Buyers spend big on steers
E: editorial@tcp.newsltd.com.au BUYERS continue to spend big on quality cattle, with steers suitable for local trade garnering high prices at the Mareeba Saleyards.
Mareeba combined agents penned about 1010 head at the prime and store sale.
Local buyer Victor Byrnes of Byrnes Meats paid the top price for butchers’ steers yesterday. He bought six droughtmaster-cross steers, averaging 645kg, at 288.2¢/kg to return about $1858 per head.
Last week Mr Byrnes paid the record price for butchers’ steers of 294.2¢/kg for a single brangus steer.
He said while he had been paying top dollar, he was more concerned with averages.
Mr Byrnes bought 50 head at the prime and store sale, with prices ranging from 218.2¢/kg to 288.2¢/kg.
“For me as a buyer, it’s not about my highest price or my lowest price, it’s about my average price,” he said.
Mr Byrnes said the meat would be processed at Rocky Creek Abattoir and sold in Cairns at Byrnes Meats and Portsmith Meats.
At the sale, Mr Byrnes bought six senepol-red brahman-cross bullocks from
M: PO Box 126, Cairns, Queensland, 4870 Cooktown cattle producer Fred Woods for 287.6¢/kg.
Mr Woods said he had been monitoring the market and was happy with the price he received - for his bullocks.
He said he usually sold d store steers, but had decided too keep a few bullocks for thee prime sales.
“The prices are about wherere they should be,” he said.
“I knew the price would be good because quality cattle arere so short at the moment, but I didn’t expect it to be that good.”
Mr Woods runs about 300 head at his Cooktown property and planned to bring more cattle to the Mareeba Saleyards on October 13.
“The prices should hold for the rest of the year,” he said.
Having grown up on a property and been involved in the cattle industry all his life, Mr Woods said he was onto a great combination with senepol-red brahman-cross cattle.
He said the cross breed created an animal with hybrid rigour and a higher meat yield.
“The red brahman is for the tick resistance and the toughness and the senepol is for the marbling,” he said.
“They’re a lovely animal. I’m almost sorry to send them away. They’re all so quiet.”
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