YOUNG cattle around 200kg continue to give producers strong value despite the ongoing dry hardship experienced by farmers across the region.

Some 1173 head were yarded at the Wangaratta Livestock Exchange last Thursday, bringing the monthly store sale back to some normality following last May’s major offloading of 3000 head due to the current drought.

Just under half of Thursday’s yarding had heifers and steers within 200-280kg going under the hammer, with steers within the 180-220kg weight range proving a popular choice for northern buyers.

Those cattle went for well over $4/kg, while heifers and steers more than 300kg going into feedlots also attracted interest.

Young heifers were bought for around $3.30 to $3.50/kg.

AWN Livestock agent Peter Dargan said given the dry state of the local countryside and the rising prices of hay, the stock were selling well.

“It could’ve been a disaster overall, but it was actually quite good,” he said.

“A lot of those young cattle are going on trucks to Queensland and northern New South Wales so that underpins those prices a bit and those 300kg cattle going into feedlots underpins that.

“A lot of cattle are still going north, not much locally because we are probably selling more than buying.

“It was definitely a winter yarding in terms of the quality, a bit hairy in the coats.”

There have now been well over 4500 head offloaded through the Wangaratta Livestock Exchange over the past two months, with most of those cattle usually held for the annual feature Gordan Sinclair Memorial Sale in August, according to Mr Dargan.

“The cost of hay is one of the main driving things, whether it’s worth buying hay at the price it is and feeding the stock, or whether it’s better to cut your numbers, which is what a lot of people have been doing,” he said.

Following next to no rain during autumn, some reprieve was found in downpours across the King’s Birthday weekend, with farmers keeping their fingers crossed for some further rain forecasted early this week.

Mr Dargan said it would take some time before feed begins to grow back to more stable levels.

“Even if we get rain now it’s not going to bring a lot of grass until we get to the early part of the spring and when you combine that with the cost of hay, you’ve got to be realistic, and people can’t keep everything,” he said.

Next month’s store sale is set for 17 July, with the Gordan Sinclair Memorial Sale scheduled for 21 August.