AuctionsPlus monthly cattle and sheep wrap March
Coronavirus helped drive high numbers of sheep and cattle through AuctionsPlus last month.
THERE was a flood of sheep and cattle sold via AuctionsPlus last month.
Record red meat prices, coupled with coronavirus, resulted in a total of 480,000 sheep and lambs offered, an average of 27,000 cattle per week and a total of 109,000 for the month of March, according to an AuctionsPlus report.
Prices for crossbred lambs lifted to about 700c/kg to average $172, while scanned-in-lamb Merino and first-cross ewes topped at an average of $267 and $337, up $26 and $28 on February.
The AuctionsPlus monthly report for March said weaner and yearling cattle were offered “in droves” last month, encompassing 67 per cent of all listings.
The top buyers were from southern Queensland, securing 16,000 of all cattle offered.
Weaner steers sold on AuctionsPlus last month averaged about 476c/kg, up 16c/kg on February, while weaner heifers averaged 417c/kg, up 21c/kg.
Pregnancy-tested-in-calf cows averaged $1909, up $224; PTIC heifers averaged $1761, and cows and calves averaged $1986, down $64 on February.
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