

Other results in the Alice Downs offering included:

• 167 Santa steer weaners, 8-11 months, 203kg, 381.2c/kg or $775/head
• 146 Santa steer weaners, 5-11 months, 149kg, 404.9c/kg or $605/head
• 65 steer weaners, 113kg at 3-5 months, 410.8c/kg or $465/head
• 127 Santa weaned heifers, 133kg at 5-8 months, 357.4c/kg or $475/head

The Alice Downs sales went to buyers over the border at Inverell, Narrabri, Gunnedah and Dubbo, where rain has fallen recently.

 

Coming up on AuctionsPlus:

• The second forward contract feeder and export steer sale is scheduled for Friday, September 11 (Noon, Sydney and Brisbane time). Click here to view Beef Central’s report from the inaugural forward contract sale held last month.
• Click here to view full tabulated report from Friday’s AuctionsPlus cattle sales.