Extreme cattle prices continue to be reported across Victoria despite cattle showing signs of a cold winter, including at Euroa on Wednesday where weaner calves passed a whopping 800 cents a kilogram.
Agents yarded more than 1000 cattle for the monthly store sale where restockers from the north and feedlotters from across the state competed for suitable cattle.
Fewer lines of vendor-bred cattle ultimately bolstered prices for light-weight cattle, agents said, as graziers begin to gear up less than a month out from spring.
Elders Euroa auctioneer Joe Allen described the quality of cattle as a "typical winter yarding", but noted that did not take away from the competitiveness among buyers.
"The feedlots were putting great pressure on the cattle with weight in excess of 350 kilos and then the restocking competition underpinned the lighter cattle," Mr Allen said.
"We had our usual competition from north and north-east Victoria and New South Wales, and then locally we had a good amount of competition for local producers."
A feature line of the sale was 104 mix-sex Angus calves, six and seven months, consigned by Gooram Springs, Gooram.
The first pen of 17 Gooram Springs calves, 219 kilograms, made $1680 a head or 767c/kg.
The next sale-topping pen of 19 Black Baldy steers, 222kg, made $1870 or 842c/kg.
The pen was bought by an agent on behalf of a client at Whittlesea.
The same vendor also sold 13 heifers, 213kg, for $1300 or 610c/kg and 12 heifers, 216kg, for $1400 or 646c/kg.
Andrew Douglas, Gooram Estate, Gooram, sold a draft of 70 Angus mixed-sex calves, seven and eight months.
The top pen of 12 steers, 298kg, made $1860 or 623c/kg, while a second pen of 14 steers, 260kg, made $1750 or 673c/kg.
Mr Douglas also sold 10 heifers, 326kg, for $1860 or 570c/kg.
Water-logged paddocks across the region were not much of a deterrent for restockers who were present and keen to buy well-bred cattle.
"Going in we knew it was going to be firm but our expectations were exceeded in places, especially on the Angus weaner steers 320-400kg which ranged from 560-600c/kg," Mr Allen said.
"We didn't have a lot of good feeder cattle to quote but the best of the draft sold either side of 500c/kg."
Nutrien Euroa livestock manager Russell Mawson said the who's who of buyers was present at the market.
"All your grown steers were 510-550c/kg and steer weaners were anywhere from 650-840c/kg," Mr Mawson said.
"We had a massive order for weaner cattle at 650c/kg out the north and we couldn't match that and to top it off there were five feedlots buying cattle ... it was just a massive sale."
"There was huge demand and people walked away with orders that couldn't be filled."
In other sales, H Jennings, Tatura, sold 11 Angus steer weaners, 393kg, for $2200 or 559c/kg.
Wharnleyside, Murchison, sold 12 Charolais-cross steers, 436kg, for $2230 or 512c/kg.
The same vendor also sold 11 Charolais-cross heifers, 381kg, for $1940
BJ Ellis sold 14 Charolais/Santa Gertrudis -cross steers, 324kg, for $1790 or 552c/kg.
Apted & Sons Pty Ltd, St Andrews, sold 22 three and four-year-old Angus cows to calve in autumn for $2500.
Monea Park, Locksley, sold 10 Angus steers, seven and eight months, 268kg, for $1760 or 656c/kg and 13 steers, 277kg, for $1830 or 659c/kg.