Among larger heifer lines sold on Friday, these 123 Angus x Droughtmaster/Santa backgrounder heifers 319kg at 12-18 months from Winton, Northwest Qld made 473c/kg.

ONLINE cattle listings eased further this week, falling another 28 percent to 9800 head. Offerings on Friday were down more than 8500 head from just a fortnight ago.

After a clearance of only 48pc the week before, clearance on Friday afternoon reached 70pc.

NSW led supply with 3937 head offered, down 40pc on the previous week. Queensland contributed 3395 head, down 34pc, while Victoria offered 1005 head, down 18pc.

Steer and heifer weight categories were erratic in c/kg price movements – some up, some down.

Lighter steers 200-280kg lifted 41c to average 569c/kg, clearing 84pc of the offering of 1245 head.

Medium weight steers 280-330kg lifted 3c to average 572c/kg, clearing 60oc of the 945 offered.

Heavier 330-400kg steers added 1c to average 563c, and cleared 70pc of the 1484 offered.

Following recent trends, heavy feeder weight steers +400kg fell sharply, down 41c to 513c, while clearing 66pc of the 734 head offered.

Forty five Angus steers 7-8 months averaging 237kg from Armidale, NSW returned 663c/kg and will travel to a buyer near Nowendoc, NSW.

Heifer prices were under pressure in the mid-weight ranges. Lighter heifers 200-280kg rose 23c to average 479c/kg, while clearing 93pc of the 971 offered. Mid-weight heifers 280-330kg fell 30c to average 480c/kg, clearing 80pc of the 1180 offered, while 330-400kg heifers dropped 12c to 497c/kg, clearing 69pc of the catalogue of 1036. Heavy heifers +400kg bucked the trend, surging 82c to 575c/kg, but representing only a very small offering of 45 head, clearing only 60pc.

Thirty eight Angus heifers 18-20 months averaging 388kg from Binalong, VIC, returned 531c/kg and will travel to a buyer near Jugiong, NSW.

Among larger heifer lines, 123 Angus x Droughtmaster/Santa backgrounder heifers 319kg at 12-18 months from Winton, Northwest Qld made 473c/kg.

Breeding females

Breeding female values were mixed. PTIC cows averaged $1603 per head, down $465. SM cows held steady at $2054 per head, down just $4. Cow and calf units showed divergent trends, with NSM cows and calves averaging $2908 per pair, down $60, while SM cows and calves jumped $753 to $3369 per pair.

From Moree, NSW, 15 Santa PTIC heifers 21-24 months averaging 501kg returned $2190/head and will travel to a buyer near Talwood, QLD.

Source: AuctionsPlus