While selling steers and cows during the store and prime sale held at Charters on March 30, grazier Fran O’Callaghan took the opportunity to show employees Elisa Helbig, Germany and Linda Goncalves, Sweden, to the Dalrymple Saleyards how beef business is conducted in the north.
Elisa and Linda have been working at Ms O’Callaghan’s 600 head commercial cattle operation Mt Flagstaff located at Woodstock near Townsville for the past several weeks while they spend the year abroad.
The pair said working in the north has been an “amazing and eye-opening experience.”
“It’s vastly different to the type of farming we are involved in back home,” Linda said.
Ms O’Callaghan said at Woodstock they missed out on much of the heavy rain this month that hit Townsville.
“We’ve had 17.5 inches over the wet season to date which is the fourth consecutive year that rainfall for that period has decreased,” she said.
“Luckily the rain fell in the right areas in smaller increments more regularly, which has greened the place up and filled the dam.”
She said while the land is looking good at present she’s concerned that if the moisture is not deep in the ground they won’t get good growth.
“If the country isn’t getting the soaking it needs it will effect the density of the longevity of the pasture.
“It’s a big worry; at the moment all is good, but we’ll just have to play it by ear.”
A total of 967 cattle consisting of 515 prime cattle and 452 store cattle were yarded for the sale which featured several lines of well finished bullocks.
The balance of the yarding was of mixed condition, with small numbers of better finished cattle. The yarding was drawn from Belyando, Forsayth, Georgetown and local and coastal areas.
Prices were generally down across the board in line with other selling centres. In the prime section bullocks were quoted 10c/kg dearer, heifers were 20c easier and cows were 5c back on the previous sales’ rates, while the store market was back between 10-15c in the store categories.
Prime cattle yarded comprised 163 bullocks, 35 heifers, 261 cows and 56 bulls.
Heifers to 440kg reached 220c to average 195c, while four heifers over 440kg averaged 225c. Cows to 400kg made 201c to average 172c, while those over 400kg peaked at 223c to average 207c.
Steers and bullocks to 500kg topped at 254c to average 234c, and those over 500kg hit 262c to average 249c. Bulls over 450kg made 200c to average 173c.
E & H Matthews, Charters Towers, sold Brahman-cross bullocks for 262c weighing 611kg to return $1603/head, J & T Holdings sold the best priced trade heifers for 225c weighing 445kg to return $1002.
The top pen of cows were sold by KA & ME Vaughan, for 223c weighing 500kg to return $1118, and bulls sold by Mt Douglas Past Co, Mt Douglas, Clermont, topped at 200c to weigh 590kg and return $1181.
Store cattle yarded consisted of 302 steers, 85 heifers and 65 cows and 64 calves. The store offering was of mixed quality with several smaller lines of good quality cattle.
Steers to 200kg peaked at 354c to average 336c, 200-320kg steers made 346c to average 307c, steers 320-400kg topped at 250c to average 240c and those over 400kg hit 255c to average 248c.
Heifers to 200kg made 254c to average 198c while those between 320-400kg reached 268c to average 241c. A single heifer was yarded in the 320-370kg class which made 200c, and a long heifer over 370kg reached 243c.
A pen of 20 steers under 200kg sold by Graham Quinn made 354c and weighed 177kg to return $626, he also sold a pen of 12 steers in the 200-320kg weight range for 346c weighing 237kg to return $819.
A good pen of two heifers sold by Chris McCurry made 261c, weighing 270kg to return $705, while a pen of light heifers sold by Graham Wilson & Co, Robinhood, Forsayth, sold for 242c, weighing 180kg to return $436.
Cows and calves sold from $500 to $1400 per unit with 2 x 2 Charbray cows with big sappy calves topping at $1400/unit while a 11 x 11 pen of Brahman-cross breeders sold for $1100/unit.
The next Charters Towers prime and store sale is booked for Wednesday, April 6.
