Miriam Vale cattle sale draws a large crowd

The yarding of 170 head saw cattle from Gin Gin, Boyne Valley, Rosedale, Miriam Vale and Lowmead with the 14 buyers coming from Moura, Rockhampton and locally.

Nutrien Livestock's Michael Lynch said prices had improved at Friday's monthly sale last week compared to the previous sale.

He said Friday's sale went very well with younger cattle selling exceptionally well, especially steers.

"Cows and calves of good quality sold to very strong rates...with the better line of heifers selling exceptionally well although the plainer types were a bit harder to move," he said.

"Generally it's up on the last sale and I think, down the track, if we get rain, it will be dearer again."

Mr Lynch said they always got a fair collection of buyers at Miriam Vale.

"We had one buyer turn up from Moura today who hasn't been here for quite some time and he's had a little bit of rain and got a little bit of feed...that did help the sale all the way through as he bid on most cattle that makes a lot of difference to a sale," he said.

Vendor Errol Blows, Ubobo, offloaded 21 cows and calves, and 12 dry cows because he had sold the 330 acre property, Mascot, that they were running in.

After the sale, Mr Blows said he thought the prices he got for his cattle "were what they were worth on the day".

Sophie Pugh of SLP Rural, whose family sold 12 Brangus and Brahman steers and a pen of heifers, said the prices were as good as what they could hope for considering the season.

"But we got what we wanted for them if not better," she said.

Jacob Ohl said he was not overly impressed with the prices he got for his cattle, but was philosophical adding "it is the market".

He said he had been holding off selling, but had to because he had no feed and had not had any rain.

Some of the sale highlights included Bill and Letty Cook, Bullyard, selling Droughtmaster Red Angus cross No 3 steers for $640/head.

The Turner family, Lowmead, sold a pen of Brangus cross No 3 steers for $590/head while their Brahman cross No 3 steers made $500/head.

The Plahn family, Machine Creek, sold Simmental steers for $540/head while Paul Robertson, Miriam Vale, sold Brahman No 3 steers for $545/head.

Mr Lynch said most No 3 steers sold from $500 to $640/head while most heifers sold in the range of $250 to $400/head.

The Cook family, Bullyard, also sold Brahman Angus cross No 3 heifers for $500/head while Ohl Bros Cattle Co, Captain Creek, sold Droughtmaster cross No 3 heifers for $435.

Errol Blows, Ubobo, sold Brangus cows and calves for $1040 while another pen made $1020 and his Brahman X ones made $875. Mr Blows' Brangus joined cows returned $780/head. Most cows made $600 to $780/head.

The next sale is on December 15.