Cattle prices eased at Leongatha last week as hot conditions greeted buyers in front of a large yarding.
About 3000 cattle were presented for sale as South Gippsland experienced its warmest day for spring.
Agents said prices on well-bred cattle shed up to 30 cents a kilogram compared to the earlier November sale.
Despite the drop in prices, some cattle maintained demand including a pen of 16 steers from NSW, 244 kilograms, which sold for $930 or 381c/kg, owned by B Moffeett, Bega.
Landmark Leongatha auctioneer Brian McCormack said the market was about 20c/kg cheaper on a fortnight ago.
"We didn't have the weight we had on our cattle a fortnight ago on our better lines of cattle but cattle still made their money," Mr McCormack said.
"I thought the better cattle were a little easier and the plainer cattle held their value because we didn't have a lot of little cattle here either."
About three truckloads of cattle from the Bombala/Bega area were sold at the sale.
Elders Korumburra and Leongatha branch manager Rohan McRae said the sale "came back a few notches and eased accordingly" after an "overheated" sale a fortnight ago.
"We had a nice run of steers with a bit of weight but there wasn't a lot of weight here in the yarding so I thought those steers sold reasonably well," he said.
"Even lighter cattle sold reasonably well compared to a month ago and they're selling easier than they have for quite some time."
SEJ Livestock auctioneer James Kyle said despite the warmer weather, the sale was reasonably solid.
"We're not used to copping 34 or 35 degrees so some people may have stayed home but the general feel was that today's market was a bit easier," Mr Kyle said.
"Our vendor-bred calves of Fergus and Chris Cameron from Phillip Island sold well and the tops of theirs were about 350kg and made $1200 [a head] ... and that was a good result because they were only nine or 10 months of age."
Alex Scott & Staff Wonthaggi livestock manager Rob Ould said heifers were difficult to offload.
"The heifers were a bit sticky to start with but it just goes to show people will buy the proper cattle for the right money," Mr Ould said.
"It's a bit warmer and drier here than what we're used to so that put a bit of a dampener on the spirit of people going harder than they should.
"We had a bit of a softening in the fat job yesterday too so that might have had a bit of an impact on today's prices as well."
The first pen of nine steers, owned by Vuiller Shorthorns, Yanakie, 506kg, sold for $1420 or 280c/kg.
D & J & C McKenzie, Kongwak, sold a pen of nine steers, 482kg, for $1450 or 300c/kg.
T Maruzza, Dumbalk, sold eight steers, 271kg, for $620 or 228c/kg.
S Dignam, Moruya, NSW, sold 17 steers, 320kg, for $1130 or 353c/kg.
TV & LM Moreing, Bombala, NSW, sold five steers, 297kg, for $930 or 313c/kg.
E & J Cox, French Island, sold six steers, 300kg, for $980 or 326c/kg.
The first pen of nine heifers, owned by M Koolstra, 311kg, sold for $795 or 255c/kg.
M & D Crawford, Ranceby, sold 15 heifers for $700.
Sirrah P/L, Korumburra, sold nine heifers for $600.