THE RELUCTANCE of Gippsland beef producers to buy at auction means one of the area's leading studs will be looking further afield for prospective buyers, says its principal.
Yancowinna, Cape Patterson, stud principal Dennis Ginn said South Gippsland was a tough -- and diminishing -- market for bulls.
"There's not really anybody else that sells bulls, in those numbers, at auction," Mr Ginn said.
"We sold close to 90 bulls last calendar year, in the two sales, and we passed in a number after our spring sale -- six weeks later, we had them all sold."
Gippslanders tended to be selective in what they bought, which was reflected at the 15th on-property sale.
"They sit on their hands -- I am a South Gippslander as well, so I know what I am like, when I go elsewhere.
"It's pretty hard to get the hand up and bidding."
Beef operations in the area were not expanding, as it was a stronghold for dairy and lifestyle operations.
"We'll just try and grow our business out of the area -- everywhere else, than South Gippsland."
The top-priced bull, Yancowinna J97, lot three, weighed 746 kilograms and had breedplan figures of +3.0 for EMA and +119 for 600 day weight.
The bull was sired by Wattletop Andy C109, out of Yancowinna D191.
Buyer Bill Belfrage, of Corinella, said he would be using it in his 200 strong Angus herd.
"If the animal has a good rump and good depth, I want to put it into my herd."
Auctioneer Michael Glasser, of Glasser Total Sales Management, used all his skills to encourage buyers,
"I keep rabbiting on about getting paid on weight and this calf is going to give it to you," Mr Glasser told the crowd.
At one stage, he referred to one bull as "only a pup," as well as reminding buyers they had "paid the petrol money" and might as well go home with a purchase.
The bulls on offer compared well to anything he had sold, anywhere else in the state.
"It's a re-education program here -- the educational process here is to get people to bid on sale day.
"They certainly won't be any cheaper out the back, so they need to get the mindset the ring is the place to buy them."
The overall autumn selling season was the best since 2011 and he predicted all bulls would eventually be cleared.
Both Mr Ginn and Mr Glasser said graziers were getting very good money for trade bulls at the moment.
"They are willing to put that back into a young sire," Mr Glasser said.
Mr Ginn said he expected more buyers to look at purchasing at auction in the future.
"I think there will be an increase, but golly gosh, you pay $3000 for a bull and get $2500 salvage value when you are finished with it, it represents pretty good buying."
The sale also saw a full dispersal of the autumn calving cows, along with 30 unjoined heifers.
A reserve price of $1100 was put on the heifers and cow and calf units
Mr Glasser said the Ginns were happy to have unsold animals go back into the herd.
"That is why I reserved them above level and, when you take into context their weight and what they may make at the saleyards, they are not far off the mark."
Mr Ginn said Yancowinna was moving out of autumn joining to concentrate on the spring.
"We are building up to 400 breeders in the spring, with the higher rainfall on the coast, we don't have the issues you have with autumn calving -- like scours -- and you have on A1 program, one mating, one weighing, it just makes it so much easier, without having to do two of everything."