Blackall's cattle selling facility has smashed its previous throughput record for a financial year.
Thanks to the restocking appetite from New South Wales buyers and the buoyant cattle market, approximately 221,500 cattle went through the yards between July 2019 and June 2020.
In itself, that was an increase of 90,800 on the previous financial year, but the numbers only gained momentum in March this year.
Saleyards manager Dave Carter said the new record was made up of 99,600 sale cattle, (59,600 prime and store cattle and 40,000 weaners) 70,200 head of cattle spelling, and 50,400 private weighs.
"It was back in 2009 when we had another big wave of cattle," Mr Carter said. "All up I think there was about 170,000 then, so we're a fair way ahead of that."
The yards were handling 3500 to 4500 cattle a month in the latter half of 2019 but in March this year that jumped to 10,000 a month.
The largest increase was in cattle being privately weighed, from 2500 a month last year to 5000 a month this year.
Although 50,000 more cattle went through the yards this year than in 2009, Mr Carter said it was probably more hectic back then.
Ongoing modernisation as far as scanning and weighing cattle, and yard expansions, has streamlined workflows.
Thirty-six new sale pens were christened at last week's weaner sale, which sold 4700 head.
"We can present most of the heifers now and only re-pen a marginal number," Mr Carter said.
"We've been stopping the sale in the middle of the day and having a break.
"Having the break's not the greatest problem, it's the presentation of cattle, so that'll make that a lot easier."
The Blackall-Tambo Regional Council is also extending its water yards, putting out tenders for three six-deck yards and three 12-deck yards, which Mr Carter said would give the facility more space to keep mobs with different needs separate.
"Often we've got our spelling cattle on top of the sale ones," he said.
"Last Friday we had 4700 that had been sold, and we had 24 decks for a spell.
"By Friday afternoon we had most of those cattle back out of the yards - you're talking a lot of decks of cattle that are trying to go and you want them to go to the right place.
"You'll have your spelling cattle then in a spot where they have not been walked past all day - they can actually spell."
He said the council was trying to source funding to install a third ramp to ease the pressure to load.
"It's great to be able to lift all the cattle out on the (Friday) and get them on to where they're going.
"A lot of cattle heading to Dinmore and those sort of places have got to be out of here by 7 o'clock or so on their schedule to make their curfews."
Mr Carter said it depended on where the journey started but Blackall's location was the right distance for many cattle needing to spell on their trip south.
"A lot of our market over the years has been to the Darling Downs-type areas, into feedlots and backgrounding, and into NSW," he said.
"This last season has been very patchy in the north and the grasshoppers and everything that's come with it.
"The prices have been made by NSW having a great season. It was completely gutted for years but now it's responded like anything."
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
