Tamworth was not the only New South Wales district to be represented at Barnawartha’s store cattle sale on Thursday.
Bathurst was also noted as a distant send, and many Riverina districts were also represented.
Wodonga agents offered a large yarding of 3122 cattle, which included a few cows and calves, joined females, and few yearling steers and heifers of any weight.
Competition was varied, as the sale offered mostly lighter weight cattle less suitable to feedlots.
However, local producers who grain-feed on farm, did play a role on this firm to dearer trend, although this was mostly for steers.
Heifers were again good buying if one was prepared to carry them through this winter.
A small herd dispersal of P Wetherall, “Cornhill”, Merrijig, saw 24 Angus cows with young calves at foot, sell from $1600-$1640 a head.
Most other cows and calves sold between $1040-$1460, with Wellington Park, Violet Town, being paid $1810 for their top pen.
“Goergewood”, Tallangatta, sold Angus cows PTIC to New Blax Simmental bulls, from $1240-$1200.
Most joined cows, PTIC to calve July-August, made between $730-$1100, with some of the more lean types being hard to sell.
The best of the yearling steers was 16 Limousin-Angus steers, 495 kilograms, that sold for $1260, while I&H O’Keefe, Kiewa, sold 23 Angus steers, 12-14 months-old and 410-447kg, from $1115-1205.
E Jones, Huon, sold 22 yearling Hereford steers, 14-16mo, from $990-$1130, equaling 270-278 cents a kilogram liveweight, which was a firm sale on two weeks ago.
Possibly the best buy of any steers was 24 Friesians, 490kg, that sold for $730.
These bigger-framed steers have great potential for a sale next autumn.
Only a few pens of steers, weighing over 320kg lwt, were penned, with the poor season heavily impacting their condition.
At the top end of this weight range was John Ley, Tallangatta, selling 25 Angus steers, 395kg, for $1155.
Nathan Pooley sold nine Angus steers for $1100.
Many steers were penned weighing under 300kg, with many an estimated 180-260kg lwt.
Competition varied across this range, which saw some sell at dearer rates, and some firm on the past two markets at Barnawartha.
Glencoe Pastoral Co, Holbrook, NSW, sold 207 Angus-Black Simmental and Hicks composite steers in a weight range of 210-304kg.
The Glencoe steers usually sell to strong competition, and this sale was no different.
Prices ranged between $570 for the youngest steers to $890, which equated 272-293c/kg lwt.
For these lighter weight steers, this was a good result.
For comparison, two pens of Angus steers of another vendor made $725 for 291kg, and $735 for 257kg lwt.
One happy producer was Richard Bull, who sent 100 KO Angus blood steers, all the way from Tamworth, NSW.
“There were no other sales between home and here when we decided to sell, and this sale was above what we would be paid at home,” Mr Bull said.
His steers sold between $615-$800, for 210-282kg lwt.
Possibly top of the sale was an annual draft of EU accredited Angus steers of W&L Hudson.
Their 93 steers made to $1015 for 319kg, equaling 318c/kg lwt.
Another annual draft was 71 Hereford steers of B&W Hodgkin, which sold to $830, and equaling up to 303c/kg lwt.
While some of the heifers sold very well, many were cheaper than the previous market, but equal to many other sales in southern Victoria.
Yearling Angus heifers of P Wetherall, property sold, made from $1000-$1200.
G&K Paull, Coleambally, sold yearling Angus cross heifers for $1065.
All of the above examples were over 270c/kg lwt.
Consigned from D,G&R Warden, “Bernau Station”, Loomberdah, was 22 yearling Angus-Limousin heifers, mouthed 0-2 teeth.
At 390kg lwt, these sold reasonably well, making $1030.
Feedlot competition was fairly strong on these better weighted heifers, and a good number of younger heifers were bought to background for late grain feeding.
However, that was where the fun stopped with most other heifers selling between $380-$760.
The 155 heifers of Glencoe Pastoral Co sold between $540-$760, and while the top-priced pen equaled 277c/kg, others equaled only 221-232c/kg lwt.
Prices of the Tamworth heifers were from $380-$665, and I,C&K Hopkins, Urana, NSW, sold 65 Angus heifer calves from $380-$550.
Some of this sale was at firm to dearer rates, with some local competition for steers to grass fatten over the next 12 months.
This buyer support did put a floor in the steer sale, partly due to better prices of late for finished bullocks.
While it has rained in the North-East, there have since been two frosts, and numerous producers are now holding off buying.