January 27, 2012

Rain reduces Australia's Casino cattle sale numbers

Reduced cattle numbers due to rain have been experienced at Casino sale in Northern NSW Wednesday (Jan 25) where prices continued to ease in line with other selling centres.

Agents yarded only 950 head, down 1540 head on the January 18 sale.

According to MLA's National Livestock Reporting Service there were around 750 young cattle, mostly medium weight vealers with a greater percentage of steers yarded.

The overall quality of the vealers was fair to good and the regular trade orders were in place. The wet weather and lower numbers resulted in reduced competition from restockers, the NLRS said.

According to the NLRS the decline in supply saw the market for the better quality light and medium weight trade vealers remain firm.

Light weight C2 trade vealers sold from AUD2.35-2.47 (US$2.50-2.62) per kilogramme. Medium weights sold from AUD2.28-2.48 (US$2.42-2.63) with a small number of heavy vealers selling from AUD1.97-2.13 (US$2.09-2.26) per kilogramme.

Lightly muscled trade vealers received the benefit from the low numbers, and pressure to secure requirements resulting in a dearer trend of AUD0.02-0.04 (US$0.02-0.04) per kilogramme.

The D muscle vealers to the trade sold from AUD1.97-2.28 (US$2.09-2.42).

The NLRS said restocker demand was weaker with the low numbers resulting in a couple of orders not competing. This resulted in a firm to slightly cheaper market trend. Light weight steers sold from AUD2.14-2.96 (US$2.27-3.14) per kilogramme, while the medium weights sold from AUD2.30-2.52) (US$2.44-2.68) per kilogramme.

Cows dominated supply in a reduced offering of export cattle. The market was firm to dearer with supply issues contributing.