An Echuca store cattle yarding of 1200 head on Monday offered predominantly steers and dry cattle, with a smattering of joined females that appeared good buying when sold back to the paddock at slaughter values.
Once again weight was king, with the heavier lines of young beef steers, 300-360kg, sold at rates of 270-280c/kg topping at $1000 while lighter steers, mainly spring-drop, were good buying at 200-250c/kg.
Young heifers, with weight, 300kg-plus made to $700 with an isolated sale to $1040 with local and regional feeders expressed keen interest. But grass competition was extremely limited owing mainly to the prohibitive cost of irrigation water making it uneconomical to pasture graze stock.
Selling agents described the demand for dairy-cross stock as a rather sick and sad affair.
Tony Hoopell, FP Nevins P/L said due to the lack of grass and water across the irrigate districts that market re-discovered there was many more sellers than buyers, with prices resulting accordingly.
Surprisingly, however three or four volumes buyers displayed an interest in these dairy-types and while all were cleared prices paid were not overly great, he said.
The best of the larger grown Friesian steers were sold up to $750-$800 a head at an estimated buy price of 170-180c/kg lwt while the light Friesian and plainer-bred crossbred dairy steers made from $1/kg live or $90- $300/head.
Mr Hooppell said although prices fweren’t overly flash they were stronger.
The volume buyers trucked cattle to GV, Kerang, Wangaratta and Gippsland.
