Brad Mulvihill, TopX Gracemere, with a Hinz Grazing Company, Mornish, pen of Brahman PTIC cows which reached $1700/head.

Restocker demand underpinned prices at the combined Surplus Wet Weather Weaner Sale and Prime and Store Sale at Central Queensland Livestock Exchange Gracemere on Wednesday, where the steer price peaked at 644c/kg.

The sale-topping weaner pen was a 196kg Brangus line drawn from Moore and Lang, Duaringa, which returned $1263/head.

Brad Mulvihill, TopX Gracemere, said the quality steers fetched the highest rate for weaners across Central Queensland this week.

“This line was the right weight and the exact quality buyers are looking for, they were secured by a local restocker,” Mr Mulvihill said.

“Good quality cattle sold extremely well.”

Combined agents yarded 4779 head of good quality cattle, drawn from Collinsville, Mt Coolon, Bundaberg, and the local area.

Other sale highlights included a line of Brahman cross steers, drawn from Parker Cattle Company, which weighed 281kg and returned $1673/head.

Stanage Bay vendor, Jason Lindley, made 610c/kg for a 217kg Angus cross steer offering to achieve $1325/head.

A run of Brahman weaner steers from Lynch Brothers Partnership, Bushley, weighed 325kg and equalled $1794/head when sold for 552c/kg.

For cows, Wotonga Grazing, Nebo, offered a 636kg Charbray cross pen that reached 322c/kg and returned $2051/head.

A highlight in the heifer market was a line from D and J Otto, Bracewell, of 263kg Ultra Black heifers which were secured for 474c/kg and made $1248/head.

Kunwarara vendor, DW McCartney, also had a good result for their Brangus heifers which hit 504c/kg and weighed 251kg to return $1267/head.

G and L Eiser, Gogango, made a return of $1442/head for a pen of 345kg Brangus heifers, which hit 418c/kg.

For cows and calves the market peaked at $2300/unit and averaged $1732/unit.

Looking ahead, Mr Mulvihill was confident in the strength of the market given buyer confidence was running high.

“Most producers across Central Queensland believe this has been the best wet winter they have ever seen in history,” he said.

“If we get some warm weather, with the moisture in the ground given the rain we have had around the region, I can see this market picking up again.”

Source: CQLX