Mike O'Halloran from Mansfield will be selling weaners early due to dry conditions

Thousands of weaners are already hitting cattle sales as producers face a dry summer. Mike O'Halloran from Mansfield is one of many who will be selling early.

Weekend rain will not be enough to stop thousands of weaner cattle flooding markets before Christmas as the failed spring takes its toll on southern beef operations.

Momentum is building as the state’s feed supplies start to tighten, and producers look for options to offload stock.

Wodonga’s store cattle market next week is expected to yard at least 3000 weaners while other centres like Ballarat have already seen an influx of young cattle being sold early.

But Elders national livestock manager Peter Homan said the annual calf sales in areas like the Western District would yard similar numbers early next year as vendors honoured commitments to hold cattle for these fixtures.

“We are not talking about tens of thousands of weaners going from every area, especially in the Western District; it’s more like a few thousand,” Mr Homan said.

For those vendors who do opt to sell early, Mr Homan was optimistic prices would not fall.

“I think prices will be OK, and OK is the right word,” he said.

“Everyone is pretty confident about the future of the cattle market next year, provided we get a season.

“The weather will dictate how sales will go and that’s always the case, but we have already seen a lift for little steers which is encouraging, even if heifer prices are dragging their heels at the moment.”

Corcoran Parker Mansfield livestock manger Daniel Craddock said there had been more rain in the past week around Mansfield than there had been in three or four months in the district.

It was not enough to deter vendors who had booked to sell weaners early, hoping to cash in on demand from NSW.

“Our agency has 1100 weaners booked in already and we expect this to grow, as people make the choice to lighten numbers and take the pressure off cows,” Mr Craddock said.

Mike O'Halloran from Mansfield will sell weaners earlier than normal to lighten the grazing pressure on his property after a tough winter and spring. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Mansfield producer Mike O’Halloran from Grifforan Pastoral normally sells weaners at Wangaratta in early January but has opted to sell his Angus calves next week at Wodonga.

And despite two falls totalling more than 40mm this month, a dry winter and spring meant lightening off numbers was the best plan, he said.

“It may not seem like a long time but that six weeks between now and the January sale would still mean that we have to feed those weaners, so steers and some heifers will go,” Mr O’Halloran said.

“It will allow us to be able to look after our cows and ease grazing pressure.”