Thursday daily cattle summary

At Dalby this week, cattle numbers declined 23% to 3,945 head. Easing off the back of the highs reached the week prior, most buyers were in attendance once again, with most operating on reduced prices. Light weight yearling lines to both restockers and feeders lowered to a similar extent, while cows also trended cheaper.

• Light C2 yearling steers to restockers were back 17¢, averaging 392¢, while heavy C2 feeder lines slipped 10¢, to 359¢/kg
• Light C2 yearling heifers to restockers finished 12¢ lower, at 359¢/kg
• Heavy C4 grown steers to processors were back 7¢, at 305¢/kg
• Heavy D4 cows to slaughter slipped 11¢, averaging 243¢/kg

Casino cattle throughput decreased 54%, to 1,183 head. Quality was mixed this week, with a good supply of medium weight vealers and a greater offering of lighter weights penned. Well-bred young cattle sold strongly to restockers, while plainer graded sections were also well represented.

• Light C2 vealer steers to restockers were up 4¢, averaging 391¢/kg
• Light C2 vealer heifers to processors averaged 366¢, up 9¢/kg
• Medium D3 cows to slaughter were back 11¢, averaging 225¢/kg

Consignments at Warrnambool increased 26%, to 844 head. Grown cattle sections made up the majority of the yarding and sold firm to slightly stronger. Demand however remained subdued across other sections despite the great number of buyers in attendance, with most operating selectively.

• Heavy D2 yearling heifers to slaughter gained 1¢, averaging 268¢/kg
• Heavy C2 bullocks to processors sold to 315¢, averaging 304¢/kg
• Heavy D2 dairy cows averaged 10¢ lower, at 217¢/kg

At the close of Wednesday’s markets:    

• The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator (EYCI) finished at 663.25¢, down 3.50¢/kg cwt from where it was the previous day
• Trade steers were back 1¢, to 349¢/kg lwt
• Medium steers were up 12¢, on 311¢/kg lwt
• Heavy steers eased 1¢, to 304¢/kg lwt
• Medium cows slipped 1¢,on 232¢/kg lwt
• Feeder steers finished 3¢ lower, on 359¢/kg lwt

For the full list of cattle market reports, please click here.

Note: All yardings and prices referenced are from MLA reported saleyards