PHOTO: These beautiful Simmental X Steers, sold by Jack Hickey of JM Ellis & Co., reached top price today of 280c/kg, (ave. weight 460kg).

Total Yarding: 180

There was a smaller yarding of 180 cattle at Mortlake as the quality varied from mostly plain to average, however there were a few pens of very good quality vealers and beef cows offered during the market. Fewer buyers attended as the usual processors operated in a fluctuating market, which depended on quality, as the good young and grown cattle sales were firm to equal with the cattle lacking condition at least 10c/kg easier and more in places. The well covered cows averaged from firm to 9c/kg stronger on last week, with medium and light cows averaging close to unchanged on last week.

The few well presented C2 and C3 steer vealers sold from 260c to the market top of 280c/kg, selling firm. The C2 and C3 yearling steers made between 180c to 230c and the D2 plainer sales made from 150c to 170c/kg. C3 yearling heifers sold from 235c to 274c, as restockers and feeders paid from 140c to 222c/kg.

There were too few grown steers to quote, as the best of the dairy bred manufacturing steers, D1 and D2, sold from 100c to 170c and the beef grown heifers made from 150c to 220c/kg. The light E1 and D1 cows sold from 114c to 120c, D2’s made from 150c to 172c, as the restockers in the cow market helped competition and prices for lighter cows paying from 155c to 165c/kg. The better quality C2 beef cows made from 168c to 178c, with heavy C4 cows making from 204c to reach 211c, and a pen of young cows sold to 220c/kg. Heavy beef bulls sold between 170c and 210c/kg, to be close to unchanged on last week.

Market Report: Reproduced courtesy of Meat & Livestock Australia Limited.

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