Week Ending 27/04/18
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Dubbo agents for their Prime Cattle sale on April, 26, the day after Anzac Day have drawn for a creditable figure of 5440 head.
Many pundits thought that with Wednesday being this public holiday numbers may have declined much further.
Having said that this draw is some 2500 head less than the previous Thursday. Hard to know if cattle numbers are running out or if graziers are trying to believe long range forecaster who are still predicting above average rain for much of Eastern Australia for May/June.
Sheep and lamb numbers are also showing limited draw lacks. In the last three to four sales here at Troy, small livestock have come from 48,000 head back to 29,000 head in last Mondays draw.
To the east of Dubbo many fatteners have sown their winter crops ready for when the season does break. The odd paddock looks okay but for the most part they are desperate for the next shower of rain. In conversation with hay feeders at the Troy complex they advise that currently they are dragging hay from as far afield as South Australia. The distance and cost are being compounded by the availability or lack of suitable transport.
Most major haulage transport contractors are working their rigs around the clock, seven days a week. Drivers are becoming stressed and the trucks require more servicing.
Another problem faced by many is that some of the bigger players requiring fodder are purchasing quantities in lots of 1000 big squares or more, paying up front and thus taking another Lucerne or cereal hay growing farm out of play. Recently felt let down badly by the conservative side of politic recent apathy towards a royal commission into banking.
The chatter on the street was that the system was all wrong but the powers that run the show were extremely reluctant to act.
Public opinion finally brought the government to a front where they had to get. Hopefully the time frame for investigation will be extended and anybody who believes that the big 5 are the only ones involved are probably at the bottom of the garden looking for fairies. The chatter continues about JBS Australia looking to float or sell.
My limited knowledge of the operation suggests to me that this is not the case. A spokesman for the company denies any impending sale or float.
I saw last Monday a line of CFA Merino Ewes, hard off – shears, plain but strong condition sell for $17.00. this for any graziers with some feed at all looked like a worth while investment.
Sheep will produce a result much quicker than big stock, certainly a gamble but one that looked to have plenty of upside for the punter gamer to have a go.