Yea autumn-drop steers hit $1850, heifers to $1600 in weaner sale

More than 1300 cattle were yarded during the feature autumn-drop weaner sale where steers sold to $1850 and heifers to $1600.

Nutrient Yea livestock manager Chris Pollard said it took 50 pens of steer weaners to sell before the price dropped below $1650.

"The cattle were in good nick and there was not a lot of steers that dropped below 300 kilograms," Mr Pollard said.

"Most of them weighed between 300 and 400 kilos."

The Nurtrien-Elders sale consisted of 1337 cattle with 858 steers and 479 heifers sold.

Nutrien's steer portion averaged $1707 with its heifers averaged $1370.

Elders steer portion averaged $1680 with heifers averaging $1386.

The dearest pen was for 18 Angus steers, 395kg, offered by BM & MM Griffiths, Seymour, which made $1850 or 468c/kg.

RM, ME and RC Cumming sold 22 Angus steers, 385kg, for $1840 or 477c/kg.

Meanwhile, Sawpit Rural, Homewood, topped the heifer portion with 12 Angus heifers, 351kg, making $1600 or 455c/kg.

GW & ME Oliver, Homewood, sold 18 Angus heifers, 366kg, for $1530 or or 418c/kg.

Local restockers were active throughout the market while buyers from Gippsland, the north-east and NSW were active.

Mr Pollard said the region was experiencing some of its best seasonal conditions he had witnessed during his 30-year stint in the district.

"It probably was a whisker cheaper than our previous sale - it might have been $50 cheaper on the steers and $100 cheaper on the heifers - and that's only due to cattle selling to extreme rates in our first November sale," Mr Pollard said.

Elders Yea livestock sales manager Jamie Quinlan said heifers weighing more than 320 kilograms were fractionally cheaper, while heifers under 320kg were firm.

"These autumn drop calves presented extremely fat which might not have suited what all the buyers were looking for," Mr Quinlan said.

"However, we have reached a happy medium where buyers are reasonably happy to pay the prices and the vendors are happy to receive these same prices at the other end."

Yencken Pastoral, Mansfield, sold 22 Angus steers, 387kg, for $1820 or 470c/kg.

L & M Ridd, Molesworth, sold eight Hereford steers, 397kg, for $1810 or 455c/kg, another 16, 353kg, for $1760 or 498c/kg and 10, 312kg, for $1550 or 496c/kg.

Sawpit Rural, Homewood, sold 18 Angus steers, 389kg, for $1750 or 437c/kg.

F Creighton, Thornton, sold 22 Angus steers, 355kg, for $1760 or 495c/kg.

Fernlea, Highlands, sold 16 Angus steers, 333kg, for $1700 or 510c/kg.

TM Halligan, Yarck, sold 10 Angus steers, 320kg, for $1630 or 509c/kg.

Mandalay Farms, Murrindindi, sold 13 Angus heifers, 372kg, for $1520 or 408c/kg.

SR Shaw, Mansfield, sold 22 Angus heifers, 344kg, for $1465 or 425c/kg.

Lortonvale, Kanumbra, sold 20 Angus heifers, 345kg, for $1450 or 420c/kg.

A & N Bowe, Gobur, sold 13 Angus heifers, 338kg, for $1390 or 411c/kg.

L & M Ridd, Molesworth, sold 13 Hereford heifers, 355kg, for $1390 or 391c/kg,and 11, 312kg, for $1300 or 416c/kg..

P & E Scanlon, Kilmore, sold seven Angus heifers, 317kg, for $1360 or 429c/kg.

Fernlea, Highlands, sold 10 Angus heifers, 296kg, for $1360 or 459c/kg.

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