Some three months ago Western division livestock producers in the main succumbed to the ever-strengthening drought conditions and started to sell both sheep and cattle in large numbers.
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This has turned out to be a smart move as the drought has not ended and markets, particularly cattle, are showing serious signs of decline in prices.
Producers now east and south of the Dubbo hub have at long last given in and they are now probably the major contributors to saleyard offerings. For the past six weeks Troy Stock market has yarded somewhere between 4000 and 6000 head at its regular Thursday Sale.
Today’s scanning totalled 5250 head. With increasing pressure from vendors, agents are now conducting store cattle sales on almost every available Friday.
Sheep and lamb numbers remain solid with agents yarding 30,000 to 50,000 head on a regular basis.
Producers are also reminded Monday October 2 is a public holiday and Dubbo will not conduct a sheep and lamb sale that day. Stock numbers have a habit of fluctuating wildly either side of a public holiday.
Expansion and improvements continue at Dubbo Saleyards with extensions and additions being completed on a weekly basis. Some highlights include extra feed pens, a second set of cattle scales capable of weighing a full deck of cattle, extra receival ramps and yards, new enlarged selling pens and recently the erection of sail cloth over the new section.
Add to this a new lighting system calculated to save 28 tonnes of greenhouse gas.
The Batista family are still making headlines in the meat processing industry for all the wrong reasons. Some stability may be returning to the company, with the 84-year-old Mr Batista Snr the founding father of the company being returned as chief executive after two sons were imprisoned.
The company leadership team has welcomed Mr Batista’s appointment feeling that the business now has a sense of direction and increased commitment.
While talking JBS, the Cobram plant in Victoria and the Longford plant in Tasmania will close their small stock chains indefinitely after workers were offered redundancies this week.
Because of involved legislation both plants will be deemed permanently closed by October 30. These closures are not in isolation with many companies reducing hours, the number of shifts or finally some form of closure.
Dubbo prime cattle on September 21 appear to have bucked a NSW-wide trend with MLA market reporter Mr David Monk saying many categories enjoyed a price rise compared to a week ago at this venue. Cows and bulls were the exception, being cheaper.
Young cattle to the trade were 15c/kg dearer with best vealers topping at 312c/kg. Feeder steers were 12c to 15c dearer reaching 300c/kg. Feeder heifers and light cattle suited for restockers had a touch of buoyancy, which was lacking the last day.