It’s always good to catch up with my old mate Sam Daniels of Brodie & Co, Cloncurry. Sam informs me that the areas south of Mt Isa and Cloncurry are the best the country has been for a long time with up to 180mm falling over the past couple of months.
East and west of Cloncurry also received up to 100mm. To the north, the season is still in great shape. Although it did not receive the same amount of rain as other areas, it will be the best spring in years. Sam said most of the cattle in the Cloncurry district were heading south and east to the feedlots or processing plants.
Live export has slowed but prices are still strong. Steers weighing 260kg to 360kg are making 325c/kg, with the bigger steers weighing 450kg to 550kg making 310c/kg. Heifers weighing 260kg to 360kg are currently making 300c/kg. All prices weighed Cloncurry.
Record prices for organic weaners
Landmark AuctionsPlus coordinator Col Campbell reported the recent rain falling over most of Queensland is making way for producers to restock but some districts have been missing out and that has been the case in southern Queensland districts especially areas around Cunnamulla.
Landmark had booked a sale date on AuctionsPlus just before the recent rain to run an organic sale but due to it being wet and numbers not coming forward, organic producers that could still get cattle their cattle out were offered in the regular Eastern States AuctionsPlus sale last Friday. That was case for organic producers the Dunsdon families, Nulla Station, Cunnamulla, through Neal Elliott Landmark Cunnamulla. They offered their Droughtmaster Angus Brahman cross weaners in this sale.
Col said it wasn’t until the sale got going that the vendors were over the moon with the exposure their weaners were receiving selling online through AuctionsPlus, as it was taking more than one buyer to get these weaners to these prices.
They offered and sold 90 steers averaging 144kg for $800 or 554ckg and 86 of the heifer portion weighing 142kg selling for $740 or 522c/kg, both lines were purchased by Organic Restockers.
Sherwood-Indooroopilly RSL Stomp
On a fine Sunday morning of July 24, my old mate Kevin Alcock, President of the Sherwood-Indooroopilly RSL Sub-branch and about 180 eager Stompers, set out from Anzac Square in the Brisbane CBD to walk the 18 or so kilometres to the sub-branch in Corinda.
They ranged in age from over 70 to some eight-year-olds on their scooters. Most carried a brick inscribed with the name of a fallen Queensland World War I Digger in their backpacks.
The purpose of the “Stomp” was to raise funds for Whiskey’s Wish, a charity that supplies service dogs to assist veterans and first responders suffering from PTSD in their rehabilitation. Previous Stomps involved treks from Anzac Square to Gaythorne RSL and others are planned to Samford RSL and Kedron Wavell RSL. It is great to see the RSL harness community spirit and the desire for a healthy lifestyle, in support for such a worthy cause.
MLA cattle industry projections
The July update to MLA’s 2016 cattle projections was released on Monday, with slight revisions to Australian cattle slaughter and beef production for 2016 and 2017, and indicators pointing to the beginning of a national herd rebuild.
Slaughter cattle availability for the remainder of the year is expected to tighten slightly more than predicted in January, with the 2016 forecast revised down to 7.4 million head, a fall of 18pc from 2015 (7.6 million head was predicted in January).
The lower proportion of female cattle slaughter indicates the start of national herd rebuilding. The latest data indicates that the rolling 12 month average female proportion of the adult kill was only 48.6pc, down from the peak of 50.6pc during 2015. Female slaughter, as a proportion of the national kill, is likely to continue drifting down to below 44pc as full rebuilding takes place.
The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) has continued its record breaking run, averaging 618c/kg cwt in June, up 123c/kg cwt or 25pc from year-ago levels – on the back of 'above average' to 'very much above average' rainfall across large swathes of Queensland, NSW and central Australia in late May and June.
In particular, the recent rain-fuelled confidence among restockers led the price charge. Of the EYCI-eligible cattle in recent weeks, restockers purchased 39pc of them and paid, on average, 675c/kg cwt (or a 16c/kg cwt premium to the EYCI). In comparison, feedlots purchased 41pc of the total and paid 661c/kg cwt (2c/kg cwt premium), while processors purchased 20pc and paid 624c/kg cwt (35c/kg cwt discount).
The projected volume of Australian beef exports for 2016 remains just above one million tonnes swt, down 20pc from the back-to-back record years, but still the fourth highest volume on record. Looking beyond 2016, shipments will more than likely contract with production again in 2017, before slowly gaining momentum from there and reaching 1.17 million tonnes swt in 2021.
Dalby sale report
Ryan Dellit reported last week Graham Henderson & Co yarded 3752 cattle at Dalby drawn from Tara, The Gums, Durong, Kingaroy and the local area. In the export grades heavy steers and bullocks eased in value with some quality related price changes. Cows sold to a solid market across all classes with gains of up to 5c/kg. Feeder operators again maintained the very high prices across all classes of medium and heavyweight feeder steers and heifers.
Smaller numbers of store cattle were penned for the second round with a large panel of restockers present. All lightweight young cattle continued to achieve high rates with lightweight heifers selling to a dearer market.
Owen and Denis Kummerow, Haran, The Gums, sold Angus cross steers for 314c/kg and $2273. Brian and Ruth McGrath, Tarcoola, Cecil Plains, sold Santa steers making 319c/kg and $2056 and Charolais bull 286c/kg and $3234.
Russell and Kim Stevens, Wallona, Millmerran, sold Charolais cross cows for 278c/kg and $1945. Wagner family, Granville Park, Jandowae, sold Angus yearling feeder heifers for 355c/kg and $1285.