IT was a small but effective buying gallery at the Upper Goulburn River Annual Classic Weaner Sale at Yea Livestock Selling Complex on Tuesday, where heavy steers sold to $1300 a head.
The first lane of Angus steers sold above $1000, with agents reporting most pens of Angus steers sold between 305-320 cents a kilogram.
With drought in the north and bushfires throughout much of the state's east and north-east, Nutriren Ag Solutions branch manager Tyson Bush, Yea, said the 3020-head yarding was fortunate to attract three major buyers who sustained the prices.
"There were not a lot of people about but we had the right people," Mr Bush said.
One of those major players was Landmark International's Andrew Wishart, who purchased 553-head of medium to heavy weight steers for a live export order, from 320-356kg, and paid from $800-$1100.
Commission buyer Campbell Ross was also influential, purchasing 430-head of mixed-sex weaners, while there was also trade competition for heifers in prime condition from Elders, Camperdown and HF Richardson, Colac.
The sale's top steer weaner price was $1300, paid for a pen of 18 Angus at 391kg, and returned 333c/kg.
The pen was a part of Webb Pastoral, Glenburn, 185-head offering, which included 105 Angus steers, Banquet-blood, March/April-drop, which averaged $1141, or 312c/kg, and 10 Charolais steers, 407kg, Rosedale-blood, to $1090, or 268c/kg.
Webb Pastoral secured the sale's top heifer price of $1120, paid by Elders, Camperdown, for a pen of 10 month-old Angus, 374kg, which equated to 300c/kg.
Webbs offered 70 Angus heifers to average 292c/kg, 13 Simmental heifers, to $820, or 236c/kg, and 12 Charolais heifers, to $1045, average 289c/kg.
"The sale was a good, sound sale all the way through, with hardly a calf under $1000 in the first run; the backbone of the sale was strong," Webb Pastoral general manager Duncan Newcomen said.
"There has been a negative influence with the fires, the whole of northern Australia is in drought... no one knows where stock are going to go.
"It's going to be a hard track for a lot of people.
"Considering everything it was a good sale."
The sale's best presented pen was awarded to Marla Stone, A&M Stone, Pyalong, for a pen of 21, March/April-drop, Angus steers, which sold to $1240, or 327c/kg.
Judge Jamie Beckingsale, Nutrien Ag Solutions, praised the consistency of the cattle which were "peas in a pod".
The heifer sales were erratic at times with heavy females, 300-400kg, selling from 280-290c/kg, while lighter heifers, 230-300kg, fetched 215-260c/kg.
Buying strength for the heifers was from local competition, underpinned by an order for the feedlot trade.
Mr Bush said the sale results indicated a "nerve-racking" period for the state-wide weaner sales series.
"We got out [of it] okay considering conditions are dry to the north, there are fires to the east and [weaner] sales in the western district," he said.
"Everyone is in the same boat; you need two or three commission or bigger buyers to put a floor in the market.
"There is concern about where cattle can go at the moment.
"A few feedlots stepped to help it out but some of the weaners won't have the weights that feedlots require.
"It will be nerve-racking."