Roads cut in the South Burnett region. Photo: Shaun Soutter via Bureau of Meteorology Facebook.
WITH a tropical low bringing more than 300mm of rain to parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory at the weekend, processors are expecting a disrupted week ahead with cattle sales cancelled and properties cut-off.
While the rain has brought floods that have infiltrated towns like Katherine in the NT, it has delivered water to areas of Qld that were starting to look dry after a hot start to summer.
Cattle sales have been cancelled at Emerald, Gracemere, Blackall and Charters Towers this week and restricted access to several feedlots is expected to put short-term pressure on supply for Qld processors – who are expecting to lose some days at the end of this week.
Tomorrow’s Roma sale is still slated to go ahead, with the draw for tomorrow showing a reduced yarding of 2480 head.
According the Qld Traffic website, major arterial roads like the Landsborough and Capricorn Highways are shut. Floods heading down the Condamine River catchment may also cause disruptions to the Southern Qld feedlots later in the week.
Some of the biggest falls were recorded in the South Burnett area of Qld, with Smithfield Cattle Co managing director Jason Shearer-Smith telling Beef Central that more than 300mm was recorded at the Smithfield feedlot near Proston.
He said he was expecting the yard to be cut-off until Thursday, based on current forecasts, with the company’s Sapphire Feedlot near Goondiwindi able to fill the supply gap left from the start of this week.
Fraser’s Transport’s Rockhampton-based Central Qld compliance manager Athol Carter said work had stopped in the area for the next couple of days, with hopes of getting back on the road by the end of this week.
He said the company had been busy moving cattle around Central Qld in recent times, with work unlikely to start in the north until at least Easter.
“In Northern Australia, we are back in a very typical wet season and we haven’t seen it this widespread in years,” Mr Carter said.
More rain is forecast in the next week.
Cattle continue to come forward in NSW
While the rain has drenched most of Qld, Northern NSW missed out again – with some of the bigger cattle producing areas like the New England increasingly concerned about surface water.
Gunnedah had its biggest yarding in years last week, with 6850 penned. It has another big yarding 6270 on the draw for tomorrow.
Tamworth had a big yarding of 5302 head this morning after a run of big weeks in February. Inverell has 4736 on offer for its prime sale tomorrow.
The widespread rain has appeared to have an impact on the cattle market in the past week, with the weekend’s storms preceded by big rain across the Barkly Tablelands, Channel Country and South Australia. The market was described as ‘very strong’ at the weekly Gympie sale north of Brisbane this morning, with processors evidently desperate to fill gaps in their kills rosters with available saleyards cattle.
The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator jumped 23c to open this week at 881c/kg carcase weight, the Feeder Steer Indicator increased by 9c to 481c/kg lw and the processor cow increased by 9c to 375c.
In her saleyard report from a reduced yarding at Wagga Wagga this morning, National Livestock Reporting Service reporter Leann Dax said the market had risen off the back of the recent rain.
“The market has experienced a significant shift following substantial rainfall across the region, leading to notable changes in prices and overall market dynamics.
“Although all trade and export buyers attended, not all actively participated. Domestic buyers struggled against the competitive pricing from feedlots, resulting in a hesitance to elevate their own price levels. In contrast, feedlots emerged as dominant players, absorbing a significant portion of the well-finished trade types available.
“Local restockers stepped up, particularly targeting lighter weight weaners and yearlings.”
well done .CATTLEMAN PLEASE STAND STRONG