Agents penned low numbers again for a similar yarding as last week, with mixed quality offered. Extra buyers joined the regular group today creating some strong competition and driving the prices up in most categories. Veal was too limited to quote, making from 226c to 241c/kg. The best of the trade weight steers lifted up to 13c to receive from 241c to 280c/kg. There were a good number of heifers offered suiting the domestic buyers creating a significant lift of 35c, making from 241c to 275c/kg.

Feeder cattle sold in a fluctuating market, with the steers slightly cheaper, making from 205c to 235c, while the heifers were 12c dearer, making from 220c to 258c/kg. Grown steers and bullocks were well presented and strong completion meant buyers had to go that extra mile to fill their orders, creating a lift of 7c, making from 240c to 284c/kg.

Numbers of well finished grown heifers were better this week also seeing a lift of 7c, making from 240c to 255c/kg. There were some good heavy well finished beef cows suiting the export buyers, this saw bidding intensify resulting in an increase of 35c, with the best making from 195c to 231c/kg.

The medium covered beef cows, C2 and C3 types, also sold to a better market trend, lifting 4c to 21c in places to make from 146c to 184c/kg. The very light one score cows sold for 140c/kg. Bulls sold to the usual buying group, with better shapes making from 212c to 226c/kg.

STEERS

A Ang Santa X 354kg @ 200c/kg, $708ph T & S Kosch

HEIFERS

1 Ang Santa X 418kg @ 160c/kg, $669ph T & S Kosch

COWS

2 Ang Santa X 688kg @ 220c/kg, $1513ph T & S Kosch

4 Ang Santa X 564kg @ 201c/kg, $1133ph Mt Violet

3 Ang X 523kg @ 170c/kg, $890ph Stoney Park

COWS

Ang 738kg @ 218c/kg, $1609ph GA & LA Gellert

Ang 690kg @ 211c/kg, $1456ph CS & MJ Petersen

Ang 621kg @ 208c/kg, $1292ph GS & MJ Petersen

Ang 566kg @ 195c/kg, $1105ph CS & MJ Petersen

Ang 592kg @180c/kg, $1065ph CS & MJ Petersen

BULLS

Ang 978kg @ 226c/kg, $2210ph CS & MJ Petersen

BULLOCKS

Char 705kg @ 284c/kg, $2002ph Whitehouse Farms

Ang & BB 623kg @ 279c/kg, $1739ph Whitehouse Farms

Ang 780kg @ 268c/kg, $2090ph Whitehouse Farms

Ang 686kg @ 268c/kg, $1840ph Whitehouse Farms

Ang & Char 856kg @ 240c/kg, $2055ph Whitehouse Farms

HEIFERS

Ang 428kg @ 222c/kg, $950ph A & L Young

Monday, April 1: Prime Market, 9am

Monday, April 8: Prime Market, 9am

Thursday, April 11: Store Sale, 10am  

Monday, April 15: Prime Market, 9am

Monday, April 22: No Market (Easter Monday)

Monday, April 29: Prime Market, 9am

March 18. Yarding: 263. Change: down 226.

Cattle numbers were back to 263 head this week at Ballarat. Quality was mixed, with a few well presented young cattle through the offering. The regular following of trade, processor, restocker and feeder buyers were present, and operated in a stronger market, that followed the trend of last weeks later sales, to be dearer for nearly all classes of cattle. Vealers sold to 281c, yearlings reached 286c to be to 30c dearer, and feeders paid to 263c/kg for young cattle. The handful of grown steers reached 262.2c, and grown heifers reached 223c to the trade, to be 5c to 10c stronger, dairy heifers sold at 208c/kg. Cows sold to keen demand, being mostly 20c to 40c/kg up on last week, and more in places. Heavy C and D muscle cows sold to 218c, with the D2 cows reaching 184c/kg. Bulls sold similar, with heavy beef bulls selling at 180c, and young bulls selling from 78c to 191c/kg to restockers and feeders. Numbers were made up of, 78 cows, 87 heifers, 63 steers, 35 bulls and a few open auction young cattle. Vealers sold to the trade from 214c to 281c, and feeders mostly paid from 184c to 256c, with plainer lots selling from 120c to 198c/kg. Yearlings sold to the trade from 236c to 286c, feeders and restockers paid mostly from 210c to 263c/kg. Grown steers sold from 210c to 243c, with the heavier weights selling from 235c to 262.2c/kg. Grown heifers sold from 175c to 216c for the medium weights, heavier weights sold from 198c to 223c/kg, feeders mostly paid from 190c to 208c/kg. Heavy crossbred manufacturing steers sold to 231c, others sold from 158c to 160c, with dairy bred types selling at 185c/kg. Heavy C muscle 3/5 score cows sold from 190c to 215c, the C2 cows sold sold from 180c to 190c, with the D muscle 3 and 4 score cows selling from 200c to 218c/kg.

March 26. Yarding: 498. Change: 112.

Numbers rose as agents yarded 498 head of liveweight and open auction cattle. These sold to the usual array of trade and processor buyers with both feeders and restockers active across the market. Quality improved a little on previous weeks as increased demand from the buying group resulted in a dearer market with some large price increases a pleasing sight for vendors. A small number of vealers came forward with steers to the trade ranging from 278c to 303c with restocker activity to 273c as vealer heifers to the trade ranged from 246c to 286c/kg. Yearling steer numbers fell away with the trade operating from 278c to 299c with a lift in price of 11c as feeders sought supply to 298c and restockers 286c/kg.

Yearling heifers to the trade ranged from 234c to 295c with lifts of 15c to 20c and more in places as feeders were active from 222c to 271c/kg. Grown steers and bullocks ranged from 259c to 297c with a lift of 17c with feeder activity on lighter weights from 256c to 268c/kg. Grown heifers ranged from 206c to 274c as manufacturing steers sold to 255c/kg. Cows saw a large lift in price of 25c to 30c as the heavy selection ranged from 198c to 220c with the lighter types ranging from 136c to 180c and bulls returned vendors from 206c to 218c/kg.

It looked like cattle prices were headed into the abyss, but then sellers and buyers alike saw a bit of rain on the radar and started to think they were cheap. Up prices went quicker than they fell. After a brief foray below 400c/kg, the EYCI retraced the heavy losses of early March, finishing Thursday at 441.25c/kg. With delayed yarding data it's a bit hard to gauge if it was supply or demand. While store and restocker prices rallied, most other categories also found some upside. Victorian heavy steers gained 18c/kg to get to 511c/kg. At Roma, Queensland, the country's biggest store market, calf supply fell from 1032 head the previous week to 215 head last week. Follow up rain is on the forecast for parts of Queensland. There is a good chance this will see cattle prices steady, and probably continue to move higher.