A total of 1108 cattle were yarded at the Harristown saleyards, Toowoomba, selling onto a softer market due to the prolonged dry weather, on Monday.
Elders branch manager, Darren Hartwig, said trade and younger cattle were harder to sell easing the market overall on the previous week.
“It is due to the dry season with the quality and the lack of weight is just not in these cattle,” Mr Hartwig said.
“We had a lot of light weight calves on the market, and due to the dry season, little or no restockers were operating.
One vendor who was on hand to see his 20 Angus x Red Angus steers sell was Stan Stower, Atholwood Farming Co, Southbrook.
Mr Stower sold six steers for a top of 253.2c/kg $1496, while heavier steers sold for 251.2c/kg returning $1660/head.
Mr Stower said he was disappointed with the market, but pleased to finally sell his cattle.
“These steers should have been sold last September, but the season just wouldn’t allow it,” Mr Stower said.
Overall the market represented a very mixed quality yarding with larger lines of young cattle, along with a handful of heavy grown steers and bullocks, and a fair yarding of cows.
Light weight yearling steers returning to the paddock averaged 20c/kg less, medium weight yearling steers to feed averaged 14c/kg less, while light weight yearling heifers to feed or background lost 12c/kg.
The export market remained firm with heavy grown steers selling to export processors making to 291c/kg.