Best heavy grown steers sold to 318c/kg and heifers to 294c/kg at the Warrnambool July store cattle sale Friday.
Agents yarded around 1200 cattle, slightly above the advertised yarding.
Prominent feeders operating were Thomas Food International, JBS, Hopkins River, Landmark International and Creek Livestock.
Restockers from local areas also put together good lines of suitable cattle.
The top prices for steers was shared by KP Mugavin, Killarney, who sold 10 Angus steers, 445kg, for 318c or $1430 a head.
A pen of 13-14 month old Angus steers, 370kg, also sold for 318c/kg, or $1176, sold account Rosverland Farms, Tarrone.
The same vendor achieved 314c/kg for 18 Angus steers, 13-14 mths.
The heaviest cattle yarded were six Angus steers sold account JD and ML Boyd, weighing 545kg and selling for 270c/kg or $1471/head.
Ten Angus steers sold account Ocean View, Rosebrook, weighed 490kg and sold for 292c/kg or $1430/head.
Other steers in the 385 to 448kg range sold for 298 to 312c/kg.
These included 14 Angus sold account M and M Dillon, Windy Hill, at 312c, and Roseneath North, Grassmere, with 14 Charolais cross steers at 298c.
Topping the heifer section was a draft of 19 Angus sold account Toolong Pty Ltd, that weighed 402kg and sold for 290c/kg, or $1168.
Warrnambool Associated Agents vice president Anthony Mahony from Brian O’Halloran and Co, said compared to the previous sale there were not the numbers of grown cattle or bigger lines of those cattle.
He said the best of the grown steers, up to 445kg, made to 318c/kg, which was on a par to the June store sale.
Steers in the 360-370kg range made similar money.
Mr Mahony said the younger, lighter beef bred steers – Angus and Hereford – in this sale had not been able to hold the price levels achieved at the June said.
The June sale was exceptionally good, but this sale was “very solid” and better than the May sale for those cattle.
Young cattle went quite well, just not as good as the previous sale.
Of the weighed heifers, the market was “surprisingly strong”, he said.
For the best of these, over 400kg, made to around 290c/kg.
Blairgowrie, Tyrendarra, sold 14 Angus heifers, 370kg, at 294c/kg, or $1087/head.
Next best of the weighed heifers was a pen of five sold account L Wilson. These weighed 350kg and sold at 286c/kg or $1001/head.
There were few cows and calves penned with 13 Black Baldy cows with calves at foot sold account Woodlawn, Purnim, for $1580/head.
That was very solid, but there were not many pens of these in the yarding.
The open auction heifers had a similar story to the steers and a bit tougher than the previous monthly sale.
“Whether that’s because we are coming into August or people are hearing reports about El Nino – people are playing a bit of a guessing game at the minute, whether to buy now or wait,” he said.
Mr Mahony said there were opportunities for restockers in the yarding.
In the open auction section steers sold from $790 to a top of $900, while smaller steers sold between $670-$790.
Small steers 200 to 260kg sold from $490-$670 depending on their breeding.
Open auction heifers sold $600-$720, smaller heifers $520-$600.
There were a number of pens of Friesian steers wiuth the heaviest selling from $720-$840.
Smaller Friesian steers made $520-$650, while little Friesian steers and bull calves made from $285-$340.