More than 60,000 head of cattle have been yarded so far in 2018 - more than a third of what was recorded for the 2016-17 financial year, putting the selling centre well on the way to maintaining top spot on Meat and Livestock Australia’s saleyard turnover report.

The continuing dry conditions across most of the state are pushing producers to offload numbers, according to local agent Justin Sanderson from Richardson and Sinclair.

“The cattle are coming from (vendors) all over the place,” Mr Sanderson said.

“It is such a wide- spread dry, everyone is in unloading mode at the moment.”

A total of 7960 cattle were yarded at the last prime cattle sale (held on April 12), most of which showed signs of the dry however good lines of finished cattle were still on offer.

Despite the dry, Mr Sanderson said there was solid support from buyers.

“Last week, there was a better range of buyers for a slightly smaller number of cattle yarded,” he said.

“Southern buyers turned up which influenced the market quite well, alongside two or three extra northern orders which pushed the market along.

“This week, with the bigger yarding, it was missing.

“Overall, prices aren’t that far from the last time it was this dry.”

Greg Radford from Albert offered 100 EU Poll Hereford weaner steers in the last store cattle sale, where 1670 head were yarded.

Mr Radford said he wouldn’t usually sell these six to eight month old steers.

“We have had a little bit of rain in January and that’s it,” he said.

Mr Radford said they would normally finish the steers and send to the feedlot however the cost of hay and grain didn’t make that viable in the current season.

“Sell the grain and sell the cattle – it’s worth more as money in the bank.”

The Radford’s line sold from $625 to $720/head and were purchased by buyers from Moree, Dubbo and Blackall, Queensland.