Neil and Jenny Armstrong were happy with their decision to put cattle in Blackall's opening sale for 2017

Summer rain at Prairie Downs, 70km west of Blackall, has been patchy – in some places they’ve got green pick and in other paddocks they’re about to put lick out – and the couple want to keep what grass they have for their cows if summer rain doesn’t eventuate.

“We were nervous about when to sell – we were worried there might be too many cattle at this sale – but we’re happy with our decision,” Neil said. “They lined up with 400 weaners on agistment down the road from us, which was attractive.”

One pen of those young Angus cattle was the sale topper, reaching 410c/kg.

Neil and Jenny’s poll Brangus pen of 23 four-to-six-month-old steers made 393.2c/kg, while nine seven-month-old steers out of Eyriewald Santa Gertrudis cows and a Charolais bull brought 392.2c/kg.

Neil said he had always liked the weight for age characteristics of the Brangus breed.

“Even if we were grassed up, this age is where you get your money,” he said. “The winter rain we had got us out of trouble, and the Santa cattle we bought to build numbers up have just exploded on that feed.”

According to Jeremy Barron, who sold the Armstrong’s cattle and the agisted line, the market at Blackall’s first sale for 2017 was on a par with other sales around the state this week.

“The fat job was back a fraction but stores were on a par. Much of the cattle on offer were coming off winter herbage and were in magnificent condition.”

The young Angus cattle had grown up on agistment at Moonbria, from mothers bought locally. The 186 steers weighing 265kg averaged 398c/kg, while the 225 heifers topped at 360c/kg, averaging 348c/kg.

Blackall has 1700 head booked for its first weaner sale of the year on February 23.