THE autumn special store sale at Nebo last week attracted a high-quality yarding of about 2000 steers, 770 heifers, 10 cows, 50 cow/calf units and four bulls.
It is the sale at which the local cattle breeders sell their excess 12 to 15-month-old stores, and it gives others with Brigalow blocks the opportunity of purchasing quality stock to utilise their pastures.
Elders, Landmark, Hayes and Co and three private agents were buying, and they had strong competition from local lot feeders and finishers including Paul Kahler, who made the 800km round trip from his the Springsure property Kalgoon, as he also had spare pasture and a forage crop to stock.
The competition resulted in prices 5c-7c/kg higher than current South East Queensland rates, with the top price of 210c being paid by David Kemp, Lotus Park Feedlot, for 19 Charbray/ Brahman-cross weaner steers from the Brieffies family, Sarina. He also paid the highest price for No.8s, $201c, for 15 Charolais Brahman cross from Lake Elphinstone Station, Nebo.
Thomas Borthwick and Sons and Teys Brothers, Lakes Creek, bought the works cattle: bullocks making 120c-170c; cull cows 102c-128c and bulls 114c-126c.
Eighteen Brangus cows with one to three-month-old calves topped that section of the sale at $710, with the others, mostly Brahman or Brahman-cross with three to five-month-old calves at foot making $550-$660.
Strathdee Station sold a line of 124 No.7 Brahman steers for 159c-165c and 33 Charolais Brahman-cross for 165c, which set the price range for No.7s.
Sondela yarded 136 Brahman steers, all HGP-free. The first 16 were No.6s that made 156c, while the rest were No.7s that sold from 161-165c, all purchased by Landmark Rockhampton.
Figtree sold 80 No.7 steers: 32 Droughtmasters at 158c and the rest Brahman for 149c and 156c. Collaroy Grazing, St Lawrence, sold 54 Brahman No,7s for 159c-161c and 15 No.8s for 155c.
Lake Elphinstone, Nebo, yarded 17 No7. Brahman-cross steers that brought 174c and 321 No.8s, which included Drought-master, Brangus, Brahman, Limousin/Brahman-cross and Charolais/Brahman-cross.
A pen of 15 Charolais/Brahman topped the line at 201c, purchased by David Kemp, Lotus Park Feedlot, while 200c was paid by Andrew Kemp, Kemp Grazing, for 31 Drought-masters.
The brothers actually purchased the entire Elphing-stone draft, paying from 170c-193c for the Brahmans, 192c for 15 Brangus, and 187c for 35 Limousin -cross.
The No.9 steers sold from 174c-210c, with Paul Kahler, Springsure, paying 209c/kg for 33 Brahmans from A Bachelor and 205c for 10 Murray Greys from G Curran.
Kemp Grazing paid 206c for 33 Brahman weaners from J Galea, Sarina.
The heifer yarding topped at 153c for 14 Brangus included in a draft of 116 No.8s from Lake Elphinstone, which contained the same genetic spread as its steer offering.
Other Lake Elphinstone prices: 11 Brangus 150c; 11 Droughtmasters 150c; 17 Limousin-cross 147c; and the remainder Brahmans, at 139c-146c. The buyers included Landmark Clermont, Hayes & Co; Kemp Grazing and Mick Symonds, Mt Flora, Nebo.
The consignment of No.7 heifers topped at 149c for 22 Charolais/Brahman-cross from Strathdee, Nebo, which also sold 88 Brahmans from 139c-145c. The only pen to sell below 139c contained 10 Brahmans, for which Elders Clermont paid 129c.
There were 34 No.9 heifers at the sale and they sold from 102c for two very small weaners to 149c for 14 Brahman-cross, with most selling between 138-145c.
*More pictures in this week’s North Queensland Register, out Thursday.
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