As East Gippsland enjoys a greener and warmer-than-usual autumn, one of the very few places in all of Victoria and southern New South Wales to do so, prices at the
local store cattle sale are hoped to have turned the corner.
Two store sales ago, on May 9, a deluge of cattle onto the market flattened prices, particularly in the cow sector, as drought-stricken farmers across the State were forced to sell stock ahead of winter.
Fortunately, in between that sale and last Friday’s store sale at Bairnsdale on May 23, the numbers offered decreased, and according to local stock agent, Colin Jones of Wyndham and Co, prices lifted $100 to $150 a head across most classes.
“We had support from abattoirs, local restockers and a small number of cattle went north to Dubbo, I believe,” he said.
He listed Westside Meats at Bacchus Marsh buying cattle from 350-500kg cattle; Radfords buying vealer weights to kill from 320-400kg, and Gather Coles Abattoir taking lighter cattle.
Mr Jones said the store sale a fortnight ago was cheaper due to dry times.
“A lot of cows in that sale were light and people just don’t want to hold them and feed them over winter,” Mr Jones said.
“If it rains now, it’s probably too cold to grow, and it obviously doesn’t grow feed overnight, but it will give everybody a bit of confidence and a bit of hope.”
Vendors who considered holding cattle for longer across winter were Dick and Lynne Bridle at Hillside, who sold just over 100 head last Friday, the majority 10-month-old weaners off the cow.
“Our sell date is always late May,” Mr
Bridle said.
“We did baulk at the previous sale’s prices, but we stayed the course and went with the original plan.”
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Fortunately, the market lifted and the Bridle’s older steers, weighing 512kg, made $1960 a head; their 425kg steers from $1340-$1700/head; and lighter steers weighing 333kg made from $1050-$1250/head.
The tops of their heifer calves made $1200/head, weighing an average 361kg, their lighter heifers weighing 317kg making $1110/head, and older, heavier heifers weighing an average 460kg selling for $1580/head.
The National Livestock Reporting Service’s Brendan Fletcher stated last Friday’s yarding was 1771 head, a decrease of 760 head from the previous sale, and prices rebounded 30-60c/kg.
Mr Fletcher reported a few pens of cows with calves at foot made from $1020 to $2000/outfit, while yearling steers weighing 550kg topped at $2290/head or 416c/kg.
When interviewed a fortnight ago, commission buyer, Darren Goff, who attends prime sales, said the most dynamic space in terms of markets was the feeder-weight steer – 400kg-plus.
“Fat cattle are coming into their own
because it’s so dry, they’re worth big money,” Mr Goff said.
“Whoever can hold their prime cattle will not miss the next two years.
“The meat job is good to go with it, that’s
the kicker.
“You won’t know what cattle could make come spring.”
He said South Gippsland farmland was very dry, with Albury, Holbrook and the Riverina, “on their knees, some districts have run out of water, and in South Australia and Warnambool, they’ve had two years of dry”.
The week prices dropped in early May, he said Wagga Wagga had 9000 head, with other saleyards like Barnawartha and Koonwarra also having massive yardings.
“There were 2200 cows at Koonwarra, which had never been seen before, and
the price dropped $500 a head,” Mr
Goff said.
“The best beef cows made $2.50/kg.”
Elders Bairnsdale stock agent, Morgan Davies, said it was a strange set of circumstances where globally beef was getting dearer, but the dry alone was forcing numbers onto the market, putting pressure on domestic beef prices.
“Really good fat cattle will still sell well,” Mr Davies said.
“But as for cull and slaughter cows, there will be a mass sell-off until we get rain.
“There won’t be a lot of cattle around at the back end of spring.”
The next store sale at the East Gippsland Livestock Exchange, Bairnsdale, will be on Friday, June 13 at 9am.
