Cattle
Ballarat
September 4. Yarding: 139 . Change: up 35
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Cattle numbers increased this week at Ballarat to 139 head.
The quality was average, as the cold and wet conditions continue to affect presentation and numbers.
Some extra buyer competition, plus the regular following, operated in a mostly firm market, with bulls easing 10c/kg. Vealers and yearlings made from 246c to 290c with feeders and restockers paying from 252c to 321c/kg. Grown steers sold from 267c to 280c with heavy bullocks at 267c/kg, to be similar.
Grown heifers sold to 260c and manufacturing steers sold to 243.6c/kg. Cows sold around firm with heavy beef bred cows selling from 236c to 260c and heavy dairy types selling from 215c to 232c/kg. Heavy beef bulls sold from 246c to 271c/kg to be easier.
Numbers were made up of 30 steers, 57 heifers, 28 cows and 24 bulls. Vealers sold to the trade from 272c to 290c, with feeders and restockers paying from 252c to 321c/kg.
Yearlings made to 246c and feeders paid from 253c to 269c/kg. Grown steers were in low numbers, with heavy weights selling from 267c to 280c and heavy bullocks selling to 267c/kg.
Manufacturing dairy steers sold to 243.6c and the lighter weights sold from 215c to 220c/kg. Grown heifers sold from 237.6c to 260c and restockers paid to 259c/kg.
Heavy beef cows sold similar and ranged from 236c to 260c, with heavy dairy types selling from 215c to 232c and neat E muscle cows selling from 190c to 236c/kg.
Hamilton
Friday, September 1
Cattle numbers were down on last week, with a mixed offering being presented to the usual winter buyers. Just the one pen of heifers was yarded, with the prices remaining steady week to week. The heifers topped at 2.63, weighing 650kg. The only cows penned this week were dairy cows. They weighed 500kg and topped at $2. Bulls were dearer topping at 2.58.
Colac
August 31. Yarding: 212 . Change: up 68
Cattle numbers increased this week at Colac, with 212 head yarded. The quality improved with more young cattle and grown heifers penned. The usual buying group, plus some restocker competition, operated in a mostly firm market. All classes of cattle sold close to unchanged, with heavy beef bulls easing 10c to 15c and making to 275c/kg. B muscle heifer vealers sold to the trade to 315c, yearling steers and heifers made from 256c to 279c/kg.
The grown steers sold similar and made to 270c, with grown heifers selling from 250c to 265c/kg. Medium manufacturing steers sold at 200c/kg. The cows mostly sold unchanged, with heavy beef cows selling from 233c to 250c, the heavy dairy cows sold from 190c to 235c/kg. Medium E muscle cows sold from 111c to 185c/kg.
There were 61 grown cattle, 68 young cattle, 71 cows and 12 bulls penned. Light vealers sold from 280c to 300c with heavier B muscle calves selling from 270c to 315c/kg. Yearlings sold from 256c to 279c with feeders paying from 240c to 270c/kg. Grown steers were in short supply and sold to 270c, with the grown heifers selling around firm and making from 250c to 265c, the dairy types sold to 234c/kg. Heavy beef cows sold from 233c to 250c, with medium D muscle cows selling from 180c to 212c/kg. Heavier dairy types sold from 190c to 235c, lighter weights made from 188c to 192c/kg. E muscle cows ranged from 111c to 185c and restockers paid from 190c to 196c/kg for cows.
Sheep and lambs
Bendigo
September 4. Yarding: 25,343. Change: up 6023. Lambs: 18,990. Change: 4696
There was a large jump in lamb numbers to 18,990 head, up by 4700 with more new season lambs yarded as the spring selling season gets into full swing at Bendigo.
A full gallery of buyers was present as they operated in a steady consistent market.
Quality was from very good to average, with an overall improvement in the weight and finish in the young lambs with some drafts of lighter plainer pens at the end of most agents run and less mixed weight old lambs on offer.
Prices were generally from firm to a few dollars easier compared with the rates of last week.
Restockers from the Wimmera, Northern Victoria and locally were busy at times buying store lambs from $107 to $136 and paid $72 to $79/head for Merino lambs.
Merino young lambs 2 scores sold from $93 to $108 with better covered 3 scores $128 to $142/head.
Light trade weight 2 and 3 score new season lambs sold from $110 to $124/head. Medium trade weight 3 score young lambs sold from $128 to $156 and heavy trade weights sold from $152 to $168/head as they averaged 640c/kg cwt.
Heavy weight young lambs 3 and 4 scores made from $166 to a market top of $188/head as they averaged close to an estimated 620c/kg cwt.
Old lambs showed an easier trend during the market selling from $4 to $8 lower, as light trade weight lambs sold from $107 to $121, medium trade weights from $120 to $135 and heavier old lambs 3 and 4 scores made from $149 to reach $178/head.
Sheep: 6353 Change: up 1327
The increased supply of 6353 sheep, which consisted of more lines of older Merino and crossbred ewes off shears in a mixed yarding, which on average saw more weight sold.
Sheep prices saw a mostly dearer trend from either side of firm up to $4 dearer for the heavy and medium weight mutton and up to $5/head in some places for light weight Merino mutton.
Light weight 1 score sheep sold from $56 to $83, medium trade weights made $74 to $111 as the Merino ewe mutton averaged 410c/kg cwt.
Heavy Merino ewes sold from $105 to $140 averaging 400c/kg cwt as heavy crossbred sheep 3 to 5 scores made $100 to $145/head.
Medium Merino wethers made $88 to $102 and heavy weights $107 to $132/head as they averaged around 415c/kg cwt.
Hoggets with cover sold from $100 to $147 and rams of all breeds made $30 to $62/head.
Naracoorte
August 29. Yarding: 1283. Change: down 564. Lambs: 733. Change: down 357
Numbers eased as agents yarded 733 mainly new season lambs, along with 550 sheep, to total 1283 head.
Another small field of trade and processor buyers were present and active on the small offering with a wide range of type and quality on offer.
There was more weight available in the new season lambs, and sales for these peaked at $190/head.
Light weight new season lambs ranged from $93 to $102/head with only a small amount of restocker interest.
Light weight trade 2 and 3 score lambs ranged from $94 to $116, as the trade weight 3 score types ranged from $128 to $152/head, or 620c/kg cwt.
The few heavy lambs ranged $152 to $190/head as carcase prices climbed over the 650c/kg cwt mark.
Very few old lambs came forward with lighter types ranging from $65 to $80 with the few trade weight types peaking at $138/head.
Sheep: 550. Change: down 207
Hoggets ranged from $79 to $120 with light weight ewes ranging from $25 to $54/head.
Medium and heavy weight ewes ranged from $64 to $82.
There was an isolated sale of lighter ewes to $89/head.
Wethers ranged from $64 to $98 with rams ranging from $70 to $120/head.