PRODUCERS have shown different strengths in physical markets, both pre- and post-Easter holiday weeks.
Numerous sales were cancelled last Thursday with short supply, and the four day holiday break, all affecting processor demands.
Further to this were markets leading up to Good Friday mostly having heavily reduced yardings with agents not wanting to test processor demand, given the current climate.
With prices again showing stronger trends, and processors wanting the exact opposite, there was uncertainty as to the level of competition prior to Easter.
This aided higher prices for most classes of cattle, and in most cases, with only four operable days this week, supplying cattle was a dubious enterprise.
Having only a few of the regular weekly markets to analyse, trends could be a little array.
Shepparton was the largest market offering 1600 head, and in most cases prices were equal to, or at the top of the scale.
Vealers at Shepparton, sold to a top of 385 cents a kilogram, compared to Wodonga at 380c/kg lwt.
The MLA reported Wodonga being up to 20c/kg cheaper for the top end vealers, but this market has been above all others for the past two weeks.
Shepparton and Wodonga are the only two sales to quote, as supply was well above other Tuesday sales for trade cattle.
Yearling steers sold very well with grain-fed steers selling from 350-380c, and heifers 340-365c/kg lwt. Grass fattened yearlings averaged 30c/kg lower, but in many cases, quality was very mixed.
Feedlots and restockers paid between 330&390c/kg for most purchases, underpinning the sales.
Grown steers and bullocks generally sold at unchanged rates with 500-600kg steers selling from 310-348c, and prime bullocks 292-325c, for an average around 314c/kg lwt.
Over all of the Tuesday markets, cows made up the larger percentage of the total number. Pakenham agents offered just 130 cows, and this saw prices firm to slightly dearer.
The best quality cows here sold to 272c, while at Shepparton, where over 420 cows reached to a top of 266c/kg lwt. Better quality cows were quoted firm, but leaner cows were dearer.
In both of these markets, most lean cows sold from 175-233c/kg, but at Camperdown, where over 500 cows were penned, prices were quoted cheaper with the best cows only fetching 246c/kg lwt.
This market generally has a large supply of poor quality, lean 1 score cows, and the price range for these was 111-195c/kg for most sales, in a pre-weigh market.