A consistent and even line of 3500 vendor-bred calves sold to extreme demand at Yea on Friday where Angus steers sold to a top of $2240.
The Elders' sale wrapped up a week of back-to-back weaner markets across north-eastern Victoria, the Western District and Gippsland where close to 40,000 calves were sold.
Vendors were rewarded with strong prices as restockers, bullock fatteners and professional buyers chased lines of cattle which were as much as 70 kilograms heavier compared to their siblings 12 months ago.
Elders Yea livestock manager Jamie Quinlan said the sale featured fewer pens of light cattle compared to the 2020 market.
"It was a magnificent run of cattle and I haven't been to the Western District to see their sales but I would say it was as good of a line of cattle I've ever seen in my life," Mr Quinlan said.
"We got to the end of the inside steer run, up to 130-odd pens, before the weights dropped below 300 kilos."
The sale included 2234 steers which averaged $1832 plus 1205 heifers which averaged $1647.
From the start competition was fierce when a pen of Boxhill Pastoral, Yea, steers, 458kg, sold for $2240 or 489c/kg.
The pen of February and March-drop Angus steers formed part of a draft of 185 calves including 52 heifers which sold to $1740 or 545c/kg for a pen of 26 weighing 319kg.
The Lily Pastoral, Yarck, followed two lots later with a pen of 22 February and March-drop steers, 433kg, which made $2100 or 487c/kg, and another 21, 419kg, which made also sold for $2100 or 503c/kg.
The Hamilton family of Waimarie Angus, Yea, were also among the first vendors in the sale to pass $2000 a head when a pen of 22 steers, 426kg, made $2070 or 485c/kg.
Mr Quinlan said the average weight of vendors' top drafts was up 40 to 50 kilograms on year-ago levels.
He said the buoyant season was more noticeable in the second and third runs where weights were up by 60-70kg.
"About 10 per cent of the yarding will stay locally but a lot are headed to Gippsland and going north," he said.
"We had a lot of feedlotters buying cattle to background and the heavy cattle were very sought-after by the bullock fatteners."
Among the major buyers at the sale was Andrew Lowe, Wagga Wagga, NSW, who bought more than 400 cattle for several clients in the north.
"It was an amazing sale on the heifers with more restocker and breeder competition joining these heifers with bulls in the autumn," Mr Quinlan said.
"The thing that stood out was the even spread across the market right from start to finish.
"You needed $1550 to $1600 to buy little 280 to 300-kilo heifers so it shows how strong the sale was."
Steers
Lortanvale, Kanumbra, sold 20 steers, 446kg, for $1950 or 437c/kg.
Killara, A & K Armstrong, Alexandra, sold 20 steers, 402kg, for $190 or 480c/kg.
J Woolmer, Alexandra, sold 20 steers, 411kg, for $1940 or 472c/kg.
PD & R Ryran, Pyalong, sold 22 steers, 408kg, for $1950 or 477c/kg.
P & S Reynolds, Glenaroura, sold 15 steers, 424kg, for $1920 or 452c/kg.
Crothers Brothers, Diamond Creek, sold 13 steers, 445kg, for $1950 or 438c/kg.
WD Seaton, Wintoun Farm, Alexandra, sold 20 steers, 411kg, for $1930 or 469c/kg.
A & S Sundblom, Flatlead, Yea, sold 18 steers, 423kg, for $1950 or 460c/kg.
G & H Hauser, Murrindindi, sold 17 steers, 402kg, for $1930 or 480c/kg.
JM Hiscock & Sons, Kilmore, sold 18 steers, 389kg, for $1890 or 485c/kg.
RG Reed, All Black Angus, sold 16 steers, 383kg, for $1890 or 493c/kg.
Bumanto, Yea, sold 12 steers, 449kg, for $1920 or 427c/kg.
Killingworth Station, Killingworth, sold 17 steers, 397kg, for $1850 or 465c/kg.
BW & JM Purvis, Yea, sold 18 steers, 362kg, for $1870 or 516c/kg.
Armstrong Evergreen, Island Bend, Yea, sold 24 steers, 397kg, for $1890 or 476c/kg.
G & M Aldridge, Mansfield, sold 22 steers, 361kg, for $1830 or 509c/kg.
Nutfield Partnership, Molesworth, sold 22 steers, 360kg, for $1830 or 508c/kg.
Cremona Park, Molesworth, sold 22 steers, 354kg, for $1760 or 497c/kg.
Heifers
The Lily Pastoral sold 16 heifers, 380kg, for $1770 or 465c/kg.
SJ & GJ Clifton sold 20 heifers, 393kg, for $1800 or 505c/kg.
S & K Bradford sold 20 heifers, 396kg, for $1900 or 479c/kg.
J & E Steer, Alexandra, sold 25 heifers, 347kg, for $1700 or 489c/kg.
Goulburn River Pastoral, Killingworth, sold 13 heifers, 362kg, for $1720 or 475c/kg.
Waimarie Angus sold 12 heifers, 319kg, for $1690 or 529c/kg.
M Minahan, Merton, sold 23 heifers, 298kg for $1520 or 510c/kg.
WD Seaton sold 19 heifers, 318kg, for $1600 or 503c/kg.
Armstrong Evergreen sold 20 steers, 320kg, for $1600 or 500c/kg.
Cremona Park sold 23 heifers, 270kg, for $1540 or 570c/kg.
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