Following the very useful northern rains which has boosted the market in most major centres throughout the week numbers lifted by 1500 for a yarding of 5125 at Dubbo sale this week. The bulk of the yarding was sourced from local districts with most of the drawing areas missing out on the rain.

There were also some large consignments from the Broken Hill area along with some other loads coming from Enngonia and Bourke. It was a fair quality yarding with a good selection of cows and young calves with a number of growers having to off load because of the dry conditions.

Cows were responsible for nearly 30pc of the yarding. Grown steers were well supplied and there was a reasonable selection of young cattle to suit the feeders and restockers along with better yarding of trade cattle. Most of the regular buyers were operating along with additional restocker support from Southern and Central tableland buyers along with the return of a southern trade buyer. There was also an extra northern feeder buyer only operating on steers.

MLA advises the better quality yarding of young trade cattle along with the additional buyer created more competition resulting in an 8c dearer market for the trade cattle. Steer vealers to the trade sold to 300c while the heifer vealers sold from 292c to 296c/kg. The prime steer yearlings sold from 260c to 296c while the heifer yearlings to the trade sold from 248c to 265c/kg.

Feeder steers were 9c to 14c dearer selling from 270c to 305c with the heavy weights over 400kg averaging 292c/kg. In contrast the feeder heifers were 3c cheaper selling from 243c to 279c with the 330kg to 400kg heifers averaging 259c/kg.

With the large sell off of cows with young calves the restockers had a good opportunity to operate on good numbers of good quality calves. Young steers to the restockers continue to sell to solid competition selling at rates up to 20c/kg dearer. The young steers going back to the paddock sold from 286c to 393c with the lighter calves less than 200kg averaging 339c while the heavier weights weighing between 200kg and 280kg averaged 351c/kg. Young heifers to the restockers sold from 260c to 315c/kg.

Once again there was strong support from both northern and southern export processors. Grown steers finished 6c to 10c dearer with the prime medium and heavy weights selling from 265c to 283c with the medium weights weighing 500kg to 600kg averaging 274c while the heavier weights averaged 280c/kg. Grown steers to the feeders were up to 11c dearer selling from 260c to 288c/kg. Grown heifers were 4c dearer with the better types selling from 234c to 260c/kg.

Cows to the processors were 2c to 5c dearer with the 2 scores selling from 120c to 188c while the better 3 and 4 score cows sold from 176c to 226c for  C muscle cows. The prime heavy weight cows averaged 214c/kg. Cows to the restockers were up to 7c dearer selling from 167c to 206c/kg.

It was a plainer quality line up of bulls which were 7c cheaper with the heavy weights selling from 220c to 253c/kg. Young bulls to the restockers sold from 224c to 340c/kg.