A typical winter-yarding of 501 cattle came forward at the monthly Colac store cattle sale last Friday.
Heavier weighted steers sold to $1420 or 315 cents a kilogram liveweight while grown heifers sold to $1100 or 268c/kg.
But it was the lighter end of the market that saw the biggest jump in rates both on a per head and liveweight basis.
Charles Stewart and Co agent Matt Nelson, Colac, said the majority of the yarding were weaner cattle.
He said there was a big jump in prices for young, light cattle with rates for the well bred portion of these selling $100 to $150 a head dearer than recent district sales.
Mr Nelson said the season in the catchment area was "starting to look alright" with some pastures starting to get away.
Charles Stewart Dove livestock consultant Phil Douglas, Colac, said the area was poised "within a breath" of spring and producers would be attempting to hold onto cattle until later.
He said it would depend on each person's position and some might opt to sell for cash flow, taking advantage of prices, or because of feed.
Mr Douglas said feedlotters were active on the grown steers and heifers.
The top pens of grown cattle included nine Angus/Charolais-cross steers, 18-24 months, 450kg,that made $1420, or 315c/kg. These were sold account J Broome and L Schultz, Yeo.
The same vendor's heifer portion sold in two pens with the lighter weighted pen of five weighing 410kg selling for $1100 or 268c/kg. The heavier sisters comprised a pen of four that weighed 430kg and sold at $1100 or 255c/kg.
Pingiaro and Fenton sold 10 Angus steers, 445kg, that also made $1420, or 319c/kg. The same vendor sold nine steers, 430kg, for $1340, or 311c/kg.
P Arundell, Winchelsea, received 329c/kg, or $1300, for a pen of seven Angus steers, 16-18 months, Banquet blood, weighing 395kg.
A small pen of just three Angus steers, 16-18 months, Barwidgee blood, weighing 488kg sold for 305c/kg, or $1350.
At the lighter end of the grown steers was a pen of five Angus steers sold account Estate of R Wylie, Marshall. These came in at 347kg and sold for $1180 or 340c/kg.
D and A Clifford consigned a draft of Hereford steers with a pen of 17, weighing 307kg, selling for 325c/kg, or $1000, These were 10-12 months and weaned.
A pen of 10 Angus steers sold account Farmgate 3, weighing 297kg, sold for 319c/kg or $950.
The extremes were also evident in the lighter cattle with a line of 20 Angus steers sold account Yeodene Cattle Holdings, 10-11 months, Coolana blood, selling for $895 or 420c/kg.
HF Richardson agent, Matt Scully said the cattle pen had been weaned for two months and weighed 213kg.
AJ Zapelli consigned cattle including 10 Angus steers that made $875 and two pens of heifers that sold for $600 to $690 a head.
Heavy Angus/Friesian-cross steers sold account PE and SM Huggins, Colac, weighed 431kg and sold for $1200 or 278c/kg.
The majority of the open auction steers sold from $600 to $700 while the bulk of the heifers made from $450 to $700.
A McIntyre sold six Angus heifers for $900 while Bowdens Point Grazing also received $900 for a pen of 10 Angus heifers.
A feature of the sale was the a consignment of cows and calves from a herd dispersal of GI and CA Bath, Weering, due to the property being sold. Thirteen Angus cows, mixed age, with April/May calves at foot, sold for $1300.
Wilder Pty Ltd offered a draft of 30 Angus and Angus-cross heifers, PTIC, that sold from $1000 to $1350.
