Significant Surge in Cattle Sales on AuctionsPlus

The latest online cattle sale on AuctionsPlus saw an impressive catalogue featuring 24,346 head offered on Friday, marking it as the largest offering since May of the previous year.

This impressive number is comparable to past high offerings, including those during the initial weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, where over 30,000 head were offered.

Market Overview: Trends and Prices

Unlike previous weeks, this sale saw listings more than double. However, most categories experienced a decline in c/kg terms, with clearance rates easing slightly from 76% to 70% over the prior week.

The most significant price drops were evident in the heifer market. Heifers under 200kg fell by 223c, averaging 417c/kg, representing the largest correction amongst the freight. The price of heifers weighing between 200-280kg dipped by 37c to 438c/kg. Meanwhile, heavier heifers in the 400kg+ category eased by 27c, and 330-400kg heifers dropped by 13c. Nevertheless, the demand from restockers remained strong, indicated by a firm clearance of 94% for lighter heifers.

Steer Prices Show More Resilience

In contrast, steer prices demonstrated more stability than heifers. An impressive offering of nearly 5000 steers in the 200-280kg range experienced only a minor drop of 7c, averaging 567c, with a clearance of 84%.

Steers weighing between 280-330kg maintained their pricing, clearing 3314 head at 546c, while those in the 330-400kg bracket averaged 515c after a 20c decrease, clearing 60% of the 2651 head offered. Heavier steers over 400kg saw a clearance of 92% for a smaller batch of 578 head, edging down by 19c to average 508c, with 390 of these categorized as Angus.

Notable Sales Highlights

Among the noteworthy sales, 102 Angus steers aged 7-8 months, averaging 302kg from Armidale, NSW, fetched $1650 or 547c/kg, purchased by a buyer near Moree, NSW. Other significant sales included 155 Angus feeder steers, each weighing 466kg at 18-22 months from Manilla, NSW, sold at 521c/kg, totaling $2430.

Heifer Prices Struggle

All categories of heifers faced challenges in maintaining earlier price levels. Heifers weighing between 200-280kg saw nearly 2500 head yarded, with a clearance rate of 69%, down by 37c to an average of 438c. Heifers in the 280-330kg category amounted to 1618 head, clearing 68%, with prices down 28c to average 441c.

Highlights in the heifer segment included 31 Angus non-station mated heifers and calves, aged 28-30 months and averaging 461kg from Cullen Bullen, NSW, which were sold for $3420/pair, going to a buyer near Albury, NSW. Additionally, 38 Angus heifers aged 16-18 months from Armidale averaged 441kg for a price of $1980 or 449c/kg, travelling to a buyer near Texas, QLD.

Mixed Results for Breeding Females

Breeding female results exhibited variability, reflecting fluctuating buyer confidence. Station-mated cows and calves averaged $2242 per head. In contrast, non-stationary mated (NSM) cows and calves fell by $156. Pregnant-through-to-include cows (PTIC) observed a slight average reduction of $72, landing at $2120 with a clearance of 59% from the 1668 head offered.

Notably, PTIC heifers struggled with a clearance rate of only 46%, averaging $2291. The only uptick was seen in a handful of offered NSM cows, which increased by $180 to reach an average of $1780. Clearance rates within breeding categories varied from 59% to 67%, indicating a mixed market sentiment.

Source: AuctionsPlus