CATTLE
Cattle listings rose 22 per cent to 14,916 head on AuctionsPlus last week. The average value over reserve jumped $37 to $102 and the clearance rate dropped 10pc to 66pc.
The AuctionsPlus Young Cattle Indicator lifted 20 points to 369, meanwhile benchmark steers 280-330kg were up 1pc to $1183.
Listings from Queensland halved compared to the previous week and NSW also offered more than 1000 fewer head. Purchases from both of these states were significantly quieter last week.
Processor activity increased, with the purchase of 13pc of the sold offering, up from 9pc.
Steers
Steer categories enjoyed price increases from $15-141, with those weighing over 400kg attracting the biggest growth after plummeting $166 the previous week. Steers just under the 400kg mark experienced a small decline of $3.
From Inverell, NSW, a line of 33 Angus steers, aged seven to eight months and weighing 245kg, returned $1125, or 460c/kg lwt and will travel to a buyer in Glen Innes, NSW.
Heifers
Heifer prices largely lifted, with gains from an average of $14 to $296 across most categories. Heifers under 200kg were valued as $43 less valuable than the previous week, for an average of $468. The biggest gain was in the 280-330kg category, which recorded an average of $1151 or 390c/kg.
From Denman, NSW, a line of 42 Angus heifers, aged 20 to 21 months and weighing 388kg, returned $1330, or 343c/kg lwt and will travel to a buyer in Quirindi, NSW.
Breeding stock
Breeding stock recorded massive increases in prices last week. Station mated heifers values grew by an average of $527 but were outdone by two small lines of pregnancy tested in-calf Charolais and Charolais/Senepol cows and calves, which resulted in a week-on-week change of over $1000. The lots were offered by the estate of Peter Clonan, Cobrabald River Stud, Gulargambon, NSW.
From Surat, a line of six composite heifers, aged 24 to 36 months and weighing 487kg, returned $1980, or 406c/kg lwt, and will travel to a buyer in Dalby.
SHEEP
In a turbulent week for the sheep industry with the official announcement of the closure of the live sheep export industry in four years', the knock-on effect of low confidence turned the previous week's positive uptick in all indicators upside down.
Listings dropped 42pc to 38,308, potentially indicating it was not a week vendors wanted to test the market. Value over reserve more than halved to fall by $6. Value over reserve can be an indicator of a falling or rising market, but in this instance may just be signalling the difficult week.
On the back of reduced supply the clearance rate was steady, falling just 1pc. It was encouraging to see that the Crossbred Lamb Indicator only fell 2pc to $126 after rising 25pc the previous week, and even better to see the ARLI Indicator, AuctionsPlus' restocker indicator, jumped 47c/kg.
Crossbred lamb prices fell by an average of $2 to $126 with a 95pc clearance rate.
Composite/other breed lambs dropped an average of $17 in a listing that was 43pc smaller than the previous week and a 100pc clearance rate.
Joined ewes experienced average head increases of between $22-$33 across all categories, but NSM shedding breed ewes dropped $46 or 126c/kg.
NSW producers listed more than a third fewer than the previous week, while Victorians and South Australians dropped more than half. The same states purchased significantly fewer sheep and lambs last week, with only Queensland increasing the numbers purchased, doubling the previous week's sale and taking home 2003 head.
Processors were back in action last week, snapping up more than 6pc of the market, up from 2pc and a massive jump from the 0.5pc from the previous week.
Crossbred lambs registered a 6pc smaller offering with 5324 head, with prices down by $2 to average $126 for a 95pc clearance rate.
From Freeling, SA, a line of 250 White Suffolk/Merino mixed sex Sep/Oct 2023 drop, and weighing 42kg lwt, returned $146, or 347c/kg and will travel to a buyer in Loxton, SA.
Merino wether lambs registered a 37pc drop in offering to 6701 head, with prices up $6 for a 49pc clearance.
From Wycheproof, VIC, a line of 219 Merino wethers, May/Jun 2023 drop, and weighing 56kg lwt returned $122, or 217c/kg, and will travel to a buyer in Stawell, VIC.
Scanned in-lamb Merino ewes registered a 35pc smaller offering with 9432 head, with prices up by $22 to average $103 for a 40pc clearance.
