Prices for Hereford weaners rocketed into unchartered territory in September with heifers selling for a whopping 681c/kg at Bairnsdale.
Purebred steer weaners hit 580c/kg in the same sale while at the Central Tablelands Livestock Exchange, Carcoar, NSW, Hereford steers hit a high of 500c/kg and Black Baldies 521c/kg.
Black baldy steers continued to lift, topping at 589c/kg on September 23 at Bairnsdale.
The insatiable demand for cattle continued at Dubbo on the same day, with purebred steer weaners hitting 578c/kg and Black Baldy heifer weaners topping at 573c/kg.
Floods across the eastern seaboard have reduced the already limited yardings while a flush of spring pasture growth has placed pressure on prices for all categories of stock.
In prime cattle markets, a breed record was potentially set at Yass when purebred steers returned $2503 while Hereford cows continued to lead all breeder markets, hitting $2625.
According to Meat and Livestock Australia’s national reporting service, a run of 33 Hereford heifers, under 200kg, returned the sale high of 681c/kg or $790 at the Bairnsdale sale on September 9 in Victoria.
In the steer weaner pens under 200kg, Herefords hit the sale high of 580c/kg or $950.
George and Cheryl Farmer, Ensay, were among the top quotes at Bairnsdale during the month with their Hereford steers, 370kg, selling for 456c/kg or $1690.
Also at Bairnsdale, David Ingram, Bonang, sold 12-month-old Mawarra and Bonang blood steers, 396kg, for 419c/kg or $1660, and G Simpson sold 341kg steers for 437c/kg or $1490.
P & O Pedersen sold registered mixed age Hereford cows and calves at Bairnsdale for $2170.
Shorland Fisheries, Orbost, topped another Bairnsdale store sale with 16-month-old purebred steers, 582kg, at $1905.
At Leongatha, Coonong Station, Urana, NSW, turned off a run of 2-2.5 year old Hereford steers, with the top pen at 600kg making $1870 and the draft averaging $1740.
In the north of the state at Wodonga, Joshna Park, Euroa, topped the sale with yearling steers for $1600 while D & P Barker, Mitta Mitta, topped the prime market with steers, 603kg, making 351c/kg or $2122, and Reid Trust, Howlong, sold dry cows, 686kg, for $2032.
N & L Schmidt, Rutherglen, topped the Wodonga prime market with 661kg steers returning 357c/kg or $2361.
In NSW markets, a new breed record may have been set at the newly opened South Eastern Livestock Exchange at Yass when R Heffernan, Bega, sold purebred heavy steers in the prime market for $2503.
Hereford cows with calves, under two months, topped the Dubbo store sale at $2425, PTIC cows at $1800 and PTIC heifers on $1370.
At Carcoar’s Central Tablelands Livestock Exchange, purebred steers, under 200kg, hit 484c/kg and 500c/kg in the 200-280kg weight range. Hereford cows with calves under two months topped the market on $2625.
Queensland markets saw PTIC heifers, 16-24 months, from Wallumbilla, make $1280 on AuctionsPlus, while yearling heifers, 328kg, from Cecil Plains, returned 363c/kg or $1194.
Wararba Park backgrounding steers, 256kg, European Union accredited, from Meanderra, returned 433c/kg or $1110, and the heifer portion, 239kg, 387c/kg or $925.
PTIC heifers, 20-24 months, 428kg, from Bungunya, sold for $1760 on-line.
In South Australia, background heifers, 9-11 months, 291kg, from Kingston, returned 374c/kg or $1090 on AuctionsPlus.
B Steer & Son, Warrensville, Bordertown, sold a line of 57 heifers, 10-12 months, from 360 to 381c/kg for a $1154 average at Naracoorte. V Bowman & Sons sold yearling steers, 306kg, at $1225 or 400c/kg to Thomas DeGaris & Clarkson at Mount Gambier store sale.
In WA markets, A & L Evans, Kalgan, sold Hereford heifers, 540kg, for $1188 and yearling steers, 371kg, for 353c/kg or $1312 at Mt Barker. I & J Elliott, Eneabba, sold a run of 46 polled heifers for an average of $719 at Muchea.
On AuctionsPlus, feeder heifers, 16-21 months and 351kg, from Gravesend, NSW, returned 384c/kg or $1348, while a consignment of 35 feeder heifers, 301kg, from Dunedoo, NSW, fetched 398c/kg or $1200.
Weaned steers, 11-12 months, 318kg, from Holbrook, NSW, sold for 405c/kg or $1290 and Poll Hereford weaners, 246kg, from Woomargama Station, sold for 461c/kg or $1135.
In the breeder category, Poll Hereford heifers, 18-24 months, with calves, from Dunedoo, NSW, sold for $2420, unjoined purebred heifers, 14-15 months, from Cudal, NSW, made $1500, and younger heifers, 12-14 months, from Crookwell, NSW, sold for 411c/kg or $1320.
Black Baldy prices remain strong with the Hutton family selling steers, 336kg, for 467c/kg or $1570 at Bairnsdale, and backgrounder steers, 243kg, from Dunedoo, NSW, returning 432c/kg or $1050.
PTIC Black Baldy cows, three to four years, from Clunes, NSW, made $1500 and Tambo Bay sold heifers PTIC to Limousin bulls for $1550 at Bairnsdale.
Station mated cows, four to six years, with calves from Quirindi, sold for $2770, unjoined heifers, 2-2.5 years, with calves, from Everton, Vic, made $2375, and background heifers, 244kg, from Dunedoo, NSW, made 395c/kg, or $965.
Black Baldy steers, under 200kg, hit a top of 589c/kg at Bairnsdale in September and 521c/kg at the Central Tablelands Livestock Exchange.
Weaned heifers, 269kg, from Holbrook, sold on line for 418c/kg or $1125 and feeder heifers, 402kg, from Allora, Qld, returned $1370.
In the Hereford cross pens, unjoined Hereford/Shorthorn cows, 3-8 years, with calves, from St George, Qld, sold for $1650, and Droughtmaster-Hereford background heifers, 190kg, from Balaklava, Qld, made 426c/kg or $810 on-line.
Charolais-Hereford feeder steers, 317kg, 14-16 months, from Dunedoo, fetched 422c/kg or $1340, and unjoined Hereford-Santa Gertrudis heifers, 24-26 months, and calves, from Widden, NSW, made $2550.
The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator finished the month on 719.75c/kg – up from 706.25c/kg last month.
Meat and Livestock Australia reports short fed (100-120 days on feed) EU steers, weighing 380-500kg, averaging 381c/kg – down from 383c/kg last month.
In the domestic paddock sales, steers (280-350kg) averaged 378c/kg and heifers (same weight) averaged 362c/kg.
NSW over-the-hooks rates for MSA yearling steers stood at 619c/kg for 280-300kg carcass weight.