A tightening season on Melbourne’s northern fringe has seen cattle producers, like Kevin Ryan, start to lighten stocking rates, as they wait for a good spring break.
Mr Ryan, from Darraweit Guim, said he was pleased with the result at the Yea monthly store sale, where he received $900 a head for 14 September-October 2017 Pert Angus blood steers.
The 325kg steers were among the first run of cattle, which achieved prices of between $850 and $1100, at the 2800 head sale.
He was one of several vendors who offered large drafts, selling 22 steers and 23 heifers
Mr Ryan said he had another 50 head to go, in the next few months.
“I like to wean them at nine to 10 months and sell them at 10-14 months,” Mr Ryan said.
“It’s a bit of a shock to the system as to what we were getting one or two years ago.”
Prices were down about $150 a head, on last year.
“Drought conditions have come back and we just have to destock and get our numbers down.”
He said his 295-hectare property was experiencing a “green drought.”
“I’m not really doing anything differently, just feeding out hay, feeding out hay, feeding out hay – my shed is nearly empty,” he said.
“I can get through with what I’ve got at the moment.”
The property was running 160 cows.
“They are ones I bred myself, so everything is profit,” Mr Ryan said.
The cold weather had checked pasture growth and followed on from several dry months.
“Last month, we got three-quarters of what we normally get, the month before that it was half what we normally get, but before that it was good.”
He sold another eight lighter cattle to Perry Jarvis, Yarra Glen, who said he’d grow them out until they were eighteen months old.
Mr Jarvis picked up a pen of eight of Mr Ryan’s 278kg steers for $775 a head.
“I got 30 odd today, that will do me – I’ve got hay on the go, too,” Mr Jarvis said.
