THE yarding may have been 700 head less than before Christmas, but the 350 cattle sold at last Friday's Dubbo store cattle sale attracted strong interest resulting in some extra special prices in a dearer market.
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Reporting on the sale, Meat and Livestock Australia's National Livestock Reporting Service said the yarding was mixed in condition with some good quality steer and heifer weaners and some plainer Bos Indicus weaners.
The better quality weaners found very strong competition and were quoted as dearer.
Starting on a dearer note were weaner steers with a draft of 69 Angus weighing between 200 and 280 kilograms (liveweight) topping that section of the market among 120 head at $1580.
Weaner steers up to 200kg ranged in price from $910 for Droughtmasters to $1345 for a pen of Herford/Angus crosses. The heavier category sold from $900 for Bos Indicus to $1580 for the Angus. The steers ranged from 367 cents per kg live to 747c/kg.
Weaner heifers, 89 in total, sold from $650 to $1400 with weights up to 200kg ranging from $650 for Bos Indicus crosses to $1040 for Santa Gertrudis heifers.
Weaner heifers of 200kg to 280kg sold from $780 for British-cross to $1400, while a pen of 22 Angus in this category sold from $1040 to $1230. Among the heifer lines liveweight prices ranged from 328c/kg to 748c/kg.
Among the 36 yearling heifers were 400kg-plus Angus making $1000 a head, while 13 Herefords sold at $800 each and 13 Santa Gertrudis fetched $875 a head. Liveweight prices were from 232c/kg to 295c/kg.
A line of six Brangus heifers pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) and weighing about 485kg created interest to finally sell at $2420 each or 499c/kg.
Four PTIC cows sold from $2280 to $2325 a head with the top price being paid for Angus cows.
In the cow/calf section only 24 head were offered and sold to a dearer market. Lighter cows with calves making from $1180 to $1800 a unit and middle-weights from $1700 to $2720.
Cows weighing more than 550kg with calves made from $2590 to $2800 a unit. The top was for a single Murray Grey cow with calf.