The Ballarat store cattle sale on Friday was bitterly cold, but fortunately not wet.
Supply was much smaller than the previous market with only just over 1300 cattle yarded.
Although the yarding included a lot of well-bred steers and heifers, the lot sizes were generally smaller.
Competition was strong, including processors purchasing for their own feedlots, plus numerous local and district producers.
There were a small number of buyers present that made the journey to Ballarat too.
Demand was strong, although Ballarat agents said this sale was a little cheaper than the previous market.
The sale opened with a pen of 18 yearling Angus steers of Boroon, Avoca, which sold for $920 to a processor. From there it was a battle of the feedlots with steers selling from $730-900.
PD&JL Wrigley, Creswick, sold seven Angus steers for $900.
Carlsfield Partnership, Mortlake, offered 35 Angus-Hereford and Hereford steers by Pathfinder bulls, which sold for grain feeding in a very tight price range of $800-$820.
Numerous small pen lots of steers sold between $730 & $800.
Arrandale, Miners Rest, sold 14 Hereford-Angus steers from $730-$770, and Hobson Farming, Burrumbeet, 10 Angus steers for $790.
The best competition and strongest demand was for lightweight steers.
While not many pen lots had weights displayed, many estimates of liveweights put prices in a range of 215-255 cents per kilogram liveweight.
Leading the price table for weaned steers was L&K Missen, Rowsley, who sold nine Tairna-blood, Angus steers for $825 or 210c/kg lwt.
Many sales of steers of light to medium weight sold from $550-$775 with a few pens of young steers $380 and over.
A Driscoll, Barkly, sold 15 Angus steers, Lawsons-blood, for $775, and D&D Ryan, Rokewood Junction, 13 Angus steers, High Spa bld, for $740.
Thomas Foods International purchased a few pens of high quality Angus heifers that were in fat condition.
WG Spittle, Rokewood, sold 13 Angus heifers (427kg lwt), for $750, and Williams Brothers, Avoca, 17 Angus heifers (352kg) for $670.
These sales highlighted a shortage of high quality heifers.
* Full report in this week's Stock & Land
