With only twelve days until Christmas and only six days until the last fat cattle market, processors have ramped-up their demand for quality younger cattle this week.
While not all young cattle have benefited from this demand, many lines of vealers reflected the increase demand with a lift in prices.
At Barnawartha on Tuesday, a larger supply of better quality vealers sold quite well with just over 300 vealers selling to 309 cents a kilogram liveweight. MLA quoted this as 7-20c/kg dearer week-on-week.
Sales of high quality vealers sold to higher priced trends at Pakenhma on Monday, with a top price of 322c/kg achieved, with MLA reporting an increased number of vealers sold over 300c/kg this week.
However, quality caught the prices with many markets quoting vealers firm with a few at cheaper rates.
One of these was Shepparton, on Tuesday, where a small selection of C-muscle vealers were quoted being up to 24c/kg cheaper. It is fair to note that there was a drop in quality here.
Enjoying an excellent season, prices at Naracoorte, South Australia, were aided by some price increases for young grass fattened cattle.
However, this market was one of only a couple that sold to dearer trends, as most other sales early this week, sold to cheaper trends.
An anomaly was Wagga Wagga, on Monday where vealers were quoted being dearer, but looking at the prices it didn’t match up to anywhere else.
However, it was the sales of yearling steers that tweaked my interest. MLA recorded 1273 steers in its report, and every one of them went for further feeding – either paddock or feedlot.
Equally, most of the 1405 yearling heifers reported, also went for further feeding. Prices were generally dearer for all yearlings.
Both processors and producers are reporting a backlog of supply direct to abattoirs through to February. However, if all of the talk about a big rain across a large area emerges, then this could change.
Prime bullocks fell with the top prices being around 275 to 285c/kg. However, there were numerous sales of better quality bullocks, including crossbreds, which were up to 15c/kg cheaper.
With further increases in the supply of cows, prices took a hit again, and were between 10 and 25c/kg lower. Shepparton agents yarded over 800 cows, which saw this market take a bigger loss than some others.
According to MLA’s analysis, very few quality cows made over 210c, with the best seen being 218c/kg. Meanwhile the export market is proving very tough at this time of year, which is aiding the current downturn.
