Dry autumn causes consternation, but some are optimistic

OVER 1800 cattle were auctioned at the Myrtleford Special Cattle Sale last Wednesday at Matheson’s Lane, with mixed reports from sellers due to the dry autumn. A lack of rain has meant little pasture growth, so cattle farmers unable sustain their herds have been offloading stock, causing an increase in stock supply and a subsequent drop in prices, both sellers and observers at the sale reported. Nevertheless, some were satisfied with the prices they achieved. Eurobin cattle farmer Aaron Brain was pleased with his sale of 14 steers at $1140 per head, even though he felt cattle prices have dropped. “They're getting plenty of rain up north, so I think prices will lift after winter,” he said. He also thanked Nutrien Ivone Agencies for running the market. Mudgegonga cattle and sheep farmer Lach Fraser received $1090 per head for seven Hereford steers and $820 per head for six Black Baldy heifers. He said he expected to receive around $1200 for the steers and over $900 for the heifers, but admitted he doesn’t follow the cattle market closely. “I'm a bit disappointed with those prices, but we've got to take these prices because no one's got any grass,” he said. “It's very, very dry.” According to the TAFCO weather monitor, Myrtleford received 2.6mm of rain this month, while only 41.2mm fell in April. Last year April received 113.2mm of rain. “It's coming on to winter now, we mightn’t get much pasture growth because we'll start to get frosts, so that means you've got to feed your stock,” Mr Fraser said. “That's why people are offloading.” He said current cattle prices are unsustainable for farmers. “Our prices have got to go up 40 per cent, really, to coincide with costs and running farms and pasture improvement,” he said. According to Dan Ivone, livestock manager for Nutrien Ivone Agencies, the sale saw 917 steers sold at an average price of $1048 per head. Some 766 heifers sold at an average of $809, 79 cows and calves sold at an average of $1868, while 45 joined cattle sold at an average of $1277 per head. Carroll and Dunn of Mudgegonga received top prices for their weaner calves at $1290 per head. Their 13 heifers also received top price at $1040 per head. Doug Hamilton from Whorouly sold 22 steers $1290 per head. Also of note were the 200 mixed sex weaner calves sold by Denise Rae at an average of $909 per head. Mr Ivone said the market was stronger than he had expected, partly driven by 4-5 major buyers who bought cattle to stock herds in the Riverina, Northern New South Wales and Queensland. “We here locally have probably missed the rain that all those other people have been getting,” he said. “You don't have to go far from us to see where it's a bit greener.”

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