A large field of buyers from a wide area bid freely on a yarding of 3591 cattle at the January store sale at the Western Victorian Livestock Exchange at Mortlake.
With recent prices drawing more vendors to sell, the increased yarding was quickly sold to buyers from areas that included Deniliquin, Albury, Holbrook, Manilla and Inverell in NSW.
Victorian buyers included those from Korumburra, Ballarat, Shepparton, Camperdown, Warrnambool, Casterton and Hamilton.
Processors and feedlots were also active on suitable lines.
Outcross and AuctionsPlus reported 2000 catalogue views and 14 active bidders purchasing 39 lots.
Mortlake Stock Agents' Association president Matt Baxter said grown steers sold to a solid trend making 410-448 cents a kilogram and topping at $2083 a head.
There were 1175 weaner steers penned that sold to an average of 490c/kg and to a top of 578c/kg.
The top price on a per head basis was $1968.
Mr Baxter said some lighter weaner steers under 200kg made to 715c/kg or $1220.
He said grown heifers sold extremely well making from 400-440c/kg.
Best per head was a pen that made $2083.
The top end of the weaner heifers made more than 500-552c/kg, to a $1663 top.
The feature of the sale were the pregnancy-tested-in-calf females that included a pen of five Speckle Park heifers sold by R & C McNamara, that made $3650.
The Hann family's Nampara Pastoral Company, Strathalbyn, SA, had a consignment of 186 PTIC Angus heifers that sold for an average of $3031 and topped at $3340.
There were some good runs of cows and calves on offer which topped at $3680 with an overall average of $2672.
Mr Baxter said overall it was a fantastic sale and "a way to kick off the store sales for the new year".
A feature of the weaner steer offering was a draft of 216 Hereford/Simmental-cross, sold account Cam and Carol Emerson, Alva Downs, Tahara, that averaged 337kg across the consignment and sold for an average price of 496c/kg or $1674.
The top price per kilogram was 544c/kg for a pen of 17 at 252kg, or $1371, while the top on a per head basis was $1843 for a pen of 24 that weighed 360kg.
Elders Holbrook, NSW, account Injemira, purchased 111 of the Alva Downs calves.
The best presented pen of steers was a pen sold account GR & JM Saffin, Mailors Flat, with 34 at 386kg making 510c/kg or $1968.
The heifer portion of this draft comprised a pen of 15, 319kg, at 482c/kg or $1537.
A pen sold account G & M Gigas, that comprised nine steers at 170kg sold open auction for $1220 or 717c/kg.
They also sold 23 at 240kg that made $1420 or 586c/kg.
The heifer portion included 17 at 218kg for $1200 and 14 at 174kg for $1090.
Leonach offered a draft that included 18 steers at 383kg that made 492c/kg or $1888 and a second pen of eight at 320kg for 504c/kg or $1612.
A draft of light mixed-sex cattle sold by MA & JM Nicholson included a pen of 12 steers, 240kg, that made 570c/kg or $1370 and a pen of 34 at 293kg that made 532c/kg or $1562.
The heifers comprised 14 at 280kg that made 510c/kg or $1428 and 13 at 252kg for 534c/kg or $1347.
Will Howard, Gumvale Grazing, Port Fairy, sold a draft of 120 mixed-sex cattle.
The 60 steers averaged 315kg and 514c/kg or $1625.
The 60 heifers averaged 303kg and averaged 487c/kg or $1425.
Steers account Ferndale included 20 at 370kg that made 500c/kg or $1853 and a second pen of 20 at 325kg for 510c/kg or $1661.
Fry Pastoral forwarded a pen of 16 weaner steers, averaging 417kg, that made 445c/kg or $1856 as well as 10 at 405kg that made 422c/kg or $1709.
P & K Malseed, had a pen of 22 heifers, 240kg, that made 566c/kg or $1362, another 15 at 253kg for 578c/kg or $1493 and 17 at 208kg that sold for 588c/kg or $1224.
South Boorook sold grown Hereford steers that included 11 at 490kg for 444c/kg or $2179 and 18 at 461kg for 448c/kg or $2068.