It would be fair to say most kids dream of a trip to a Gold Coast theme park or a camping adventure for their school holidays but Zoe and Jack Cosh, Dandaloo, Injune, wished only for a trip to the Roma Saleyards.
Lucky for them, their father Jamie Cosh had planned to offload a body truck of steers and their wish came true today.
Mr Cosh said the timing was just right as he had only just returned for his break from his two week on/ two week off shift with Santos.
“The kids were pestering me to come to the sale to watch the cattle sell and it got me out of fencing for a day so here we are,” he said.
The Cosh family measured 120mm of rain last week and grade one student Jack said he thought visiting the saleyards was much more fun than flood fencing.
Mr Cosh’s steers averaged 238kg and sold for 400c/kg to return $952/head.
A total of 1400 head were consigned at the store sale and Brad Neven, Watkins and Co, Roma, said it was not just wet local conditions contributing to low numbers.
“There is a critical supply shortage and that’s becoming evident in the numbers being yarded,” he said.
There's a critical supply shortage and that’s becoming evident in the numbers yarded.
- Brad Neven.
“After three years of drought and massive sell downs it had to happen- cows and calves are in very short supply each week.”
As far as prices go, Mr Neven said considering the current cattle shortage values remained quite strong for what was being yarded.
“It seems to me this job is finding a plateaued level where quality weaners are up around 420c/kg, light restocker heifers are making about 400c/kg and feeder steers are at the 355c/kg mark.
“The weaner run is mostly finished and the yardings are getting very patchy overall.”