A RAVENSHOE cattle producer claimed top gongs at the North Queensland Saleyards inaugural awards presentation, taking out top value beast and heaviest beast for 2016.
Stent Holdings’s $2462/head was top value beast for 2016, while one of its beasts topped the scales for the year at 1005kg.
North Queensland Saleyards chairman Chris Greenwood said 2016 was a stellar year for the privately-owned saleyards.
“It’s been about records tumbling, statistics rolling over and creating new records for the future,” Mr Greenwood said.
“Our record sale was a special store sale on 26 August, returning $1.8 million.
“They are amazing numbers. Store sales went especially well and that is a tribute to agents who brought the cattle together, support from vendors and people who purchased the cattle.
“Throughout the year our total number at Tuesday’s weekly sale was 33,269 head, returning $24 million.
“They are staggering numbers by comparison to what we have normally seen at Mareeba but it was great to see it happening and a great effort by everyone involved.”
Top agent for the value of stock processed at the weekly sale went to Queensland Rural, while Landmark collected the same award for the store sale.
Elders received awards for the highest average dollars per head returned for both the weekly and store sales.
Top vendor on value of stock was taken out by National Indigenous Pastoral Enterprise (NIPE) station Merapah, Coen, while Chillagoe property, Mt Mulgrave, was named top vendor on number of head sold.
Top buyer based on value was JBS Dinmore, and top buyer based on number of head purchased was Elders Livestock Account.
Buyer Ian Shaw, Tolga, received the Longevity Award.
Mr Shaw and his wife Lynne fatten cattle on a 97 hectare block at Tolga. They ran meat wholesale business for many years before selling out in 1995.
Mr Shaw has been buying at the Mareeba Sale for 36 years, on behalf of others and for himself, and said the award meant a lot.
He said fluctuating cattle prices were among the biggest changes, and he believes the current high prices are here to stay due to supply and demand.
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Tuesday’s final sale for 2016 saw a new record set for heifers, selling to a top of 366.2c/kg.
A total yarding of 548 head including nine sold open auction.
The yard average was 240.8 c/kg returning an average $753.06/head.
Other results 188 bulls averaged 217.9 c/kg selling to a top of 333.2 c/kg, 122 cows averaged 216.1 c/kg selling to a top of 294.2 c/kg, 106 heifer averaged 256.7c/kg selling to a top of 366.2.2c/kg, 75 steers averaged 258.7 c/kg selling to a top of 353.2c/kg, 28 yearling heifers averaged 339.9 c/kg selling to a top of 368.2 c/kg, 20 yearling steers averaged 355.8 c/kg selling to a top of 371.2 c/kg, one cow and three calves @ $200/unit and eight cows and calves @ $1105/unit.
The first Tuesday sale in 2017 is on 7 February.
