Widespread rainfall across eastern Australia has again fueled the current cattle market with a heavy run of 16,720 head of cattle selling through AuctionsPlus last week.
Demand across most categories remained high, particularly across feeder weight steers and heifers.
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The strong demand for Queensland cattle was prominent last week, with almost all categories returning 100 per cent clearance underpinned by restocker, feedlot and processor buyers keeping their finger on the pulse of the market to secure lines at the 'right' price.
Queensland vendors Liz Allen from Blackall and Roger and Jenny Underwood of Wallumbilla, who are both no strangers to using the AuctionsPus system, sold weaner cattle to pleasing results.
Ms Allen of Alice Downs Grazing, which is the commercial arm of Forest Park Santa Gertrudis stud, sold a line of 80 early weaned steers that weighed 251.9 kilograms and returned $1970/head, or 782.1c/kg.
The offering was backed by an earlier sale in October, when Ms Allen sold a line of 160 steers for $1800.
"We use AuctionsPlus to sell all our young cattle, as we don't like putting younger cattle through the saleyard as it knocks them around too much," she said.
She said it gave them great flexibility without placing stress on their young cattle when selling them.
"We have been drought declared for eight years now, with only receiving 375mm this year, so everything is sold as weaners so we can maintain the condition on our cows for the New Year joining."
Ms Allen has rainfall charts dating back to 1888 and the period from 2011 until 2020 is the second driest in the history of Alice Downs.
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Roger and Jenny Underwood, Eversleigh and Wallace Vale Droughtmasters, Pine Hills, Wallumbilla, sold a line of 23 Droughtmaster commercial heifers that returned $2660, 905.7c/kg. The heifers were surplus to the Underwood's requirements as their calving pattern over the past couple of years had delivered 80 per cent female calves.
"We would have loved to have kept them, but we had nowhere to put them," Mr Underwood said.
He said they were bought by Neal and Nikki Green of Kyarra Holdings, Rolleston, as breeding heifers.
Mr Underwood said with the price of steers going through the roof, producers who buy in breeding heifers in the current climate would definitely see a return on their investment.
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