By Damien Roach, Nutrien Livestock Cooma agent

With winter ending and spring just around the corner, market prices have been holding firm to a little bit dearer across the all categories.

With the shortage of fat cattle and heavy lambs, the talk of the livestock area has been the weaner/store markets but also what the export market is going to do for Australian producers over the next few months.

Within the region, it is looking promising for southern NSW and parts of VIC coming into spring. With the early winter rain we saw, it has inclined a lot of re-stockers to go out and buy in some extra store lambs, as well as weaner cattle to put onto feed chasing the high prices we have seen throughout this winter period and what is to be expected as the year closes out.

The heaver lambs have started to taper off in numbers and quality as the new season lambs (NSL) have started to hit the yards and Auctionsplus over the past few weeks as well as mutton numbers and quality have dropped drastically to what we were seeing over a month ago.

NSL have been selling at exceptional prices with these lambs making up to $12.00/kg in spots for lambs mainly ranging from 25-30kg dressed.

Secondary lambs are not far behind them with a strong charge on these lambs making around $200 or more for your 30-40kg live weight.

With these trends it looks like a promising spring-summer for the Monaro region when our suckers start to pop up into the local selling centres.

The cattle market has still been strong throughout this cold period with weaner cattle being in strong demand and the shortage of killable fat cattle, prices across the region have been firm.

Although we have seen smaller yardings in the saleyards, Auctions Plus has had a huge kick in numbers across the feeder and weaner cattle categories.

Top range of well-presented black feeder steers have been seeing from 500-530c/kg for a wide weight range of 350-500kg and coloured feeders following close behind at 470-490c/kg.

Heifers that are ready to be joined have been also following closely with these trends seeing up to 480c/kg with some producers looking to take a punt and get a trade in early.

Weaner steers and heifers have been very strong across southern NSW and VIC with angus steers in forward store condition making from 540-600c/kg and angus heifers making from 480c/kg to a touch over 500c/kg for your better weaner types.

Coloured cattle have not been to far behind either with weaner steers still making over 500c/kg and weaner heifers averaging around 440-460c/kg. Although the shortage of fat cows we have seen some record-breaking prices for them, with heavy fat cows we have seen 390-420c/kg, secondary cows have been around the 330-380c/kg mark and light cows have been more towards that 300c/kg mark but all great prices for these cattle.

We are hopeful for this trend continue but it will be determined on spring rain in the Victoria and Riverina region. The QLD cattle market will also come into play as fat cattle have started to come back out of the north.

With lambing and calving in full swing and stud season starting to begin it is that time of year to start thinking about replacement bulls, rams and breeders. Please contact your Nutrien agent to help you prepare for these times.

The next Cooma cattle sale will be towards the end of September with an exact date to be confirmed.

Reach out if you would like to make a booking for this cattle sale.