A very good farmer once said to me that If you ever want to purchase a farm, then August is the time to inspect, as the good farms will be greening up and getting away, leaving the poorer properties behind.
Well this year proves that saying with our better areas now starting to colour up and paddock feed starting to be more than a green tinge.
Over the past two months the north-east has experienced a very cold winter with some severe frosts dropping as low as -6 degrees.
Rain unfortunately was nonexistent in June, but thankfully July, while not plentiful, has produced regular smaller falls of 5-15mm of rain most weeks.
It’s a big call but I believe we are in a better position this year than we were at the same time 12 months ago, despite most paddocks last year being three inches deep in water!
However, it all comes down now to getting some substantial rainfall in late August or early September.
As the market has begun to tighten, the gap between our better cattle and poorer bred cattle has started to widen.
It certainly proves that come flood or drought - quality stock will always find a buyer.
The good operators never stop trading with cereal and pasture hay supplies plentiful, and the cheapest they’ve been in years, there is an opportunity to continue trading or changeover to a younger herd.
Outstanding quality yarding’s of spring drop weaners have been the tale of winter 2017 with both Euroa and Barnawartha agents auctioning off some of the districts best calves and vendors receiving their best ever prices.
With the money on offer, we found the majority of vendors opting to sell complete drops and buyers may find limited opportunity’s to secure lighter weight cattle coming into the spring especially if we were to have an average season.
Attention will now fall to our feature spring sales over the next four weeks with Wangaratta’s annual Spring weaner sale on Friday, August 25, with Barnawartha and Euroa the following week.
It would be remiss of me not to mention our lamb producers who have, like most areas, had an excellent return on later lambs selling through the autumn and early winter.
Lambing percentages have been very solid with producers marking 110-130 per cent and with the dryer winter suckers are well on their way to making kill weight over the next two months.
Our specialist first-cross producers will have their eyes on the weather with the Feature first-cross Breeder sale in Corowa only 10 weeks away. Thanks to Murray for asking me to contribute to the paper this week.
I’ll go out with the optimist in me and say 2017 will be a fantastic year have faith and good luck.
