Cattle prices have generally worked in Will Comiskey’s favour over the last few months while he’s been undertaking a herd sell-down.
In Blackall on Thursday to check the market for his young steers and heifers that didn’t meet the specs for this week’s live export shipment to Indonesia, Will, who operates an agistment-only herd, said he thought there was still plenty of money to be made in the current climate.
“The biggest thing going forward is to make sure of your grass,” he said. “Cattle supply isn’t an issue; there’s plenty for sale.”
He said the next couple of months were always a difficult time of year for people needing agistment.
“It’s getting tight again,” he said. “People might have a bit of grass but not a whole lot of confidence looking forward.”
It comes on the back of what Will described as a tough year in 2016, for production.
He had cattle spread around the state, at St Lawrence, St George, Tambo, Longreach and Cloncurry, and said it hadn’t rained everywhere.
“Saying that, winter wasn’t bad for me.”
Steers and heifers at Lansdowne, south of Tambo gained around a kilogram a day.
Selling to improve his equity position in case the right property deal came up, Will received $1650 a head from an organic buyer for PTIC cows when offered on AuctionsPlus before Christmas.
Brahman cross heifers and calves sold on-property at St Lawrence last week averaged $1340/head.
“The best thing was, the buyers were able to keep the cattle on the same property under their own agistment deal,” Will said.
According to Blackall GDL manager Jack Burgess, the 2300-head market at Blackall was firm on weekly trends, with heavy feeder steers bringing a top price of 315c/kg.
Medium weight steers commanded 350c/kg, while lightweight steers going back into the paddock, thanks to restocker action, brought up to 370c/kg.