Bairnsdale steers hit 601c/kg as local restockers buy big

Agents yarded 1300 cattle for the fortnightly market where support from South and West Gippsland buyers, and tight supply, helped keep prices on a similar trajectory compared to recent sales.

Elders Bairnsdale livestock manager Morgan Davies said local buyers were prepared to pay the hefty prices after a series of solid markets in East Gippsland.

"People have been shocked by prices in the last two to three months and a lot of people have missed out so that's probably what made it so strong," Mr Davies said.

"The good heifers made 450 to 480 cents a kilo and good steer weaners made 500 cents a kilogram plus and the good heavy feeder steers were making 400 to 450 cents a kilogram depending on quality."

Among the dearest pens on a cents per kilogram basis, J Traill, Dargo, sold 18 Angus steers, 266kg, for $1600 or 601c/kg and nine Angus steers, 375kg, for $1670 or 445c/kg.

Buchan Station, Buchan, sold 32 Angus steers, 310kg, for $1700 or 548c/kg.

C & M Wheeler, Buchan South, sold 11 Angus steers, 348kg, for $1750 or 502c/kg and a second pen of 15, 314kg, for $1650 or 525c/kg.

C Craig & T Reed, Delegate, NSW, sold 20 Black Baldy steers, 342kg, for $1770 or 517c/kg and 10 Limousin-cross steers, 278kg, for $1640 or 589c/kg.

Marlo Downs, Marlo, sold 15 Angus steers, 373kg, for $1870 or 501c/kg and 17 Angus steers, 355kg, for $1870 or 526c/kg.

Meanwhile, N & J Sargant, Cape Conran, sold 12 Angus steers, 450kg, for $2000 or 444c/kg and nine, 399kg, for $1850 or 463c/kg.

Nungatta Station, Nungatta, sold two steers, 542kg, for $2080 or 383c/kg and two steers, 462kg, for $1860 or 402c/kg.

Coonmoor Pastoral, Lindenow South, sold 14 Black Baldy steers, 466kg, for $1990 or 427c/kg and 18 Angus steers, 451kg, for $1990 or 441c/kg.

Bill Wyndham & Co livestock manager Colin Jones said buyers were keen to secure cattle with only one more store sale remaining at Bairnsdale on December 11.

"The older cattle still sold very well. They might have been a fraction off the top but not by much and the younger cattle were fully firm," Mr Jones said.

"We had a lot of local demand and feedlots were operating along with orders from Tasmania and Albury-Wodonga."

Agents said there was a limited selection of heifers which sold to strong demand including J & M Dwyer, Hillside, who sold nine Speckle Park heifers, 311kg, for $1670 or 536c/kg.

C Craig & T Reed, Delegate, NSW, sold 19 Limousin-cross heifers, 308kg, for $1500 or 487c/kg.

C & M Wheeler, Buchan South, sold 18 Angus heifers, 296kg, for $1420 or 479c/kg and 11 Hereford heifers, 333kg, for $1430 or 429c/kg.

Nutrien East Gippsland Livestock manager Brad Obst said his "smart" run of cattle sold accordingly.

"It was fully firm with some of the smaller cattle probably exceeding rates of the previous sale," Mr Obst said.

"The main competition was from South and West Gippsland but the sale was underpinned with some strong local inquiry."

Coleman & Parkington, Glenaladale, sold 14 Hereford steers, 431kg, for $1950 or 452c/kg.

Ray Gallagher, Swifts Creek, sold 14 Hereford steers, 521kg, for $2110 or 404c/kg.

Ian Crooke, Longford, sold 13 Angus steers, 363kg, for $1790 and 13 Angus steers, 325kg, for $1690 or 520c/kg.

Glenshiel Pastoral, Butchers Ridge, sold 16 Charolais steers, 364kg, for $1780 or 489c/kg and 22, 345kg, for $1700 or 492c/kg.

T Robinson, Eagle Point, sold 10 Charolais steers, 491kg, for $2080 or 423c/kg.

J Stewart, Johnsonville, sold 15 Angus Hereford-cross steers, 518kg, for $2100 or 405c/kg.

B Woodhouse, Cape Conran, sold 12 Angus steers, 446kg, for $1980 or 443c/kg and a second pen of 11, 385kg, for $1790 or 464c/kg.

PD Collins & KE Payton, Bombala, NSW, sold three steers, 513kg, for $2010 or 391c/kg, two steers, 560kg, for $2100 or 375c/kg.

The same vendor also sold 10 steers, 399kg, for $1770 or 426c/kg.

DT Storer, Lindenow, sold 13 Hereford steers, 478kg, for $1900 or 397c/kg.

Mount Raymond, Orbost, sold 14 steers, 383kg, for $1750 or 456c/kg.

PC Nixon & Co, Orbost, sold 11 heifers, 435kg, for $1680 or 386c/kg.

P Strickland & N Ridder, Hillside, sold eight heifers, 373kg, for $1500 or 402c/kg.

B & J Herbet, Lindenow, sold seven cows with calves at foot for $2760.

P Bourke, Maffra, sold seven Hereford heifers with calves at foot for $2910.

Five Hereford heifers with two-to-three-month-old Hereford Angus-cross calves at foot for $2540.

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