VICTORIA'S last store sale before Christmas saw some festive spirit with prices firm to slightly dearer on the day.
The proximity to Christmas didn't keep the crowd or the sun away from the Ballarat sale which saw a yarding of 2000 head.
Older heavier steers were making about 160 to 170 cents a kilogram, with the weaner steers selling for about 170-180c/kg.
The top price for steers on the day went to Dean Farming Partnership, Waubra, with 11 head of Angus and black baldy's selling at $865.00, or 165c/kg.
They also sold a further 10 Angus steers, 447kg, at $785, or 175c/kg.
Landmark Mount Gambier, SA, was one of the more active buyers on the day, securing a number of pens before the larger weaner sales kick off this week.
Banongill Pastoral were volume vendors, offering 85 Angus and black baldy steers.
The black baldy's were by Weeran-blood bulls out of Banemore cows and sold the best of the run, with the top pen of 15 sold at $790, or 171c/kg.
The Angus calves were Banquet, Weeran, Pert Angus and Lawsons-blood, and the top pen of nine sold at $760, or 165c/kg.
Anthony Hurst, Seriston, Lucindale, SA, made the trip across the border with 101 Charolais Shorthorn-cross steers and 84 heifers of the same sort.
After selling his annual draft at Ballarat in recent years, Mr Hurst said he took the cattle there because it was a good location to access more feed and buyers and he was happy with the prices he had been making.
His top pen of 10 steers, out of ex-Lake Hawdon cows by Rosedale bulls, average 395kg sold at $785, or 199c/kg.
The remainder of the line weighed in at 353-280kg and the total 101 sold to an av of $678.
The Seriston heifers made a top of $675, or 188c/kg, for a pen of 18, av 358kg.
The 84, spread over three pens, weighed from 358-271kg and av $610.
Brendan Cahill, Burrumbeet, made the top in the heifer market with seven Angus, av 512kg, at $700 or 136c/kg.
He also sold a further five at $640, or 142c/kg.
A change of enterprise saw WH Thomas and Partners disperse their Angus breeding stock, which saw them make the top price for cows at $1000.
The 26 two-year-old Cranmore-blood heifers were PTIC to calve in February.
They sold a total of 155 mixed-aged cows, PTIC to Banquet and Coolana bulls, to av $950.
Vendors and buyers alike seemed satisfied with result at the end of the day, with most hoping for a bit of rain over the Christmas period to keep boosting prices into the New Year.
