Kelly Country: Skinny cattle find buyers at Mareeba

IT’S difficult to say which was more surprising, seeing cattle sell for as little as 10c a kilogram liveweight or just how bad they were, writes JENNY KELLY in KELLY COUNTRY.

Dry hit: Elders Agent Bill Denmark at Mareeba, where numbers have risen sharply. Picture: Jenny Kelly

IT’S difficult to say which was more surprising, seeing cattle sell for as little as 10c a kilogram liveweight or just how bad they were.

The scene was the Mareeba saleyards, the most northern cattle market in Australia, about 60km inland from Cairns. The centre sells weekly on a Tuesday, yarding between 600 to 1200 in the dry season.

Agent Bill Denmark, of Elders at Mareeba, who does the market report for the centre, said it was a key selling centre for station cows and clean-skin bulls, a lot of which ended up being sold to live export orders out of Townsville.

Last week it yarded 1045, and while the difference between cattle quality in the far north compared to the south is well recognised, some of the animals at Mareeba were still an eye-opener.

Locals said quality was particularly bad last week due to large drafts of mustered cattle off Government-owned stations/national parks from the northern Peninsula, where they run as native herds with little or no genetic management.

This was later confirmed by saleyard operators.

It’s difficult to find words to describe these Brahman-style cattle. The little cows had weaner-sized bodies, but with big horns that probably told the truth of their age, and with the temperaments of cut snakes. Locals were referring to them as spear heads” (due to their horn shape and size), or ferals.

But they still found buyers — at a price. The Weekly Times spoke to one farmer who bought a pen of these cows for 25c/kg, or about $70. It wasn’t the lowest price, as they actually sold down to 10c or $20.

This farmer, who did not want to be named, said he “would get a calf out of them’’.

Bystanders were quick to add their piece when he left.

“People try to make money out of these things, and they never gain enough weight to fit meatwork specs and breeding from them, you have got to put up with fighting them all the time as they are just feral,’’ advised one local.

“F&*% spearheads — don’t touch em,’’ said another

Below is the price breakdown of the Mareeba sale:

119 LIGHT cows sold from 10c to 211c and averaged 84.5c/kg liveweight or $265.50 across an average weight of 313kg.

9 HEAVY cows sold from 159c to 219c/kg and averaged 189c or $1280 for 677kg.

186 LIGHT bulls sold from 40c to 276c/kg and averaged 177c/kg or $386 for 218kg.

220 HEAVY bulls sold from 25c to 268c and averaged 167c or $1138 across 681kg.

The official quote for the sale was cheaper, with quality an influence. As a rule local bred cattle from the Atherton Tablelands area with more weight and finish made better money. The best bullocks, which had some Murray Grey influence, sold to 259c/kg.

Better bred young store steers at Mareeba sold to 280c/kg. The 133 young steers sold from 100c to 280c and averaged 228c or $736 across 322kg. Overall the Queensland cattle market is being heavily influenced by the season, which remains extremely dry.

Some producers, such as Alan Grigg who owns property at Tarzali, described it as “drought like’’.

September heat records were broken at Ipswich, Warwick and Birdsville.

Last week the Queensland cattle kill broke through 70,000, which is up 31 per cent on the same time last year.