NUMBERS were back by 600 for a yarding of 4600 at Dubbo earlier today.

It was a fair to good quality yarding with good numbers of prime cattle throughout, along with a large presence of far western cattle including consignments from Broken Hill, Bourke, Wilcannia, White Cliffs, Cobar, Quambone, Tottenham and local districts.

Also included in the yarding was a consignment of 550 well-bred Herefords off Quinyambie station south from Broken Hill, along the South Australian border.

All the regular buyers were in attendance and operating in a mostly fair market.

MLA market information advised the limited numbers of young cattle to the trade were firm to 5c cheaper with steer vealers selling from 343c to 356c/kg.

The heifer vealers to the trade sold from 342c to 382c/kg. Prime steer yearlings sold from 292c to 346c with the heavier weights over 400kg averaging 307c while the prime heifer yearlings sold to 330c with the medium weights averaging 317c and the heavier weights over 400kg 302c/kg.

Lighter weight feeder steers were 2c to 6c cheaper while the better heavier weights and the feeder heifers were firm to 5c/kg dearer.

The feeder steers on offer sold from 304c to 374c with the large number of prime heavier weights over 400kg averaging 333c/kg. The feeder heifers sold from 280c to 338c with the heavier weights averaging 311c/kg.

Young steers to the restockers were dearer as numbers of suitable lightweight calves remain in very short supply. The young steers to the restockers sold from 342c to 448c with the calves weighing between 200kg and 280kg averaging 434c while the heavier weights averaged 400c/kg. Young heifers returning to the paddock sold from 338c to 368c/kg.

The large numbers of medium-weight grown steers were firm to 1c dearer while the heavy weights were 5c/kg dearer. The prime medium weights weighing between 500kg and 600kg sold from 285c to 315c averaging 303c while the heavier weight bullocks weighing between 600kg and 750kg sold from 280c to 305c/kg.

The prime conditioned grown heifers were also dearer with the medium and heavy weights selling from 260c to 300c/kg.

Plain conditioned cows were 3c cheaper while the properly finished cows were 4c dearer. Score 2 cows sold from 190c to 231c to the processors and the few suitable for the restockers sold to 228c/kg. The better 3 and 4 score cows sold from 216c to 258c with the 4 score heavy weights averaging 246c/kg.

The better muscled heavyweight bulls to the processors sold from 250c to 276c to average 263c/kg. The large selection of young bulls to the live exporters sold from 320c to 362c to average 347c/kg.