Eastern Australia’s thirst for livestock to clean up this year’s sensational spring growth has turned store market bidding into a buyer’s nightmare.
This was the case at Ballarat store cattle market on Friday and to lesser extent at store sheep sales at Bendigo and Edenhope earlier in the week.
The fact is that all areas of the eastern states have this season grown more grass, pasture and crops than for a generation. And, it’s going to take an extra army of livestock – an army the country doesn’t have spare – to eliminate the fire risk and eat off the excess trash before next year’s growing season.
It’s not often that we get to use these words in livestock commentary but currently markets, now, are very much “grass-driven” and buyers are almost at a loss to know and understand what dollars they will need to buy livestock.
In the case of store cattle buyers who came to the market prepared to spend $1000-$1100 a head two months ago, and baulked, they are now coughing up $1300 for the smallest in steer yardings while a good one can cost $1400-$1600.
And those who had an inkling for heifers and set their limit two months ago at $800-$900, they are now spending $1000/head or more and still risk missing out.
Cows and calves, until recently, were viewed as “value for money” are now seeing none sold to less than $2000, and up to $3200 for the very best as was the case on Auctions Plus this week.
And if you think sheep might be a better bet to clean up those overgrown paddocks, and small blocks, think again.
Bendigo’s annual ewe sale on Wednesday sold its young Merino ewes from $150-$226 a head, while five year-old ewes made $145-$156. While at Edenhope, nothing was sold for less than $95 in its annual first-cross wether sale while the tops made to $140 and were said to be fit for the knife.
Indeed plenty to contemplate in a year were grass is abundant, grain is its cheapest for a decade and markets are tipped to soften.
Meanwhile a groundswell of public pressure generated by peri-urban block owners, and supported by industry, has caused Geelong Council administrators to reverse its previous decision to permanently close its North Geelong saleyards.
Considered historically as the oldest saleyard operating in Victoria the Weddell Street premise was closed at short notice back in April due to alleged OH&S issues and related unsafe work practices.
But this decision was recently overturned when a public forum of Greater Geelong lifestyle block owners argued they had nowhere locally to sell their small lots of sheep and cattle, and trucking them distance to larger markets was unprofitable, impractical, and inevitably lead to a breakdown in animal traceability.
