GOOD cattle sold to 236 cents a kilogram and prices surged for poor quality stock at the last store cattle sale for the year at Bairnsdale, held today.
There was more than a hint of grass fever in the air and from the point in the sale where the crowd normally falls away after the better stock is sold, there were still scores of people and it was hard to get to the rail to see what was on offer.
One livestock agent commented there would be very little difference between price paid and that derived from dressed out weights on the poorer quality stock.
Even calves were selling upwards of $400 a head.
Prices did peg back a bit on grown steers, many just shaving the 200c/kg mark, but they were well-bred stock with carcase size and defined muscles that will grow out well on good feed.
D&H Wigg of Maffra put up six pens of Charolais steers, 14-16-months-old, that sold to a top of $1065, average weight 555kg, 192c/kg.
But his lighter stock further along in the sale returned a price to 226c/kg, of $935 for a pen of nine steers, 413kg.
DJ&KM Kuch sold four pens of 15-18-months-old Angus steers, top price $1015 for average 546kg, 186c/kg.
But again it was the lighter pen that made the difference. His last 14 head sold for $870 each, average weight 368kg, 236c/kg.
Terry Mason sold a pen of eight black baldy weaner steers, 10-12-months-old, average 389kg, $840 each or 216c/kg liveweight.
Heifers were strong and lanes of cows and calves were eagerly sought after with a dispersal sale topping the bill.
Peter Steenholdt continued his dispersal of the past month, selling Angus cows, less than six-years-old, with Angus calves at foot (CAF) and depastured to a Belgian blue bull, to $1310.
JT&JA Vardy sold 11 Angus cows with Charolais CAF, $1130. Ben Jenkins of Orbost sold three black baldy cows with Limousin CAF, $1115.
There were a number of pens of cows and calves that returned $1000-plus a unit.
Age of cows did not seem a determining factor for price paid. Mick Whelan of Waiwera put up a pen of nine mature cows with three-month-old Charolais CAF, $1080.
