Weekly Cattle Comments - 15.09.23

AuctionsPlus commercial cattle listings were stable this week at 9,712 head, while clearance slipped 6 percentage points to 40% and value over reserve rose to $74/head. Heifers mostly lost the gains of last week except the 280-330kg category, while steers also struggled in an oversupplied market.

According to MLA, national slaughter numbers have reached 127,333 and 125,622 head in the last two weeks, the two highest weekly slaughter volumes since May 2020. For more context on the impact of high supply of slaughter cattle and drier seasonal conditions on the market, read our latest Spring 2023 Cattle Price Forecast.

Table 1: AuctionsPlus National Weekly Cattle Prices
Table 2: AuctionsPlus Queensland Cattle Prices
Table 3: AuctionsPlus Angus Cattle Prices
Report: Interactive Market Dashboard

Steers

Steers 200.1-280kg registered a larger offering of 1,456 head and averaged $704/head - down $58 from last week for a 62% clearance. Prices ranged from 233 - 332c and averaged 302c/kg lwt. From Rolleston, QLD a line of 133 Santa Gertrudis/Santa Gertrudis steers aged 7 to 12 months old and weighing 226kg returned $750/head, or 332c/kg lwt and will travel to a buyer in Yarrawonga, VIC.

Steers 330.1-400kg registered a larger offering of 1,406 head and averaged $959/head - down $76 from last week for a 21% clearance. Prices ranged from 229 - 370c and averaged 269c/kg lwt. From Jugiong, NSW a line of 34 Angus/Angus steers aged 12 to 14 months old and weighing 374kg returned $1060/head, or 283c/kg lwt and will travel to a buyer in Wombat, NSW.

Heifers

Heifers 200.1-280kg registered a larger offering of 1,240 head and averaged $551/head - down $19 from last week for a 64% clearance. Prices ranged from 169 - 281c and averaged 230c/kg lwt. From Boggabri, NSW a line of 110 Angus/Angus heifers aged 7 to 10 months old and weighing 237kg returned $540/head, or 228c/kg lwt.

Heifers 280.1-330kg registered a larger offering of 1,160 head and averaged $801/head - up $98 from last week for a 34% clearance. Prices ranged from 160 - 380c and averaged 259c/kg lwt. From Dargo, VIC a line of 30 Angus/Angus heifers aged 10 to 12 months old and weighing 300kg returned $910/head, or 303c/kg lwt.

Breeding Stock

NSM Heifers & Calves registered a smaller offering of 265 head and averaged $1,395/head - down $164 from last week for an 89% clearance. From Timor, NSW a line of 51 Angus/Angus heifers aged 2.5 years old and weighing 390kg with 51 calves at foot returned $1,420/head, $420 over the set reserve.

Note: Prices as at 2pm Friday, 15th September 2023

Table 1: AuctionsPlus National Cattle Prices

Table 2: AuctionsPlus Queensland Cattle Prices

Table 3: AuctionsPlus Angus Cattle Prices

AuctionsPlus Interactive Cattle Market Report