Northern NSW producers drive record cattle yardings

17 Apr 2026

Key points

Dry conditions across northern NSW are driving large-scale cattle sell-off, with many producers choosing to offload stock.
Tamworth and Dubbo saleyards both achieved record yardings this week.
Northern NSW saleyards contributed to significant state throughput.

Drying conditions across parts of northern NSW are driving heavy cattle turn‑off, pushing yardings at key saleyards to record levels and contributing to elevated state‑wide throughput early in 2026.

Record yardings in northern NSW due to dry conditions

The cattle sell-off across northern NSW has continued following the Easter break, with Dubbo and Tamworth achieving a weekly yarding record of 11,200 and 7,553 head respectively. This was supported by strong yardings at both Scone and Gunnedah.

Drying conditions across the region have prompted many producers to offload stock. Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) data indicates rainfall deficits are isolated (see figure below).

rainfall

Source: BOM

Below is a summary of recent cattle yardings across key northern NSW saleyards.

Tamworth

The top six yardings recorded in Tamworth have all occurred across the last six sales, with this week’s yarding breaking the record at 7,553 head.

Scone

The yarding in Scone was 3,466 head – the second largest yarding on record and just 181 head shy of the record on 11 April 2006.

Gunnedah

The top six yardings recorded in Gunnedah are all from March 2026 onwards, with this week’s sale reaching 7,200 head (just 50 head below the record set on 17 March). One important factor to consider in Gunnedah’s case is the 2025 completion of major upgrades to the facility, which may have driven higher yardings.

Armidale

Three of the top six record yardings have occurred since March 2026. The record yarding occurred on 13 February 2003 at 4,912 head, followed by 4,219 head on 26 March 2026.

Inverell

The top five yardings on record at Inverell are all from March 2026 onwards, with a record yarding of 4,653 head on 17 March 2026.

Central NSW yardings also lift

While not as pronounced as the lower-than-average rainfall in northern NSW, parts of central NSW have also experienced fewer rain events.

Dubbo has had some significant yardings since the start of 2026 – with a record yarding of 11,200 head set on 16 April. Outside of this, the following four yardings all occurred in November and December in 2025.

Assessing the combined throughput

Combined year‑to‑date throughput across Tamworth, Gunnedah, Inverell, Armidale, Scone and Dubbo has reached 241,007 head. This is the highest volume recorded for the same period since 2005, exceeding the next highest totals recorded in 2018 (205,208 head) and 2015 (197,487 head).

cattle sold

* Saleyards included are Tamworth, Gunnedah, Inverell, Armidale, Scone and Dubbo.

Source: NLRS

Attribute content to: Alex Fry, MLA Market Information Analyst.

Information is correct at time of writing on 16 April 2026.

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