Cattle from local areas as well as the Riverina and Central West of NSW were yarded at the monthly Ballarat store cattle sale on Friday.
Buyers attended from Tasmania, South Australia, Gippsland, Bendigo, Kyneton, Kilmore and many Western District areas.
Feedlotters Creek Livestock, Teys Charlton, Hopkins River and exporter Landmark International all operated on suitable cattle.
There was a total of 2134 head yarded with 1160 steers selling to $1560 and averaging $962.
The 646 heifers yarded sold to a top of $1120 and averaged $701, while 176 cows and calves sold to $1900 and averaged $1307.
Elders livestock manager, Graeme Nicholson, Ballarat, said the steer portion of the yarding was slightly cheaper than the sale a month ago.
He said the influx of cattle from the far north drought affected areas has affected the steer market.
“The large numbers have made it hard for our local cattle to maintain the consistent levels of the past few months,” he said.
“Heavy steers were mostly 420 to 550kilogams and sold between 275 and 290 cents a kilogram.
“A month ago those steers were making 300c/kg,” he said.
However competition on the heifer portion was strong and these sold well.
Mr Nicholson said well bred Angus steers sold “very well and in fact sold better than the steers”.
Top priced heavy steers on a per head basis was a pen of seven Angus, 570kg, that sold for $1560, or 273c/kg.
Next best was the opeing pen of 16 Angus steers, 552kg, sold account A&C Driver, that made $1550, equating to 280c/kg.
Once off the heaviest steers values did top 300c/kg with Springdallah Cattle Co, Cape Clear, making 308c/kg for 13 steers on weights of 428kg, and 304c/kg for a pen of 11 weighing 456kg.
Volume buyers included Elders livestock operations manager, Ron Rutledge, who bought 244 steers for a Tasmanian client.
The consignment was put together with 160 heavier steers at an average weight of 429kg at 284c/kg average and 84 lighter steers average 333kg at 265c/kg av.
Michael Kirby, Mingbool Pastoral Co, Mount Gambier, SA, through agent Owen Pettingill Livestock, Mt Gambier, put together 112 heifers to grow out.
Of the weighed heifers the top price on a per head basis was $1090, or 238c/kg, for six Angus, 16-18 months old, sold account Grange Hill.
Oakbank sold nine Angus heifers, 10-11mths, for 272c/kg, or $910/head.
Cain Brothers, Laanacoorie, sold 14 Angus heifers, 11-12mths, for $950, or 269c/kg.
GW & AC Hare, Westlee, Moulamein, NSW, forwarded 80 Angus heifers with the tops selling to $785 for an average of $660.
Charles Stewart livestock consultant, Ross Spitty, Geelong, said the Westlee cattle were not drought affected but were being sold to reduce numbers.
The heifers were 100kg lighter than previous years and were sold a month earlier than normal, he said.
A large proportion of the heifer yarding sold between $550 to $760 a head.
A feature of the cows and calves offered was a draft of 37 Charolais heifers with first calves Angus calves at foot and redepastured to Angus bulls.
These were offered account Derowrie Partners, Forbes, NSW. The vendors decided to ship the cattle to Ballarat – “where the buyers are”. The draft sold from $1350 to $1900 bought by Landmark, Benalla.
