Cattle Market Update: A Closer Look at Recent Trends

Larger lines sold this week included these 192 Santa weaned steers, 295kg at 5-8 months from Rolleston,
Central Queensland, making 509c/kg or $1500. Further 310 weaned Santa steers, 230kg at the same age sold to
526c/kg, and 280 weaned heifers 215kg made 464c and 487c/kg.

In an eventful week, the cattle market witnessed an offering of 24,488 head, marking the largest supply since May of last year. However, the market displayed a trend of increased selectivity, with a significant clearance decrease to just 50%.

Heifer Market Overview

Heifer values showed signs of recovery following last week’s substantial declines across all five categories. Among the notable trends:

• Heifers weighing 200-280kg increased by 10c to average 447c, with a clearance of only 58% from the 2700 offered.
• Heifers 280-330kg saw a 21c rise to 460c/kg, but only 35% cleared out of 1713 available.
• Heavier heifers, 330-400kg, improved by 8c to average 455c, achieving a clearance of 33%.
• The +400kg heifers increased by 6c to 453c/kg, with a 69% clearance rate from a small lot of 321 head.

From Molong, NSW, a notable sale involved a line of 65 Angus heifers, aged 11-12 months and averaging 290kg, which fetched 493c/kg, destined for a buyer near Holbrook, NSW.

Steer Market Conditions

The steer market exhibited mixed results, with variations across different weight categories:

• Steers under 200kg showed a positive trend, increasing by 26c to an average of 595c/kg, although clearance was only 54%.
• For 200-280kg steers, there was a substantial offering of 4684 head, with a clearance of 58% and average prices dropping by 22c to 534c.
• Steers weighing 280-330kg saw a slight dip of 15c to average 528c/kg.
• Conversely, steers in the 330-400kg range experienced a 16c increase to average 522c/kg.
• The most notable clearance was recorded at 93% for the +400kg category, although overall clearance rates varied across lighter weights.

Highlight steer sales included:

• 32 Angus steers, aged 6-8 months and averaging 192kg from Wagga Wagga, NSW, returning 653c/kg.
• 112 Angus steers, aged 7-8 months and averaging 291kg from Bombala, NSW, returning 575c/kg.
• Additionally, 192 Santa weaned steers from Rolleston made 509c/kg or $1500, alongside further sales of both steers and heifers from the same vendor.

Breeding Female Trends

Price trends for breeding females showed considerable variability:

• PTIC cows & calves rose by $655 to average $3405/pair.
• NSM cows & calves increased by $313 to average $2371/pair.
• In contrast, station-mated heifers and calves fell $930 to average $1412, with SM cows and calves dropping $251 to average $1995/pair.

Source: AuctionsPlus