The chance to purchase female cattle from dispersals attracted a good crowd and buying support at the WVLX centre at Mortlake Thursday.
In a sign of the way the season has turned, agents yarded more than 2100 cattle after numbers jumped from around 1500 nominated a week earlier.
Associated Agents president Glen Judd said a few people realised how dry it was and offloaded a few cattle they had thought they would get through with.
The steer section, considering the quality wasn’t the same as recent sales, made between 280 and up to 300 cents a kilogram.
Weighed weaner steers sold to $1176 a head or 300c/kg and weighed weaner heifers to $950, or 260c/kg.
Grown steers made to 286c/kg with one steer topping the market on a per head basis at $1452 and grown heifers to 274c or $1174 a head.
Mr Judd said the previous heavy hitters such as Landmark International were quieter and while the yarding lacked large lines for feedlotters there were still some loads that went that way.
Included among them were JBS, Teys Charlton and Ravensworth Ag made purchases in weight ranges mainly from 290 to 445kg.
The heifer job topped at 274c/kg for a pen consigned by Nadoo Pastoral Co. These were also the best presented pen of heifers for the sale.
The majority of the heifers sold from 220 to 270c/kg with breeders looking for cattle to take home and join dominated that section.
Mr Judd said the numbers going back to the paddock was good to see.
The feature of the offering of more than 500 cattle offered by John Sambell in the Ballangeich dispersal sale.
Buyers came from Gippsland and the wider western district for the chance to secure quality breeders from the sale.
The registered Ballangeich females of various ages sold to a top of $1725 for a pen of rising three year olds. The majority of these females sold from $1300 to $1525.
Buyers of the registered females included Katelea Pastoral with buying 22 to a top of $1725, and BJ & DI Jeffries who paid to $1300 for nine.
Of the commercial females from Ballangeich the top price was $1940 for a pen of 2016 drop, PTIC heifers.
The commercial joined cows and heifers sold mostly from $1600 to $1940.
In the steer section the ale was led of by a draft grown steers from Draffen Properties. The tops pen of five Angus and Angus cross weighed 559kg and sold for 243c/kg or $1358 a head. The second line comprised 14, weighing 412kg selling for 270c/kg or $1138 a head. A line of 36 weighing 368kg sold at 280s/kg, or $1012.
The same vendor also sold a pen of 31 steers, 313kg, for 265c/kg or $829 a head.
Rockleigh consigned steers which topped the market at 300c/kg for 15 weighing 361kg making $1083 a head.
A second pen of Rockleigh steers weighing 405kg sold for 292c/kg or $1176 a head. At the lighter end Rockliegh sold eight steers, 337kg, for 291c/kg or $980.
The top weights of the Mann and Son Angus steers sold for 282c/kg or $1187 a head while Cunava consigned a draft of steers with 10 weighing 403kg selling at 282c/kg or $1151. Cunava sold a pen of seven steers, 344kg that made 280c/kg, or $963.
Vickery Farms also sold Angus steers with a pen of 17 weighing 388kg making 291c/kg or $1129.
At the lighter end was a pen of South Boorook Hereford steers just 7-8 months old, 307kg, that sold for 277c/kg.
A line of cows and calves from account Gilmour sold to $1875.
Nampara Pastoral Co forwarded a line of Angus heifers, rising two years, PTIC, EU accredited that sold for $1930.
Of the cows with calves at foot the top was a pen of six Angus cows with calves 8-10 weeks at foot, sold account Mindarra Park that made $1750. A pen of 19 from the same vendor sold for $1700.
Nadoo also forwarded Angus and Hereford heifers with a pen of 47 Angus weighing 368kg selling for 274c/kg. The Hereford heifers from Nadoo weighed 435kg, with the pen of 22 selling for 240c/kg.
