With rain falling in southern and eastern Queensland as Thursday's cattle sale got underway at Blackall, it wasn't long before a new yard record for lightweight cattle was on the books.
A line of 189kg Droughtmaster steers from Mt Victoria, west of Longreach, sold to a top of 654.2 cents per kilogram, or $1241 a head, to a local buyer.
Elders Blackall manager Nick Handley said the very strong market had kicked on the back of ongoing winter rain forecasts and showed no sign of easing off.
"The other standout sale on Thursday was a line of PTIC No. 0 heifers from McDonald Downs east of Alice Springs," he said. "They were a Santa-Angus cross weighing 340kg, that made 505c/kg or $1717 a head."
He said McDonald Downs had sent cattle across to Blackall before because of its links with buyers from all sorts of markets.
"These are the sort of prices that will continue to pull cattle in, and there's so much confidence that the job will be right at Blackall," he said.
See also: Record for heifers smashed at CQLX
Ray White Rural's national livestock manager Paton Fitzsimons said buyers were competing on all lines of cattle, with restockers, feedlotters and processors in the market.
Just under 1400 head were yarded, mostly from north west Queensland, with an overall improvement in quality.
Mr Fitzsimons said most cattle from Blackall and surrounding areas had been consigned in the last three months.
"There's not a lot of sale cattle left, from here to Victoria," he said. "I reckon we'll keep selling weekly at around that number, with the weaner sale featuring at the end of each month as usual."
Despite one major export processor still absent from the buying panel, there was very strong competition at the sale and averages lifted across most categories.
As well as the saleyard record for light weight steers, medium weight restocker steers made to 568c/kg, according to MLA reporter Sam Hart.
Medium steers to feed sold to 480c to average 467c and a small sample of heavy feeders sold to an isolated 462c to average 426c/kg.
Light weight restocker heifers under 200kg sold to 560c to average 524c, heifers 200 to 280kg made to 518c to average 425c/kg.
Medium weight heifers to feed over 330kg made to 400c to average 374c and heavy feeder heifers made to 380c/kg.
Heavy heifers to the processor sold to 358c to average 297c/kg.
Bullocks made to 360c for those to the processor and 366c for those to feed.
Cows to the processor lifted on average with medium cows selling to 302c to average 288c.
Good heavy cows over 520kg sold to 305c to average 298c and heavy bulls to live export made to 332c/kg.
Cows and calves made to $2520/unit.
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