A good quality penning of cattle welcomed buyers at Warrnambool with the general market trend being dearer on the sale a month ago.
Rising prime and store prices across the region in recent weeks brought out a larger than anticipated yarding of nearly 1400 head, 400 above the advertised yarding.
As with most sales, feedlotters were the mainstay for the feeder weight steers and heifers and these attracted good inquiry.
Associated agents association vice-president Anthony Mahony said the bigger yarding was a result of vendors taking advantage of current prices to save on silage and hay.
Mr Mahony said there was a really good run of feeder steers and they sold accordingly.
The heavier end of the steers at 450 kilograms and upwards sold to 352 cents a kilogram, but were consistently above 340c/kg through the first 20-plus pens.
Most heavy heifers made 290-310c/kg, a large improvement on the last store sale at the selling centre.
The un-weighed steers sold to $1050 a head, and light steers, 210-230kg, made around $900.
Mr Mahony said light steers sold at extreme rates on the hint of restockers coming back to the market and were strong on the lighter cattle.
He said there were only three or four pens of cows and calves selling to $1950.
He said there were open auction Friesian steers that sold at much dearer rates than a month earlier as restockers could see the spring not far away.
"It's the end of August and people are looking at spring and putting a bit of weight on their cattle," he said.
Agents reported that the heavier open auction steers made from $895-$1000, mid-range weighted steers at $770-$895, and smaller beef steers between $550-$750.
The better open auction heifers sold from $600-$720, middle weights at $520-$600 and the smaller heifers from $450-$520
Crossbred steers sold up to 282c/kg and Friesian steers between $700-$800.
Jesshan, Warrong, sold two pens of well presented Angus steers that were bought out of the Warrnambool yards 12 months ago.
The lighter draft of 16 weighing 429kg sold for 352c/kg, or $1510, while their heavier mates, weighing 444kg, sold for 351c/kg or $1558.
B & M Smith sold 16 Angus steers, 400kg, for 350c/kg, or $1400.
Peter Walker, Ballaharre Park, Ballaharre, forwarded Angus steers, 18-20 months, with the top pen of 22, 431kg, selling for 350c/kg or $1508.
The seconds weighed 409kg and made $1370 or 335c/kg, while the lighter pen of 20, 386kg, made $1320 or 342c/kg.
Making the same money was a pen sold by Dura, Port Fairy, for 350c/kg for a pen of 13 weighing 340kg or $1190.
The heaviest cattle in the yarding was a small pen of seven Angus steers sold by K Mugavin that weighed in at 526kg and sold for 338c/kg or $1770.
Better prices in the heifer portion included a pen of 15 vendor-bred Angus heifers sold by CR Wallis that weighed 364kg and reached 322c/kg, or $1172.
The Wallis' steers, 433kg, had earlier sold at 342c/kg, or $1480, while a line of lighter weights from the same vendor, 349kg, sold for 346c/kg, or $1207.
Major vendors Jim and Carmel Madden, Elandery Lodge, Tower Hill, sold Angus steers to 345c/kg for a pen of 11 weighing 434kg or $1484.
Their Charolais-cross steers, 411kg, sold for 338c/kg or $1389.
A small pen of six Black Baldy steers, 425kg, sold by Lyola made 348c/kg, or $1485.
The Rocky offered 11 steers, Weeran blood, 328kg, for 336c/kg, or $1102.
The Elandery Charolais heifers weighed to 367kg and made 320c/kg or $1174, while the lighter heifers sold for 290c/kg or $973 on a weight of 330kg.
Tops in the un-weighed open auction section was a pen of 15 Angus steers sold by AR & RA Beard for $1025.
The Beard family also had the best of the cow and calves with a pen of five Angus second-calvers with calves at foot that sold for $1950.