Markets

Dubbo sale 14 Dec 2017: Solid support for feeders in final sale of year

David Monk, 15/12/2017

The last prime cattle sale for the year for Dubbo produced a much smaller yarding with numbers dropping by 1600 for a total of 2560 cattle.

There was a fair selection of young cattle to suit the feeders and restockers along with reasonable numbers of well finished cows. There were a couple of large consignments of cows in store condition with young calves which were sourced from Bourke and Broken Hill along with a couple of other consignments from far western areas including South Australia.

There was only a limited selection of grown steers yarded which was a positive as the export processing plants wind down for the Christmas break. The feeders and backgrounders though were still keen to source numbers.

MLA advises the limited numbers of young cattle to the trade sold at similar rates with prime vealers selling from 306c to 310c and the prime yearlings sold from 251c to 308c/kg.

There was solid support from both southern and northern operators for the feeders yarded. Heavier feeder steers and heifers over 400kg were 3c to 6c dearer while the lighter weights were 2c to 4c/kg cheaper. Feeder steers sold from 265c to 318c with the medium and heavy weights averaging 306c/kg. The feeder heifers sold from 265c to 313c to average 292c/kg.

Young cattle to the restockers were firm with steer vealers to the restockers selling from 329c to 337c while very young calves to the restockers sold to 492c/kg. The older steers suitable for the backgrounders also sold very well with the better steer yearlings selling from 320c to 353c/kg. Young heifer vealers to the restockers sold from 315c to 326c/kg.

Grown steers were 10c cheaper with only minimal support coming from a couple of southern processors along with the plainer quality of the steers available also having an effect. The prime medium weights sold from 250c to 260c to average 255c/kg. The grown steers suitable for the feeders sold reasonably well selling from 250c to 300c/kg. Grown heifers were 7c cheaper with the heavier weights over 540kg selling from 231c to 260c to average 245c/kg.

Cows to the processors were generally 7c to 8c cheaper with some of the plainer lightweight cows experiencing larger falls. The 2 score cows to the processors sold from 150c to 199c/kg while the better 3 and 4 score cows to the processors sold from 175c to 234c with the prime heavy weights averaging 220c/kg. The plainer conditioned cows suitable for the restockers which included the Bourke and Broken Hill cows were 7c to 10c dearer and sold from 199c to 235c/kg.

Bulls were 15c cheaper with the well-muscled bulls in prime condition selling from 220c to 264c to average 245c/kg. Good numbers of young bulls to the restockers sold to solid competition selling from 210c to 352c with the lightweights less than 450kg averaging 278c/kg.

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