Season varies across North Queensland

The North Queensland Register spoke to agents across the region to understand how the season is looking in their area.

Far west to Cloncurry, livestock agent Peter Dowling is impressed with how feed and cattle are looking and said there was a good body of dry grass surrounding the town.

“We have probably got what we would consider a normal season, in that we have got a good body of grass left but it has dried right off. Cattle are maintaining their condition and looking solid.”

Coming off the back of four to five years of drought stricken seasons, this year has allowed producers to have options when marketing their cattle.

“Previous years it has been dry and we have had to keep selling but this year people were lucky enough to take advantage of the good prices early.

“Therefore a lot of people in this part of the world have already sold most of their cattle.

“Since the market has dropped back, people are sitting by just watching the market. Indications are that prices might rebound over the next few weeks a little therefore some people might continue to sell.”

Mr Dowling said this season was good overall but producers are still hoping for an early wet season to get more feed on the ground.

Travel 140 kilometres east to Julia Creek and it is a similar story.

Elders livestock agent, Nick Gilvarry, has been moving around the region and said Julia Creek was looking good for this time of year.

“Overall it has been dry but there is still feed around. North of Julia Creek towards Sedan Dip there is a substantial amount of feed,” Mr Gilvarry said.

“Which is great to see considering the dry conditions in previous years, cattle are holding their shape and condition well.

“We did receive more rain over the wet season then other parts of the north-west and that could quite easily be the reason why cattle are still doing so well.

“A lot of producers around our area have been holding onto their cattle, from steers until they reach bullocks. But most of the cattle we have been selling are spayed and feeder cattle.”

Across to Richmond and producers south of the line have started restocking.

Ray White Rural owner, Stephen Vohland, said some producers south of Richmond were very lucky to receive winter rainfall.

“Thanks to some late rain, producers about 80 kilometres south of Richmond have taken advantage and are putting more cattle on.

“There is a good body of grass down there and it has only been about a month since the greenery has left pasture and started to dry off.

“North of Richmond didn’t get rain but is still holding up well.”

Continuing west to Hughenden and producers continue to do it tough. After seven years of drought with little to no rainfall, most properties have significantly reduced stock.

Mr Vohland, said this year was slightly better then previous years.

“North of Hughenden it isn’t too bad, they have had a few frosts which has taken the protein out of feed. To the south it is good but feed is lighter in a few isolated places around the Stamford area.”

Mr Vohland said the driest section was 20 kilometres west of Hughenden, where producers have continuously missed out on rain and had to downsize their enterprises.

“There is no one around here that has completely de-stocked but producers have drastically reduced numbers over the years to counteract the continuous, dry conditions.”

Along the Mount Isa to Townsville line, Charters Towers was fortunate enough to receive late rain in May, but did producers benefit from it?

Elders livestock agent, Malcolm Smith, highlighted although Charters Towers had received up to five inches of rain, it gave producers false hope for the rest of the season.

“It fired everything up but the country seems to have fallen to bits,” he said.

“Feed had the growth in it but not the depth and as a result there is a lot of producers who are now looking to offload more cattle because they cannot see the end of it.

“I think there are a lot of people who got some hope out of the rain and are now starting to realise that feed is going to be short for them this year.”

Although there is short supply of feed on the ground, Mr Smith said most producers had not started buying feed yet.

“Locally, producers are holding off as the bureau is predicting a better than average rainfall coming out of winter, but further north there is definitely spots that would have started feeding and some of the coast too.

“Coming out of winter, cattle are starting to lose condition and unfortunately producers need to have a good winter to allow their cattle to keep condition, and they just haven’t had it this year.”