Among larger lines sold this week were these 232 Brangus feeder heifers from Muttaburra, northwest Queensland. The heavier end averaging 383kg at 12-20 months made 482-484c/kg, while the remaining 38 averaging 328kg made 433c.

FOLLOWING the recent saleyards trend, numbers fell sharply on AuctionsPlus on Friday, with the catalogue of 6731 head back 33pc on the week before, and only a third of listings seen this time last month.

Clearance lifted four percentage points to 92pc on smaller numbers, with solid price rises across most steer and heifer weight categories.

Heifers dominated throughput this week, accounting for 3520 head compared to 2028 steers. Heifers also outperformed on clearance, achieving 95pc compared to 90pc for steers.

NSW led supply with 2711 head, followed by Queensland with 1867 head. Victoria contributed 1085 head and Tasmania 274.

Lighter steers 200-280kg steers lifted 48c to average 610c, clearing the small offering of 656 head. The 280-330kg steers gained 42c to average 629c, clearing 95pc of the 330 head offered, while 330-400kg steers added 6c to average 579c, from a small offering of 314. Heavy feeder steers +400kg held steady at 556c, up 2c, while clearing 90pc of the 500 offered.

Highlights included 41 Angus steers 20-23 months averaging 393kg from Dorrigo, NSW, returned 577c/kg and will travel to a buyer near Bundarra, NSW.

Heifers also performed strongly in most weight ranges, correcting earlier slides. Heifers 200-280kg heifers gained 49c to average 549c, while 280-330kg descriptions eased 13c to average 503c, while still clearing most of the 1100 head offered. The 330-400kg heifers lifted 29c to 539c from 976 offered, while heifers +400kg were unchanged, averaging 521c.

From Bingara, NSW, 45 Angus heifers 13-14 months averaging 370kg returned 611c/kg and will travel to a buyer near Cassilis, NSW.

Among larger lines sold this week were 232 Brangus feeder heifers from Muttaburra, northwest Queensland. The heavier end averaging 383kg at 12-20 months made 482-484c/kg, while the remaining 38 averaging 328kg made 433c.

Further south, 170 Angus x Brahman backgrounder heifers 221kg at 7-9 months out of St George in Queensland’s Maranoa region made 546c/kg, while 158 of their steer brothers averaging 230kg made 603c.

Breeding females

Breeding female values were mostly stronger. SM cows averaged $1850, down $250, while PTIC cows lifted $255 to $2180. NSM cow and calf units gained $339 to $3,122 per pair, and NSM heifer and calf units jumped $716 to $4177.

Forty one Angus PTIC cows 2-3 years averaging 428kg from Cooma, NSW, returned $2360/head and will travel to a buyer in Colac, VIC.

Source: AuctionsPlus