Prices dropped particularly for lighter cattle at the Warrnambool September store sale as producers held off buying because of anxiety about possible dry conditions ahead.
Open auction steers sold for $670-$840 a head, smaller steers made $510-$670 and little steers sold for $310-$500.
Open auction heifers sold for $350-$570, F1 heifers for $450-$800, Friesian steers for $400-$670, smaller Friesian steers for $180-$400, and little Friesian steers for $90-$120.
The yarding of 1250 head last Thursday comprised a large proportion of Friesian cattle.
Warrnambool Stock Agents Association vice president Anthony Mahony said there were no big lines of beef cattle offered because producers were hanging onto them to grow them out.
Mr Mahony said the typical feeder, 350-kilogram-plus, cattle made up to 275 cents a kilogram, but it was a battle to sell some of the lighter cattle, particularly small Friesian bull calves.
Some Friesian bull calves sold for as little at $50 a head.
Charles Stewart stock agent Clarrie Smith, Cobden, said lighter cattle were selling cheaper because producers were concerned there might not be much feed about and had eased off buying.
While the South-West had recent reasonable rainfall, pasture growth had been slow, he said.
George Wylens, Cobden, bought 10 Shorthorn/Hereford-cross steers, averaging 250kg, for $510, and 210kg Shorthorn/Hereford steers for $310 each.
Tim Lenehan, Nullawarre, sold 80 Speckle Park/Friesian-cross, 550kg 15-16 month-old animals for $800, 11-12 month-old for $500, and 5-6 month-old for $400-$410.
Mr Lenehan said the prices were less than he expected but the dry conditions had forced him to offload stock so he could turn some paddocks over to hay and silage production.
He said he would have liked to have held on to the cattle for an F1 sale in January but was keen to use the paddocks for hay and silage production and isolate his farm from the high cost of buying in fodder.
Bruce Holloway, Mepunga, sold 20 12 month-old Friesian steers for $442 each.
Two years ago he fetched $820 a head for the same sort of cattle.
Mr Holloway said he was destocking because he did not want to buy hay.
