A line of steer weaners from Streatham topped the market at Ballarat today, making more than 400 cents a kilogram.
The three pens of Cherry Mount steers, owned by Mick and Dawn Ernest, all fetched more than $4 a kilo, including a lot of 36 steers, 282kg, which sold for $1280 or 453c/kg.
The two other Cherry Mount pens also fetched top dollar, including 63 steers, 368kg, which made $1480 or 402c/kg and 43 steers, 324kg, which sold for $1420 or 438c/kg.
It comes as the Central Victoria Livestock Exchange recorded one of its largest yardings in recent times; a total of more than 4500 head including 2665 steers, 1598 heifers and 252 cows and calves.
Elders Ballarat livestock manager Graeme Nicholson the Cherry Mount cattle were headed to South Gippsland, however, feedlotters, and central Victorian restockers were prominent at the market.
"It was exceptional and the sale was very strong right from the start to the finish and that's an absolute credit to the vendors because they are as good a run of cattle that you'd see in the country," he said.
"The Cherry Mount cattle are a noted herd of cattle that are sold here every year ... they are very, very good cattle to handle , they're quiet and the people who buy them always do very well out of them.
"The heifers made up to 370 cents a kilo and they're going to be brought and retained as breeders so they'll be grown out and reoffered as cows and calves."
Grown steers made between 315-330c/kg on average, while weaner steers made between 320-340c/kg.
Heifers were in demand, up on previous sales, boosting the average heifer price to 290-310c/kg.
Charles Stewart & Co Ballarat auctioneer Jamie McConachy described the sale as "red hot".
"We had plenty of weight here today and that's what they're after," he said.
"Cows and calves sold well but probably not to the extreme we may have expected, but in saying that we topped at $2500.
"However, we've got to realise their split value is somewhere around that so it's not as if buyers were paying exorbitant rates for inferior-type cattle."
T B White & Sons auctioneer Tom Madden said heifers sold "as good as the steers" during the sale.
"They certainly picked up on our last sale but probably also on the back of the season we're having here," he said.
"We've had a pretty wet winter and a lot of our stock have just needed a little bit more time to flourish to pick up."
The first pen of eight steers owned by D Gellie, 605kg, sold for $1840 or 304 cents a kilogram.
G Foster sold a pen of 11 steers, 607kg, for $1900 or 313c/kg.
Eurambeen East sold 21 steers, 550kg, for $1800 or 327c/kg.
Challowood sold a pen of nine steers, 529kg, for $1470 or 277c/kg.
K Shamley sold 14 Angus steers, 400kg, for $1290 or 322c/kg.
A & B Wrigley sold six steers, 457kg for $1400 or 317c/kg.
Killara Pastoral sold 12 steers, 423kg, for $1360 or 321c/kg.
B Taylor Plumbing sold 18 steers, 309kg, for $1090 or 352c/kg.
T Noonan sold 10 steers, 326kg, for $1050 or 322c/kg.
The first pen of 16 heifers, owned by Mystic Views, 441kg, sold for $1360 or 285c/kg.
Everist Farms sold 10 heifers, 423kg, for $1320 or 312c/kg.
Windsor Family Trust sold 19 heifers, 366kg, for $1120 or 306c/kg.
Malabar sold 11 heifers, 453kg, for $1320 or 291c/kg.
Coryule Pastoral Company sold 19 heifers, 480kg, for $1360 or 283c/kg.
Cherry Mount sold 45 heifers, 347kg, for $1310 or 377c/kg.