After a five-year wait the Longreach store sale is back with a bang.
More than 10,000 head will be auctioned across two special sales beginning on Friday, March 22, with agents billing it as a "golden opportunity" to pick up quality cattle.
First up will be Elders, who are offering 6000 steers and heifers from the Australian Agricultural Company's properties on the Barkly Tablelands of north-western Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Elders livestock agent Cameron Wilson said those cattle would be mostly flat-backed composites.
"It's a golden opportunity to put together a great line of steers," he said.
"There are some really nice cattle there, nice soft good-doing cattle."
Landmark will be selling the following Friday, offering 4500 Droughtmaster, Droughtmaster-cross and composite cattle from Australian Green Properties and AACo.
Boyd Curran from Landmark Western said strong falls of rain in central and southern Queensland in recent days could ratchet-up demand at the sale.
"Australian Green Properties are offering very good Droughtmaster cattle in store condition. We believe they will be in huge demand," he said.
"AACo have been market leaders in their breeding of composite cattle. In dry conditions, it's a unique opportunity to source their composite genetics."
Mr Curran said there had been strong inquiries in the lead-up to the sale, particularly from Queensland producers that have had some rain.
"In the last week we've seen a strengthening in the cattle market," he said.
"There's no doubt that the biggest market influence is the widespread dry across Queensland, NSW and the Northern Territory.
"But in the last five days we've seen some terrific falls of rain through central and southern QLD, and the forecast is great for the next week."
Competition from producers pushed up prices at the recent Blackall store sale, with weaner steers lifting by 20 cents a kilogram compared to similar markets a week earlier.
In another sign that demand for cattle is growing, bookings for the Roma store sale recently fell to just 2445 head, the lowest yarding since 2016.
The Longreach store sale will be the first since the AAM Investment Group took over the lease of the Western Queensland Livestock Exchange from the Longreach Council.
AAM chief executive Tim Gallagher said it was fantastic to see the sale back in Longreach.
"It is fantastic to see that the WQLX facility will be holding sales again this month," he said.
"Longreach is the natural focal point of the livestock industry in Western Queensland and the Northern Territory and as they say all roads lead to Longreach".
AAM has made a significant investment in upgrading the selling yards as well as transit facilities at the exchange.
"The management of Elders and Landmark deserve a lot of credit in supporting Longreach and western Queensland by working with their vendors to hold these sales here at WQLX and we hope these sales are the first of many more to come at WQLX," Mr Gallagher said.
