Prices pushed above 600 cents a kilogram at Bairnsdale on Tuesday during the Bill Wyndham annual opening spring store market where about 1400 cattle were offered for sale.
Strong support from south and west Gippsland agents and spirited bidding by local farmers, who were full of confidence after recent rain, pushed prices above 400c/kg for most lines of cattle.
In some places well-bred light weaner steers under 200 kilograms sold for above 560c/kg, peaking at 608c/kg late in the sale. Heifers sold to a top of 534c/kg.
It was the first store cattle sale in Bairnsdale's history to be live streamed via StockLive, attracting 172 viewers and 15 bidders from as far as western Victoria, Mount Gambier, SA, and NSW.
Bill Wyndham & Co auctioneer Colin Jones said producers were rewarded for their effort after a challenging four years of drought, the December/January bushfires, and now coronavirus.
"It wasn't the biggest crowd, but the people who were here were here to buy," Mr Jones said.
"This sale has been going for over 50 years and there were clients that sold cattle today that have been selling cattle for that long in this particular sale."
Mr Jones said Hereford calves were the flavour of the sale, fetching slightly higher premiums due to their weight and sought-after breeding.
A feature line of the sale included 78 Angus steers offered by fire-affected Buchan Station with the four pens all selling above 506c/kg.
The first pen of 18, 288kg, made $1460 or 506c/kg, while the second pen of 22, 244kg, made $150 or 552c/kg.
The third pen of 20 steers, 228kg, made $1260 or 552c/kg while the last pen, 192kg, made $1090 or 567c/kg.
"They get a very good following every year regardless of what sort of weight they are," Mr Jones said.
"I think what happens is when the cattle become very light like that, they become everybody's money because people don't want to spend $1500 or $1600 but they'll spend $1100 or $1200 regardless of weight."
KJ and GJ Connley sold their dearest pen of the sale with one Hereford steer, 655kg, for $2160 or 329c/kg, followed by J O'Neil who offered 16 Angus steers, 515kg, for $2090 or 405c/kg.
The Connleys also sold the dearest pen on a cents per kilogram basis, receiving $980 or 608c/kg for a pen of nine seven and eight-month-old Black Baldy steers weighing 161kg.
H Taylor offered a draft of 43 Charolais in the first line of the sale, with the top pen of 13, 513kg, bought by south Gippsland agent Russell Motton on behalf of a client for $1975 or 384c/kg.
PA Smith offered a draft of 54 Hereford steers including a top pen, 464kg, which made $1970 or 424c/kg.
M Jennings sold a top pen of 13 steers, 419kg, for $1810 or 431.
CC and MP Wheeler sold 20 steers, 369kg, for $1700 or 460c/kg, and a lighter pen of 14, 254kg, for $1300 or 511c/kg.
WG and PM Connley sold a run of 112 steers including a top pen of 16, 397kg, for $1810 or 455c/kg.
KJ and PE Stuart sold six steers, 403kg, for $1690 or 419c/kg.
GD Simpson sold 44 steers including a top pen of 22, 283kg, for $1410 or 498c/kg, and a second pen of 22, 255kg, for $1350 or 529c/kg.
TC Calvert sold a pen of heavy steers, 473kg, for $1935 or 409c/kg, and a lighter pen of 17, 314kg, for $1490 or 458c/kg.
TG and RA Faithfull sold 12 steers, 408kg, for $1720 or 421c/kg.
B and GH Edlington sold a pen of 15 steers, 341kg, for $1510 or 442c/kg.
R and C Dove sold 10 steers, 300kg, for $1470 or 490c/kg.
MG Billsdon and SJ Bond sold 10 steers, 325kg, for $1450 or 446c/kg.
Willfinn sold 20 steers, 255kg, for $1290 or 505c/kg.
M and M Wickfeldt sold seven steers, 256kg, for $1290 or 503c/kg.
Heifers
B Janson sold the first pen of heifers including one, 445kg, for $1660 or 373c/kg and a second pen of two, 393kg, for $1440 or 366c/kg.
P and K Geehman sold 13 heifers, 331kg, for $1350 or 400c/kg.
R and C Dove sold 10 heifers, 305kg, for $1300 or 426c/kg.
D and R Sandy sold eight heifers, 273kg, for $1130 or 413c/kg.
C and M Wheeler sold 24 heifers, 245kg, for $1310 or 534c/kg.
P, J and L Sykes sold 22 heifers, 268kg, for $1190 or 444c/kg.
Omeo Pastoral sold 23 heifers, 266kg, for $1200 or 451c/kg, and another 25, 246kg, for $1130 or 459c/kg.
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