Consignments slip
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The shorter selling week due to the Easter break produced a smaller offering of cattle, with consignments slipping back 33 per cent week-on-week at MLA’s NLRS reported markets.
Wagga lifted 17 per cent, because this market is affected by the Easter break, while Forbes and Tamworth, both also cancelled the following week, penned equal numbers, for 1710 head and 1536 head, respectively.
CTLX penned 24 per cent fewer cattle, as Gunnedah gained 23 per cent, for a total of 1810 head.
The Hunter market at Scone lifted 29 per cent however, Singleton decided to cancel due to the Easter break. The northern markets of Casino and Inverell both trended differently, as Casino lost 43 per cent, while Inverell gained 40 per cent in total.
Armidale, coupled with Dubbo, also cancelled their weekly market, due to the shorter trading week.
Quality remains mixed
Markets continue to pen mixed quality cattle as numbers of prime conditioned pens are offered, together with high percentages more suited for restockers and lot feeder orders. The younger steers totalled 4002 head, as 3770 head of younger heifers were offered. Grown steers were hard to source with only 250 prime conditioned lots yarded. Cow numbers slipped by 30 per cent, for a yarding of 3303 head, in total.
Feeder orders remain strong
The younger vealer steers returning to the paddock maintained firm prices, as pens weighing over 200kg averaged 194c after topping at 228c/kg. Prime conditioned vealers to the butchers reached 230c/kg. Yearling steers to the lot feeders gained 7c, as the medium weights averaged 205c after reaching 222c/kg. Good quality heavy weights to the same orders weighing an estimated 435kg reached 224c/kg. The heifer portion sold at similar prices week-on-week.
Heavy weight grown steers to slaughter, sold 3c either side of firm, as younger pens topped at 213c/kg. Exceptional well-muscled bullocks reached 218c/kg. Cows maintained solid prices to remain 2c to 3c/kg either side of firm. The plainer D2 cows averaged 123c, as the better covered 3 and 4 scores ranged from 112c to 175c/kg. Heavy weight bulls sold to solid competition, as the best reached 198c, with most sales around the 154c to 181c/kg range.