Barraba cows with calves to $1070 at Tamworth store sale

Only 973 head were penned by the combined agents, and it was a mixed bag of quality on offer, as plain conditioned lightweight steer weaners sold to cheaper trends.

Widespread rainfalls in the Tamworth area, Upper Hunter, mid-North Coast, and lower New England greatly hearten buyers. The rain flushed a larger-than-usual gallery off their farms for the morning. As one agent quipped, it was more significant than the yarding, with plenty of good rain stories to swap.

Cattle were sourced from Manilla Gunnedah Walcha Ebor Quirindi and a draft of weaners and cows from the Upper Hunter returning from agistment at Walgett.

The main buyer competition was from Dubbo, Walcha, Albury and Goulburn.

Heavy rain falls between 60 and 70mm were recorded in the Bendemeer, Woolbrook and Walcha Road areas, along with falls between 20mm and 50mm on the Dorrigo Plateau. Farmers that were mid-harvest in the Bithramere, Wonton, and Somerton districts had to park their headers after recording falls between 25mm and 30mm.

Buyers displayed their colour bias with the lead of the Angus weaner steers ranging from $445 to $560/head, while other breeds and lower quality drafts ranged from $140 to $405/head.

Heifer weaners enjoyed good results, with the lead heifers from $520 to $560/head and other drafts $200 to $390/head. An offering of yearling steers $520 to $630/head and heifers $400 to $620/head.

The lead cows and calves were priced at $1060 to $1090/unit. Cows on their second and third calves ranged from $670 to $860/unit, and mixed-age pregnancy-tested-in-calf (PTIC) cows sold from $460 to $740/head.

Don and Di Carter, Pembury Partnership, Barraba, lightened their numbers of cows and calves and PTIC cows.

A pen of 15 big framed Angus cows with fine calves at foot, sired by Bowen Angus bulls, topped the market at $1090.

Delta Ag bought them for a Goulburn district client, PM Properties. Acting on behalf of the client was Nathan Kruidenier, who said the season around the Goulburn district gave beef producers an excellent opportunity to unload cast-for-age females and replace them with younger cow/calf pairs without outlaying much change.

Another pen of 20 Pembury Angus cross cows with 19 calves at foot made $860, while a pen of 12 Angus/Hereford cross cows with 13 calves at foot were bound for Goulburn at $790. A pen of 27 Poll Hereford cows with 27 calves at foot, sired by Tycolah Poll Hereford bulls, made $610.

Pembury Partnership sold some Bowen-Angus and Poll Hereford cross, PTIC cows, with Angus and Angus cross cows making $740/head, while Tycolah-blood Poll Hereford cows for $630.

JW and M Russell, Lochaven, Dangarsleigh, sold 25 Angus cows and calves, aged from four to five years, for $1060, while EW and CK Burge, Manilla sold 11 Poll Hereford cows with their second calves at foot, rejoined to Santa Gertrudis bulls for $670.

Another feature line of Hereford and Hereford cross steers and heifers offered by Jolly and Liz Coward, Wirrialpa, Hernani caught plenty of buyer attention. A run of 45 Amos Vale and Courallie J-blood Hereford steers, weighing around 370 kg, sold for $760 a head.

A pen of lighter Hereford steers offered by Wirrialpa made $630, while nine Charolais cross steers made $670.

JC Rural from the Upper Hunter offered a pen of 14 Angus steers, with an estimated weight of 180 kg, that sold for $445, or 230 cents a kilo. A pen of 17 lighter Angus steers from the same vendor made $405/hd while six Speckle Park blood steers of similar weight and off the same grazing agistment at Walgett made $350.

JC Rural sold a line of 60 Angus cross, and Santa Gertrudis cross PTIC to Angus bulls for prices between $360 to $490 a head.

Lisa Cook, Attunga sold four Angus cows with calves at foot for $660/hd.