These 400 Angus feeder steers 16-26 months averaging 440kg from Winton, western QLD, verified Te Mania bloodlines, returned 620-622c/kg or $2740/head on Friday, and are due to travel to feedlot buyers on the Darling Downs.

THERE was a 15pc rise in offering numbers on AuctionsPlus on Friday, rising to 13,368 head. Clearance was sharply down, to 66pc.

Price trends were erratic, with lighter steers and heifers tending to lose value and heavier lines stronger. Breeding females were mostly down in value.

Steers dominated listing numbers, accounting for 7192 head, managing to clear 80pc. Breeding females offered 1842 head, clearing 54pc.

NSW was the largest listing contributor with 4767 commercial head offered, up 30pc on the week. Queensland offered 5843 head, up 6pc week-on-week, clearing 74pc, down 17 percentage points, Victoria offered 1343 head, down 4pc, with clearance easing 18 percentage points to 72pc.

Steer highlights included a relatively large offering of feeder steers +400kg, totalling 1298 head, clearing 91pc to average 570c, up 22c on last week, and steers 330-400kg clearing 64pc of the offering of 1720 head, averaging 581c.

In lighter categories, steers 200-280kg offered 2100 head, clearing 87pc, with prices up 42c to average 638c.

Trending down were steers 280-330kg, clearing 80pc of the offering of 2035 head, with prices down 15c on the previous week.

Steer highlights included 400 Angus feeder steers 16-26 months averaging 440kg from Winton, QLD, verified Te Mania bloodlines, returning 620-622c/kg or $2740/head, and due to travel to buyers including lotfeeders on the Darling Downs.

Further south, 168 Angus backgrounder steers 348kg at 10-16 months made 587c/kg or $2045.

Heifers showed similar price trends as steers. Best performers were heavy feeders +400kg, lifting 29c to 551c, while clearing 85pc of a small offering of 171 head.

The 280-330kg lost 46c on last week to average 522c, while clearing 76pc of the 990 offered. Downs 4c were heifers 330-400kg, averaging 518c, but clearing only 44pc of the 859 offered.

The 330–400kg heifers recorded the weakest clearance at 44pc from the 859 head offered, averaging 518c/kg.

Twenty one F1 Wagyu x Angus heifers 10-11 months averaging 291kg from Cullen Bullen, NSW, returned 619c/kg and will travel to a buyer in Maude, NSW. Their 28 steer brothers averaging 330kg made 635c.

Breeding females

Breeding female highlights included 504 PTIC cows offered, clearing 57pc, to average $2303, up $130 on last week, and station mated cows (just 232 offered, clearing 59pc) to average $2272, up $234 on last week.

Poor performers included station-mated cows and calves (232 pairs offered, clearance 39pc) that dropped $494 to average $2315/pair.

From Broken Hill, NSW, 39 Droughtmaster PTIC cows 5-6 years averaging 526kg returned $2000.

Source: AuctionsPlus