Friday is normally a day of rest at the Roma Saleyards but it was all systems go today as the Gall family, Dawson River Pastoral Company, dispersed 3500 PTIC cows and heifers, bulls and steers from Spring Gully, Roma.
The Gall family, who operate The Glebe at Taroom and Wallambah, Moree, had been running the Charolais Angus cross herd on Spring Gully, north east of Roma, for the past four years.
The herd was dispersed following the sale of Spring Gully by Origin Energy to Hewitt Cattle Australia, backed by Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board, earlier this year.
With most of the yarding EU accredited and based on Palgrove generics, today’s prices weren’t for the faint hearted.
A total of 747 PTIC cows averaging 522kg averaged 236c/kg and returned $1412/head while 337 PTIC heifers, sold on a dollars per head basis, averaged $1444/head.
Another 652 PTIC heifers averaged 381c/kg and returned $903/head at 237c/kg.
The Gall’s 1233 steers topped at 410c/kg for the weaners while feeder steers sold out to 380c/kg. The entire line of steers averaged 389c/kg at an average of 309kg to return $1206/head.
The sale was conducted by Landmark Roma and GDL Roma and local agent, Rod Turner, said it was an outstanding result.
Mr Turner said all breeding stock sold to restockers with strong support from local buyers as well as those from Taroom, Wandoan, Dalby, Toowoomba and NSW.
“There was also lot of people there from the west – from Barcaldine, Blackall and Longreach and they didn’t get any of them – they were all too dear,” he said.
Mr Turner said it was exciting to see the feeder steers returning $1400/head while the heifers made up to 388c/kg.
Vendors, Graham and Vicki Gall were also delighted with the result.
“The prices were exceptional – we couldn’t be happier,” Mrs Gall said.
“We were really pleased all the PTIC cows and heifers are going back into the paddock and those generics can continue on.”
Mr Gall said the sale result was a “vote of confidence” for the entire beef industry and he called on processors and meat marketers to step up their efforts to ensure that returns to producers are maximised.
“The processors and marketers have to move into overdrive to capatalise on the investment that producers have made,” he said.
“It may be tempting for some of the processors to use their near monopoly power in a short sighted manner but we hope they will resist that.”