Yarding: 603 Change: -1037
NARACOORTE CATTLE
Tuesday, March 12
A big drop of over 1,000 head to 603 this week at Naracoorte following the long weekend and a spell of hot weather.
The yarding was made up of 433 young cattle, 153 cows, 5 grown bulls and a few open auction young cattle.
Quality ranged from average to good but not the quality of previous sales through the grown steers and heifers.
Most of the usual buying group attended and operated in an easier market with a few pens of yearlings passed in.
Young cattle sold 20c to 40c/kg easier, but close to firm on cattle going to the trade.
Grown steers were close to firm with heavy weights easing 10c/kg.
Medium weight cows eased 30c with the heavy cows back 20c to 30c/kg.
Yearlings steers and heifers sold to the trade from 260c to 295c, feeders paid from 178c to 280c/kg.
A few vealer heifers sold to feeders 170c to 260c/kg.
Light and medium weight grown steers sold from 270c to 290c, heavy weights sold from 245c to 309c, restockers paid from 148c to 200c/kg.
Medium grown heifers sold from 210c to 240c with heavier weights selling from 195c to 290c/kg to be from firm to 20c/kg easier in places.
Medium cows sold to 175c, heavy cows sold from 170c to 232c/kg, plainer heavy cows from 158c to 200c/kg.
Bulls sold from 166c to 200c/kg to ease 10c/kg.
Yarding: 3235 Change: -2415 Lamb: 2651 Change: -2349 Sheep: 584 Change: -66
NARACOORTE SHEEP AND LAMB
Tuesday, March 12
A drop in both lamb and sheep numbers with 2,651 lambs and 584 sheep yarded.
Quality was mixed but with several pens of well presented heavy lambs yarded.
The usual buying group attended and operated in a generally firm market, with quality pens a few dollars dearer in places.
Medium and heavy trade weight labs sold from $124 to $146 with the heavy weight lambs selling from $176 to $198/head.
Restockers were active paying from $114 to $125 and from $10 to $100/head for lighter lambs.
They paid $70/head for a pen of Merino wethers.
Merino lambs sold to $110/head.
With sheep numbers at 584 head competition was limited on the smaller offering.
Sheep did sell to similar levels as last week with Merino ewes selling to $76 and heavy crossbred ewes selling at $75/head.
Light weight lambs sold from $40 to $112/head to average 580c/kg cwt.
Light trade weight lambs sold from $112 to $124/head and averaged 575c/kg cwt.
Medium trade weights sold from $124 to $142/head to average 560c/kg cwt.
Heavy trade weights sold from $134 to $146/head and averaged 575c/kg cwt.
Export weights sold from $156 to $175/head to average 580c/kg cwt.
Extra heavy weights sold from $176 to $198/head at 580c/kg cwt.
Medium weight sheep sold from $37 to $48/head to average 200c/kg cwt.
Heavy Merino ewes sold to $76/head and averaged 240c/kg cwt.
Crossbred ewes sold from $68 to $75/head to average 170c/kg cwt.
Rams sold to $15/head.
Yarding: 753 Change: -457
MOUNT GAMBIER CATTLE
Wednesday, March 13
Numbers fell this week as agents yarded 753 head of liveweight and open auction cattle.
These sold to the usual field of trade and processor buyers along with feeder and restocker interest.
Quality was mixed at best as the better types held up well in the current climate as secondary lots again suffered from a lack of competition to fall in price.
A solitary pen of vealer steers sold for 340c as yearling steers also to the trade made up to 290c with similar heifers returning from 235c to 280c/kg.
Feeders sought steers from 252c to 288c and heifers from 185c to 260c as restockers operated on steers to 216c and heifers to 223c/kg.
Grown steers sold from 220c to 288c to ease 14c to the trade with feeder interest from 255c to 290c/kg.
Grown heifers ranged from 205c to 274c with feeder activity from 232c to 265c as manufacturing steers reached 190c/kg.
Heavy cows lost 16c as they sold from 204c to 230c as lighter lots made from 140c to 180c with the bulls selling from 160c to 180c/kg.
