A yarding of nearly 1300 cattle came forward for the monthly store cattle sale at Ballarat last Friday.
In concert with steadily rising prime cattle markets, feedlotters and backgrounders took the market higher.
The common thread among agents was that this sale was significantly dearer than the previous month's sale on the lighter weights in particular, albeit a cheaper sale that day.
Charles Stewart & Co agent Grant Daniel said it was a great sale, with prices $150-$200 a head dearer.
A highlight was the demand for steers and heifers between 300-360 kilograms that sold at rates of 350-370 cents a kilogram.
The best of the unweighed steers were estimated to make 360-410c/kg on weights of 210-260kg.
Hillcrest Country Farm forwarded 19 Angus steers weighing 499kg that sold for $1730, or 346c/kg, and five Angus steers sold by B & R Askew weighing 518kg for $1720, or 332c/kg.
David Merygold sold 10 Angus steers weighing 438kg that made $1470 or 335c/kg.
GA Crick and Co, Blowhard, sold 20 Angus weaners, weighing 340kg, for for $1270, or 372c/kg and 10 steers by Mawallok Pastoral, Stockyard Hill, 333kg, sold for $1210, or 363c/kg.
Making similar money was a pen of 10 Angus steers sold by Cloverleigh, Murroom, that weighed 382kg and sold for $1360 or 356c/kg.
A second draft of lighter cattle from the same vendor made $1020 or 343c/kg on a weight of 297kg.
Making 340c/kg or $1268 was a pen of Poll Hereford steers, 373kg, sold by Inveral Farms, while D & R Cordon sold 10 Hereford steers, 432kg, for $1400 or 324c/kg, and K & S Prendergast sold five Hereford steers, 419kg, at $1340, or 319c/kg.
Of the light steers, a pen of 12 sold by Wearie & Wilson, 220kg, sold for $880 or 399c/kg.
A Cais, Korweinguboora, penned 18 Angus steers, 255kg, that made $930 or 366c/kg, while R & G Jensen, Mount Mercer, sold 11 Angus steers, 270kg, for $990 or 366c/kg, and D E Trengove forwarded 11 steers that sold for $1250 or 375c/kg on weights of 333kg.
Steer weaners were well sought after and a draft from Braemanya, 382kg, sold for $1370 or 358c/kg.
LT & VE Richards offered eight Angus/Hereford-cross steers, 309kg, that sold for $1100 or 355c/kg.
In the unweighed section, C and K Francese, Beeac, forwarded 15 Angus steers, 8-9 months, that made $880.
Braemanya's consignment of 16 Angus weaner heifers, 363kg, sold for 303c/kg.
TA & DE Richardson sold two pens of Angus heifers, with the heavier 15 at 308kg selling for $990 or 321c/kg, and the lighter 20 at 274kg making 328c/kg or $900.
The Cloverleigh heifers, 314kg, made $1010, or 321c/kg, while Crick's heifers sold for $1050 for 21 that weighed 336kg, or 321c/kg.
The heifer portion of the Askew cattle sold to $1410 for 12, or 307c/kg.
Heifers weighing 360kg sold by C & C Hutton for $1360 or 377c/kg on weights of 360kg.
A pen of Black Baldy heifers from Springlake Farming, Donald, made $1260 or 360c/kg.
Andretto Pty Ltd sold nine Angus heifers, 358kg, for $1050, or 293c/kg, while Wardor Pty Ltd, sold 19 heifers in two pens weighing 360 and 365kg and selling for $1100 or 305c/kg and $1130 or 309c/kg, respectively.
G McManus sold a line of 14 heifers, 250kg, that made $730, while Cais sold 261kg heifers for $820.
Eight cows with calves at foot sold by A & HA Richards made $1720.
GR Anderson sold eight cows and calves at $1070.
