Yarding 3360 Change -440

The cattle market at Wagga is still struggling to find its feet this spring. In a smaller offering of 3380, prices continued to fluctuate on quality and who was buying, as the season remains on a knife edge.

The common trend was strong bidding for any lines of young cattle that are in genuine forward store condition and weigh above 330kg. Stand out lines of Angus feeder steers pushed rates 20c/kg higher. Well-bred steers 330-400kg sold from 270-317c/kg. Heavier feed steers 400-500kg topped at 313c to average 289c/kg.

Feeder heifer price fluctuated but generally trended up to 40c dearer. The bulk of the feed heifers sold from 220-276c to average 257c/kg cwt.

The sell-off of lighter weight cattle below 280kg continued. Without a Tasmanian buyer present, prices fell 40-66c/kg.  Steers to turn out 200-280kg averaged $529 while the heifer portion sold from 128-250c/kg.

Trade steers numbers increased with quite a few pens supplementary fed or finished off crops. Well finished steers sold from 276c to 302c/kg. rates for the best heifers suitable for the trade topped at 298c to average 273c/kg.

Price results for heavy steers 500-600kg were stronger with rates lifting 20c/kg. The bulk of the well finished steers sold from 285-314c/kg.  The lighter end of the heavy steers was purchased by a feedlot and they paid up to 309c/kg.

Heavy grown heifers were a standout at the sale topping at 303c/kg. Prices were 21 c dearer to average 287c/kg.

Heavy cow were keenly sought with price lifting 8-10c/kg.  Heavy recorded a top price of 247c to average 234c/kg. The middle run of D2 and D3 types sold 6c dearer making from 1550234c/kg.

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