By MATT NICHOLLS
SHEEP and cattle packed the Armidale Saleyards last week, but no one was smiling.
The full yards signalled the full toll of the drought that plagued the Northern Tablelands in 2013.
Most graziers spent the year hoping for a change of fortune.
A dry winter meant there was little spring growth, while heavy rains in November did nothing but build false hope.
While the region copped a soaking, a hot and dry December evaporated the chance for many to salvage the year.
At the first stock sales of the year, farmers packed the Armidale yards with as much stock as they could transport.
Elders livestock manager Wayne Jenkyn said a lack of available trucks was the only reason why there wasn’t more cattle and sheep in the yards.
“People just can’t hold on any longer,” he said.
“Most farmers have been waiting for it to rain, but it just hasn’t come.”
As expected, prices were well down as meat buyers took the opportunity to cash in.
Prime grain-fed steers sold at a high of 172 cents per kilo, more than 30 cents less than the same stock would have sold for at a better time.
“There’ll be more selling this week and the week after, unless we get some rain,” Mr Jenkyn said.
Jai Moar, the president of the Armidale Livestock Selling Association, said there were only a handful of restockers at Thursday’s cattle sale.
“There’s almost no one around here with any feed to take them, so they are virtually all being sold to meat buyers,” he said.
Lifelong farmer Alf Looker said he had no choice but to sell.
“I’ve been at my place at Black Mountain for 65 years and it’s one of the driest years we’ve had,” he said.
“Whenever we’ve had decent rain there’s been a long gap between the next fall, which has just made it impossible.”
Mr Looker said once he had de-stocked his property he would wait until after winter to buy again.
“But that’s only if there’s feed. If we have another dry year I reckon we’ll be in big strife,” he said.
