GROWN steers and heifers made similar money at Friday's store cattle sale at Bairnsdale.
The sale saw 1397 head yarded and prices return a top of 291 cents a kilogram liveweight for Hereford steers.
Two pens of rising-two-year-old Hereford steers bred by Murray Gibbs, Crooked River, topped the market at $1280 a head and averaged $1240.
After recent heavy rain that has turned the limestone country muddy and with temperatures starting to drop, many high country breeders sent in their weaner and yearling cattle.
"We've been advising those around Buchan and in the high country to sell," Aaron McCole, Elders Bairnsdale, said.
"They want to get extra cattle off their land before the cold weather sets in and to give their cows time to improve condition before they begin calving."
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Dean Campbell, Finchley Pastoral, Delegate, sent in a line of Hereford cattle which included grown steers, weaner steers and heifers.
The grown steers made to a top of $1210, av $1135, while 15 black baldy steers sold for $770.
Omeo Pastoral Co sent in a line of 54 10-12-month-old weaner Hereford steers and 15 heifers.
A pen of 15 steers, 370kg, realised $1000, or 270c/kg, while 19 steers, 334kg, made $930 each, or 278c/kg.
Their heifers made $590 each.
Kelvin and Wendy Ingram, Bonang, sent in two pens of Hereford steers.
A pen of 18 weighing 320kg sold to a top of $890, or 278c/kg.
Many of these cattle were successfully bid for by Rohan McRae, Elders Korumburra-Leongatha, who said they were bought for South Gippsland farmers to grow out on grass.
Eddie Hams, Landmark Korumburra, said that although rain was needed, there was still plenty of pasture available in the district.
"South Gippsland is ideal for growing out cattle," Mr Hams said.
A second pen of 16 Hereford steers from Kelvin and Wendy Ingram, 275kg, made $800 or 291c/kg.
Their 26 weaner heifers sold to a top of $615, av $593.
A&F McFarlane, Buchan, sent in 14 black baldy and Angus steers, receiving $1105/head.
PG&BK Pallot sent in a pen of six Hereford steers that sold to a top of $1020, av $980.
A pen of 11 Charolais steers sent in by D Sellings sold for $930.
Bruce Treasure, Stratford, was selling his annual turnoff and penned 97 Hereford steers and 23 heifers.
This included two pens of 20 and 25 weaner steers, 300kg, that sold for $660 each, or 220c/kg, and a second pen of 37 steers, 252kg, that sold for $600, or 238c/kg.
His 14 nine-month-old heifers returned $585 each; the balance, at six months old, sold to a top of $410.
Topping the heifer market were five black baldy grown females sent in by Philip and Patrizia Neven, Tubbut, which sold to $1200, av $1093.
There were few cows and calves in Friday's market but two pens of 15 well-presented Limousin pairs sold for $1460, av $1425.
They were sent in by JT&JA Vardy, who also sold four Limousin bulls to a top of $1320.
