Overnight rain had everyone smiling at the cattle sale at Blackall on Thursday but none were happier than Bob Murphy and daughter Ann Murphy when their Santa Gertrudis weaner steers sold for one of the sale's top prices.
The 105 six to eight-month-old steers, which had been weaned at home at Everton Station, Aramac, over a month, weighed an average 300 kilograms and sold for an average 410 cents per kilogram or $1120 a head.
The top priced pen, snapped up by Blackall's CA Hauff and Sons, made 432.2c/kg, weighing 250kg and a dollar per head price of $1123.
The Rodger family, Hatcham Downs Cattle Co, Taroom, and the Phelps family at Kootchie, Tambo were the purchasers of the two other pens on offer.
The 50 heifers they'd sent in were still to be weighed.
Mr Murphy said if he'd got 380c/kg he would have been happy, so it was unbelievable to see them sell so well.
"You put so much time and effort in, you want them to sell well, so when you do it's a nice feeling," Ms Murphy said. "We've been breeding Santas for 60 years - we like them because they're good all-round cattle."
Ray White Livestock Blackall principal Andrew Turner said the quality of the genetics the Murphys had invested in over the last four to five years was really paying off, and the overnight rain had helped the market on the day.
"The rain is forecast to occur over a widespread area of NSW," he said. "Seasonal conditions are improving and there's renewed confidence because of it."
Thursday's sale came three weeks after the last Blackall sale and Mr Turner said the market was 40 cents dearer in that time.
"People are keen to capitalise on the market, and it's right at the start of the weaning season," he said.
Mr Murphy said they were beyond excited with their season at home at Aramac, stacking up beside 1974 as the best he'd seen.
"Legumes my parents planted have gone mad," he said, sharing images on Ann's phone of urochloa up to his shoulders, and verano stylo that was encroaching on spinifex ridges.
"The cattle are loving it," he said.
The Murphys have had 750mm (30 inches) since November.
"We've kept getting good falls," Ms Murphy said. "The best was six inches (150mm)."
Prior to November they were "pretty dry".
The best price for similar steers last year was 510c/kg, also sold at Blackall, and Ms Murphy said they'd topped the market at Emerald one week with cast for age cows averaging 620kg that brought 329c/kg.
Ms Murphy said while processing weaners for sale this week they'd weighed a PTIC cow that they'd just weaned a calf from at 834kg.
"The mob at home is averaging 600kg," she said. "I think part of their appeal is that being quiet, the weaners go straight onto feed."
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
