A large yarding at Bairnsdale's fortnightly store sale received plenty of interest from buyers keen to take advantage of about 3000 head of cattle on offer.
Heavy top-priced steers sold between 320 and 350 cents per kilogram at the East Gippsland Livestock Exchange, while there was less interest in lighter steers and heifers, agents said.
Landmark East Gippsland livestock manager Brad Obst said the large yarding attracted a reasonable crowd despite today's store sale at Yea, and a yarding of more than 2500 at Leongatha on Thursday.
"We were very happy with the top end of the cattle and the early runs of the cattle sold exceptionally well and that momentum continued through the sale and into the smaller cattle and heifers as well," Mr Obst said.
"The heifers made what they were worth and we had heavy 400-kilo steers making up to $3.80 but generally they were in that 330 to 360 [area] day."
Auctioneer Jake Fullgrabe, from Bill Wyndham and Co Livestock, Bairnsdale said steers sold "exceptionally well" reaching prices consistent with previous sales.
"The bigger and heavier end of steers is the same as what we've seen from the last eight or 10 sales here in east Gippsland but you get off the heavy weight and into the lighter end, there has been some opportunities to buy some lighter cattle," Mr Fullgrabe said.
"But overall with the cattle that's been sold in the area day, with Yea having 3000 calves today and 2500 in Leongatha, we were very happy with the steer portion.
"The top end of heifers sold exceptionally well, a local purchaser bought a line of heifers back in our August sale and came back and bought more so we've got heifers going back to be future breeders as well as the feedlotters are buying heifers to feed."
However, heifers which weighed under 300 kg lacked buyer interest.
Elders Bairnsdale livestock manager Morgan Davies said lighter steers also took a beating.
"It's a trend that's happening right across Australia where we're seeing a lot of lighter steers, probably 250 to 300 kilos selling a big tougher but that's because we don't have grass grown and standing there in the paddocks and confidence isn't as high," Mr Morgan said.
Despite some struggles, Dave Caldwell, Coonmoor Pastoral Company, Lindenow South was among the top sellers, offloading a pen of 24 steers, 405 kilograms, for $1520, or 375 cents per kilogram.
Meanwhile, David and Julie Ingram, Bonang brought 80 steers and heifers to market and sold the top-priced Angus steer for $1850, another eight steers for $1100 and a further six steers for $1675.
AJ, JP and R Simpson, Lakeview, sold 24 Angus steers, 299kg, for $965 or 322c/kg.
Hutton Partnership sold 10 Hereford steers, 369kg, for $1070 or 289c/kg.
AJG and AL Bartkowski, Ensay, sold 23 steers, for $890 or 329c/kg.
Corriemore Pastoral Company sold 16 steers, 321kg, for $1020 or 317c/kg.
J C Campbell and son sold 26 steers, 262kg, for $740 or 282c/kg.
B C and M J Rowe sold 13 steers, 382kg, for $1100 or 287c/kg.
J M Rees sold 10 steers for $740.
In the heifers, WJ and A Anderson sold 16 heifers, 323kg, for $860 or 267c/kg.
J Froelich and A L Pota sold 16 heifers, 360kg, for $1000 or 277c/kg.
R P and K Lind sold nine heifers, 348kgs, for $860 or 247c/kg.
K and L Meckken sold 21 heifers for $650 and L H and J L Reid sold 13 heifers for $460.