Records smashed at Mareeba saleyards as mickeys hit 538.2c and yearling heifers at 518c

The Mareeba saleyards ended their financial year on a high, with combined agents yarding a total of 1314 head at the Tuesday June 29, prime and special store cattle sale.

Mareeba has set new saleyards records across all categories this year, including recently with the mickeys at 538.2 cents and yearling heifers at 518.2c.

Both records were broken by the Hooley family, Cudgee Creek Pastoral Company, based in Croydon.

Strong records that long standing livestock auctioneer Alan Mackenzie, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Mareeba, attributes to the quality of cattle offered and competition between local and southern buyers.

"It was a very strong sale and there was some pretty good quality cattle on the day," Mr Mackenzie said.

"There's obviously a shortage of quality cattle in the market and we've never seen it so good.

"There was plenty of competition on just the young cattle and that just caused the records for the yearling heifers to be broken."

Mr Mackenzie has been a livestock buyer in the northern beef industry for over 40 years and he said he's seen plenty of highs and lows in the cattle market.

"The market has been up now for a couple of years and just holding up there steadily and it's not showing any signs of weakening," he said.

"It's a very buoyant market and everybody's happy. When the graziers are making good money like this, they're spending it.

"The vendor from Cudgee Creek Pastoral was extremely happy with the sale result, but also very surprised.

"The Hooley family offloaded 156 weaner mickeys and he averaged 483.40c/kg and that's roughly $860 a head and these cattle were only eight or nine months old. That's good money.

"That sort of money three or four years ago was what we were getting for butchered bullocks."

Overall, the saleyard average was 382.61c/kg, averaging $921.39 per head.

Agents yarded 425 bulls to average 396.6c/kg, selling to a top of 538.2c/kg, hitting a new saleyards record.

There was 150 cows offered, to average 247.2c/kg, selling to a top of 290c/kg.

Agents yarded 121 heifers averaged 340.1c/kg, selling to a top of 400.2c/kg, while 169 steers went on to average 332.8c/kg, selling to a top of 442.2c/kg.

Yearling heifers also smashed a new saleyard record, with 258 yarded to averaged 398.7c/kg and selling to a top of 518.2c/kg, while 190 yearling steers averaged 433.3c/kg, selling to a top of 502.2c/kg.