The figure was a massive increase on recent yardings, which had hovered around the 4000 mark.

A few dry days after the recent wet weather not only boosted buyer confidence, it also ensured farmers could get stock off their properties and into the yards.

Partner at Carter Lindsay Weber, Shaun McHugh, said conditions were rife for producers to reap the rewards of what otherwise has been a pretty lean time.

“The dry, hotter days we‘ve had has meant the feed has come into its own,” Mr McHugh said.

“As a result the cattle that were presented today were fat and shiny, and a real credit to the producers that brought them in for sale.

“With all the water around the feed has just gone through the cattle but it’s starting to stick now, and the result is that buyers have to pay good money for them.”

While supply increased exponentially on recent sales, it had no bearing on prices with buyers forced to put their hands deep into their pockets.

Feeder steers brought up to $3.90 per kilogram and heifers $3.75, while cows sat around the $2.70 mark. Light cattle to the restocker were fetching about $4.00 per kilogram.

“The market was strong, even though there were a lot more cattle being sold,” Mr McHugh said.

“The producers were able to get trucks onto their property to move the stock in to be sold, and with them in such good condition it resulted in a much bigger sale than anything we’ve had in recent months.”

The boom in the cattle market has also flowed through to the sheep sector, with high numbers recorded since the clearing of the weather.

“It’s been the same thing with the sheep,” McHugh said.

“A lot of them have been stuck on the properties but now with trucks able to get in we’re seeing more.

“The only drama for the producers has been that the lambs have been there for a while and have cut teeth into hoggets, so that drops the price a bit. But overall the market is certainly in the producers’ favour.”