In spite of concerns over fires, continued drought conditions and stock water shortages, prices for cows and calves topped at $2500 at the Wodonga annual feature female sale.
Combined agents penned just under 1900 cattle that were in excellent condition and presented well for a large crowd of buyers.
The promise of quality cattle attracted a large crowd of buyers with local areas, Gippsland, western and central Victoria and the Goulburn Valley supported by orders from NSW.
Cows and calves sold by Michael Garvey, Chiltern, topped at $2500 for a pen of 11 Angus cows, second-calvers, Welcome Swallow-blood and re-depastured to Rennylea bulls, with calves 2-3 months at foot.
Another pen of eight, Jerobee-blood cows, sold for $2000, while other pens made between $1850 and $1975.
Other cow and calf units to make $2000 included a line of 13 Angus/Friesian-cross, sold by A Watkins.
K & WM Bucholtz, Rutherglen, sold 11 Angus heifers, 3.5 years, with calves at foot, for $2000.
A second line of 21 from the same vendor sold for $1480.
Funny Hill, Binda, NSW, sold a draft of Angus heifers with calves at foot that made to $1760.
The first draft of the Garvey heifers, 2.5 years, Myanga-bred and pregnancy-tested-in-calf, went for $1900 for 34; other lines made $1700.
Neville Watkins' Charnock Partnership, Charleroi, heifers were next up.
Five pens of 15 each sold to $1980.
These heifers were 2.5 years and joined to a Table Top Angus bull.
The same vendor sold lines of heifers bred by Mount Raven for $1480 to $1820.
Paull & Scollard Landmark livestock sales consultant Tim Robinson said the Garvey cattle were an exceptional line of presented stock.
Mr Robinson said a feature was the two Hereford dispersals.
He said the best of the PTIC heifers made just under $2000, back down to $1100-$1200 on the plainer, lighter heifers.
The dispersal of Arthur Trethowan's Hereford herd saw prices peak at $2000 for a pen of 16, while three pens sold between $1780 and $1910.
A pen of 10 second-calvers, PTIC to Mawarra bulls, sold for $1950.
Three further pens, same description, sold between $1740 and $1860.
Third-calvers sold in two lots for $1880 and $1820.
LV Corrigan & Co, Glenruben Angus, Woomargama, NSW, forwarded an annual draft of heifers.
The draft of 22-23 month-old heifers, PTIC, sold to a top of $1710 for 18, while a further pen of 16 sold for $1550.
MG Neilson, Moongarah, Sandy Creek, sold a pen of 17 heifers, 21-22 months, Alpine Angus-blood and PTIC, for $1670.
RS Whytlaw, Warramong, Molyullah, sold a draft of heifers, rising two years, in three pens, for between $1450 and $1650.
Hyland Herefords, Cootamundra, NSW, sold Hereford cows, 2014/15-drop, with calves at foot, for $2090 for a pen of 16.
Pens of 2016-drop cows with calves at foot sold from $1850 to $2050 and autumn-calvers from $1550 to $1820.