When young Lachlan McArthur got a tip off from local agents about the quality of cattle set to be yarded at the Sarina Saleyards on May 17, he jumped at the opportunity to flesh out his family's Mystery Park breeding herd.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
The 17-year-old Ray White Rural livestock agent walked away with 55 heifers for $450/head (down $81 from last sale's maximum price), 20 steers for $600/head (down $260) and 8 cows and calves for $1070/head (down $80) for his family's 12,140ha beef breeding operation, located two hours north of Rockhampton.
"It was a good day in the office," he said.
"They are good quality. The heifers are mainly local...(and) that's probably the best thing about the Sarina Saleyards - they're all coastal cattle and home is coastal cattle as well.
"We try and keep them as close (as we can)...you can't buy cattle from the western country because they'll just go backwards at home, if they survive."
A total 420 head were yarded at the prime and store sale including 223 steers, 159 heifers, 23 cows, one bull and 11 cows and 10 cows and calves.
Most lines sold from a firm to easier market than the previous sale, with buyers coming from local areas as well as Rockhampton, St Lawrence and southern Queensland.
Steers sold for a minimum $400 and a high of $1260 ($20 higher than the previous sale), heifers went for $200-$1040 (down $200 from the previous sale), cows for $440-$1040 (up $180), cows and calves for $1020-$1380 (up $230) and the single bull sold for $1440 (up $120).
"The quality of the cattle was very good...for crossbred cattle and they're making what they probably should have," Mr McArthur said.
He said the season had "prevailed" with resulting weights in cattle paying off for producers.
"Mum and dad do trading at home so I bought the heifers at a reasonable price; probably below at the moment," he said.
"They'll go back in the paddock or go down to a feedlot. We'll feed them ourselves and then find a market for them as a fat heifer."
Mr McArthur's parents, Robert and Ainsley, have around 2000 breeders on agistment and predominately breed Angus cross cattle.
"They're the base of the herd. We keep them going, wean the calves and make profits out of the steers and keep the replacement heifers," Mr McArthur said.
"The season's been good, but it's nearly been too good for cattle. The calving rate has been reasonably good but it's been a factor of getting them back in calf."
The family opts to supply to feedlots instead of going through the local saleyard at Gracemere.
Their herd consists mostly of Brahman cross cows joined to Angus and Belmont x Angus bulls.
"In the trading game, it doesn't matter what the market is, you've just got to go with it," Mr McArthur said.
"Sometimes you make heaps, other times you don't make anything. It's just the way it goes. You can't half ass it."
Some sale highlights included Ian Shepherd, Rural View who sold Charbray steers for $860, S & M Breuer, Devereux Creek who sold Brangus steers to top at $970, Werner Farming who sold cows and calves for $1040, Cameron Wichmann, Gargett who sold Droughtmaster cows and calves for $1100 and Droughtmaster cows for $1030.
Habana Springs, Habana sold Brahman cross feeder steers for $1260 and Brangus cows to $1040 and J Ryan, Sarina sold Brangus cows and calves to $1380.
The next local sales will be on May 24 at Nebo and May 31 at Sarina.
