With barely a sniff of rain in the air additional buying support flocked to 3100-head Wodonga store cattle yarding on Thursday kicking steer prices, in most cases, by $50 to $100 a head.
The influx of additional buying support was lead by a busload of South Australian agent interests along with agent buyers from Ballarat, Geelong, Leongatha, Yea, Euroa and King Island, Tasmania.
And while quality was overall not to the standard of recent Wodonga clearances local buying also made their presence felt lifting main feeder steer rates by 25-30c/kg and heavier and lighter steer prices by 8-12c/kg.
Heavy steers on the day made $1210 to $1375 a head and averaged 274c/kg. Feeder steers, 360-450kg, made $1025-$1300 to average 299-cents while lighter, 280-360kg, steers made $880-$1150 per head nd averaged 318c/kg.
While the demand for steers was strong, heifer prices also popped strongly by 20-30c/kg for a net increase of about $60-$100 a head.
Opportunity feeders underpinned the stronger inquiry however restockers seeking the option to join females also placed numerous strong bids.
Heavy heifers, 360-414kg, made $950-$1235 a head to average 292c/kg while lighter, 280-360kg, heifers made $8100-$1040 and average 282c/kg.
The interest breeding female also took a much stronger turn for the better with better quality tasting a $300 a head lift while prices for secondary and plain types improved by $100 to $150 a head.
The market top for cows with calves at foot soared to $2500 for a line of rejoined first-calf Angus while a pen of their 3-7 year-old sisters made $2380.
Other pen lots of cows and calves generally made $1600 to $2000 while those that were adversely affected by a harsh season made $1300 to $1500.