A small yarding of just 600 cattle sold to strong competition at Bairnsdale on Friday as South Gippsland restockers headed east to buy-up big.
Agents described the yarding as a typical winter consignment with several well-bred pens of grown cattle and a handful of younger cattle and cows and calves.
Nutrien Bairnsdale livestock manager Brad Obst said South Gippsland restockers and bullock fatteners underpinned the fortnightly store market.
"The steers showed a dearer trend, heifers were fully-firm and there were not a lot cows and calves to quote on," Mr Obst said.
A feature of the market was a consignment of 58 Hereford calves offered by Kent Park, Mount Taylor.
The first pen of 20 steers, 348kg, made $2050 a head or 589 cents a kilogram, the second pen of 24 steers, 300kg, made $1880 or 626c/kg and the third pen of 14 steers, 260kg, made $1710 or 657c/kg.
The reduced yarding preceded a feature sale by Bill Wyndham & Co on August 10 at the East Gippsland Livestock Exchange where an estimated 2000 calves will be yarded.
Sharp Fullgrabe director Graeme Fullgrabe said prices remained firm despite the smaller yarding.
M & M Sears, Briagolong, sold 26 steers including a pen five Angus and Black Baldy steers, 520kg, for $2500 or 480c/kg and eight steers, 496kg, for $2390 or 481c/kg.
Darren Brown, Maffra, sold nine Black Baldy steers, 535kg, for $2520 or 471c/kg.
Gary Cornall, Clifton Creek, sold eight Hereford and Black Baldy steers, 563kg and 557kg, for $2540.
Melrose Herefords, Cann River, sold 11 Hereford steers including a pen of seven, 481kg, for $2200 or 457c/kg and four steers, 405kg, for $1860 or 459c/kg.
Southern Farm and Forestry, Bombala, NSW, sold 12 steers including a top pen of three Angus-cross steers, 521kg, for $2330 and 29 Angus heifers including 16 head, 369kg, and 13 head, 339kg, for $1790.
The same vendor also sold six Angus and Black Baldy cows with five and six-month-old calves at foot for $3540.
"We had eight pens of really good two-year-old cattle,' Mr Fullgrabe said.
"I had northern orders but there weren't enough cattle there to get started on."
"The buyer of those cows and calves sold his chopper cows a day before and only had to pay an extra $700-$800 to have some really decent breeding females."
Elders Bairnsdale livestock agent Aaron McCole said a large portion of the draft went to South Gippsland.
C Treasure, Dargo, sold 10 older cows with calves at foot for $3025.