Lucerne crops are bounding ahead and graziers should be aware of bloat problems with cattle. It is many years since we last had a spring start such as 2008.

At Dubbo last Thursday 2576 prime cattle were penned in a mixed quality yarding from well-finished younger cattle to good heavy steers and mixed cows. Medium weight restocker and trade vealers remained firm whilst yearling steers slipped 2 to 3 cents.

Trade yearling heifers lost 1 to 6 cents, lot feeder type heavy steers slipped 4 cents whilst bullocks eased3 to 6 cents. Heavy heifers lost 6 cents, cows fell 6 to 10 cents.

Calves 171 to 260

Steer Vealers 178 to 214, Heifer Vealers 168 to 200, Steer Yearlings 150 to 214, Heifer Yearlings 122 to 203, Heavy Steers 145 to 200, Bullocks 160 to 211, Heavy Heifers 130 to 192, Light Cows 76 to 157, Medium Cows 110 to 165, Heavy Cows 153 to 175, Bulls 114 to 213.

At Carcoar CTX store cattle sale last Friday, 2100 cattle were yarded including a dispersal from Millamolong of 240 steer weaners, 240 heifer weaners and 370 cows and calves.

The tops of the dispersal were $620 for Hereford steers, $614 for heifers and $1310 for a pen of Angus on their first calf. Second calvers made $1200 with all the cows and calves averaging $1000.

Weaner steers traded from $420 to $550, weaner heifers realised $340 to $450. Yearling steers ranged from $550 to $650, yearling heifers sold from $450 to $620. Cows and calves $800 to $1310, PTIC cows $500 to $740. The market was $60 to $80 dearer.

The market on Monday was cheaper with 22,500 lambs penned with the majority being trade weights and only small numbers of export lamb.

Restockers had plenty of Merino and cross bred lambs from which to pick. New season lambs fell $2 to $6, restocker lambs slipped $2, older trades fell $4 to $7.

Heavy lambs remained firm.

Schute Bell report that last week’s sale saw a fall of 4.1 per cent, with the Northern Market Indicator losing 33 cents, and the Eastern Market Indicator losing 37 cents.

The first day of sales was particularly severe and the losses were not reversed as the week progressed, 19 micron and broader categories were hardest hit with falls of up to 52 cents per kg clean.

55,832 bales were offered with a passed in rate of 22.6 per cent. The Northern Market Indicator closed at 906 cents per kg clean.