THE hint of rain has again sparked up the store cattle market with buyers chasing mouths for oats crops and big licks of good pasture over much of eastern Australia.
The Bureau of Meterology is predicting good rain for South West Queensland, parts of far North West NSW and coastal North Queensland today. However, is the widespread rain expected across much of the Murray Darling Basin over parts of Queensland, NSW and Victoria on Friday and into Saturday that has store cattle buyers motivated.
With cold winter weather still to hit inland regions, buyers tore into the 7357 head yarding at Roma on Tuesday. MLA’s benchmark eastern young cattle market indicator jumping 10c to 641.75c/kg dressed.
The jump in the market will also provide some concellation for drought stricken western Queensland producers are again being forced to offload going into winter. Despite a good break during last year’s winter, summer rains failed to materialise. Some regions are now going into the fifth year of extreme drought.
At Roma steers under 220kg averaged 400c/kg live, 220-280kg steers averaged 377c, 280-350kg steers averaged 355c, while steers 350-400kg averaged 316c. Feedlots, which generally have plenty of cattle on hand, continue to be active with 400-550kg steers topping 338c to average 301c.
The strength of the market was also reflected at Toogoolawah last Friday where 5300 mostly Charolais-infused young cattle were offered at Shepherdson and Boyd’s annual weaner sale. Buyers from as far south as Victoria with plenty of competition from NSW and Queensland buyers tapped in the lines of quality bred F1 cattle.
At Dalby only only 3200 head were yarded compared to 7000 head the previous week. With JBS out of the market, the cow market was generally steady.
Elders Dalby manager Ashley Loveday said the store market always reacted to rain.
“Across the Downs, 25mm would see the oats crops planted after Cyclone Debbie ready to feed,” Mr Loveday said.