Wet weather has forced the postponement of the famed Alice Springs Show Sale from July 6 to August 3 when a big run of feeder weight milk and two tooth Hereford steers from Undoolya Station will be the feature.
The 550 Days, Cascade, Bowen and Oldfields blood steers are European Union accredited and organically certified, and will be offered by Ben and Nicole Hayes, Undoolya Station, Alice Springs.
A draft of 90 Hereford steers, milk and two tooth, and USDA accredited, will be offered by Lachie and Paddy Weir, Todd River Pastoral Company.
Selling agents Grant Daniel Long, Elders, Red Centre Rural, Eagleson and Co, and Pro-Stock Central were due to yard 4600 steers at the Bohning yards, Alice Springs, on July 6 but postponed the fixture to August 3.
Red Centre Rural Livestock and Property agent Steve Gaff said inclement weather and the potential of animal welfare issues to eventuate through the course of mustering, yarding and trucking cattle in unseasonal cold and wet conditions meant the agents had postponed the sale.
Mr Gaff said a decision was made to offer steers only due to lack of space in the yards but the August 3 sale may include heifers.
“We had had strong pre-sale inquiry including a few new sources – people understand the quality of the central Australian cattle and there will be a big run of cattle they can sink their teeth into,” he said.
“Cattle will be mostly milk and two tooth and weigh from 220-230kg up to 450kg.”
Buyers attend from every state except Western Australia with last year cattle going back into the channel country, to Queensland feedlots, and South Australian and western NSW backgrounders and lotfeeders.
Despite the wet weather the cattle classes at the Alice Springs Show will continue on July 7-8 with seven bull entries from Lachy and Lou Day, Days Whiteface, Bordertown, SA, and Tom Honner, Minlacowie Herefords, Brentwood, SA making the trip for judging under Herefords Australia deputy chairman Marc Greening.
Undoolya Station has around 30 Herefords entered for the pen of steers and breed classes, with nine cattle donated to the NT Department of Education for showing by youth.
Mrs Hayes said the youth classes had drawn strong entries with almost 30 students.
She said the region had received 40-60mm over the week combined with unseasonally cold conditions.
“Everyone was concerned about having sale cattle in wet yards as they have to travel at least 1600km south after the sale.
“The cattle were looking good as we have plenty of bulk feed and this rain will help freshen that up. There were quite a few buyers due to come over and it looked like it was going to be quite a good sale.”
The Undoolya steers are aged 18 to 24 months and are an estimated 400kg plus.
The Hayes family run up to 2500 Hereford cows and branded over 2000 calves this year.
The Fogarty family, Lucy Creek Station, has entered 1200 Hereford cross steers, milk and two tooth, while Brad Seymour, Haasts Bluff will offer 150 black baldy steers, milk and two tooth.
In 2022 the sale started off strongly with 54 milk tooth EU, USDA and organic Hereford steers weighing 441kg, 16-18 months, topping at 570c/kg or $2514 for Undoolya, followed by the seconds, weighing 384kg steers making 585c/kg.
Winning the best pen of steers, Ben and Nicole Hayes, topped at 585c/kg and averaged 571kg for their run of 239 steers.
The sale will be interfaced with AuctionsPlus.
This run of Undoolya steers weighing 441kg, 16-18 months, topped the 2022 sale at 570c/kg or $2514. The Alice Springs Sale has been postponed to August 3.
