Agents reported very strong prices at the Gordon Sinclair Memorial Sale at Wangaratta on Friday, with steers selling above expectations.
About 2900 head were yarded.
Corcoran Parker auctioneer Justin Keane said it was a very good yarding.
Prices for steers in particular were "extreme," with some selling towards 800 cents a kilogram.
"Anytime you sell the lead run of spring weaners - and these calves are only ten or eleven months and there's plenty making $2000 plus - it's going to be a big result for the vendor," he said.
Bowmans Forest sold 46 with an average weight of 309kg, for $2010 or 650c/kg, and two pens of 53 weighing an average of 281kg made $1910 or 679c/kg.
The vendor also sold three pens of 66, 263kg, for $1850 or 703c/kg.
G & C Burrowes sold 23 steers, 272kg, for $1680 or 617c/kg, eight weighing 294kg for $1780 or 605c/kg, a pen of 27, 214kg, for $1520 or 710c/kg and nine, 237kg, for $1600 or 675c/kg.
The same vendor sold 20 heifers, 270kg, for $1380 or 511c/kg, 22 weighing 228kg for $1310 or 574c/kg, 12 at 180kg for $1190 or 661c/kg and
SV & HJ Mahoney sold 23, 291kg, for $1980 or 680c/kg, 19 weighing 252kg for $1835 or 728c/kg, and seven weighing $1830 or 672c/kg.
The vendors also sold 28 heifers, 262kg, for $1575 or 601c/kg and 10, 253kg, for $1470 or 581c/kg.
CJ & FL Holland sold 18, 298kg, for $1950 or 654c/kg and 11, 235kg, for $1640 or 697c/kg.
Robynnvale Pastoral sold 33 steers, 275kg for $1680 or 610c/kg and nine, 232kg, for $1600 or 232c/kg.
The vendor also sold 12 heifers, 342kg, for $1840 or 538c/kg, 17 weighing 327kg for $1720 or 525c/kg, 14 at 225kg for $1460 or 648c/kg.
The vendor's final pen of 28 heifers, 268kg, made $1420 or 529c/kg.
Yacca Pastoral sold 23 steers, 318kg, for $2050 or 644c/kg and 12 weighing 263kg for $1780 or 676c/kg.
Yacca Pastoral also sold 30 heifers, 286kg, for $1610 or 286c/kg.
AJ Smith sold 25, 355kg, for $2210 or 622c/kg and 20, 322kg, for $2055 or 638c/kg.
The vendor also sold 17 heifers, 329kg, for $1820 or 553c/kg and 18, 307kg, for $1760 or 573c/kg.
CJ & FL Holland sold 24, 306kg, for $2000 or 653c/kg, 18 weighing 298kg for $1950 or 654c/kg and 11, 235kg, for 697c/kg.
In the heifer run the vendor sold 25, 269kg, for $1590 or 591c/kg, and a pen of 12, 260kg, for $1500 or 576c/kg.
Curnow sold 30, 322kg, for $2190 or 680c/kg and 14, 284kg, for $1910 or 672c/kg.
BP & SL Hourigan, 11, 394kg, for 2010 or 510c/kg.
GP & D Norman sold 25, 378kg, for $2220 or 587c/kg and 25, 340kg, for $2150 or 632c/kg.
The vendor also sold 28 heifers weighing 332kg for $2070 or 623c/kg and 12, 310kg, for $1750 or 564c/kg.
JJ Nolan sold 25, 322kg, for $2020 or 627c/kg.
M & L Chapman sold 31, 374kg, for $2190 or 585c/kg.
P & K Del Mastro sold 18, 385kg, for $2190 or 568c/kg and five, 315kg, for $1920 or 609c/kg.
SJ Purcell sold five, 377kg, for $2110 or 559c/kg, 35, 302kg, for $2030 or 672c/kg, and four, 337kg, for $2040 or 605c/kg.
The vendor also sold 28 heifers, 286kg, for $1715 or 599c/kg and 16, 264kg, for $1600 or 606/kg.
Estate of JF O'Brien sold 24, 314kg, for $1940 or 617c/kg and 25, 270kg, for $1920 or 711c/kg.
Mr Keane said buyers were predominantly local with about 80 per cent of the yarding retained in the area.
Weaner heifers sold well and some runs of grown heifers made around 500c/kg.
"I think the steers were better than expected, heifers were about what we thought," he said.
"It was quite a good feature sale here, to yard 2900 cattle, all local, and every one of them you could have bought for any client."
Peter Darga, AWN, said there were few cattle on the heavier end.
"Everyone's trying to buy something to a price - they don't want to spend $2000 but will spend $1700 or $1800 and they don't care if it runs under the bottom rail of the fence," he said.
"That's why a lot of those light cattle, 220kg cattle, are making $1700 and $1800.
"The last two to three weeks it seems to have gone to another level but I think your fat market's probably done the same thing."
He said heifer prices were also solid throughout.
"The top end of the heifers were bought by the feedlot fraternity, not that there were many of them, and then you've dropped down," he said.
"You've got people actually buying heifers as against trying to buy steers, still to fatten but instead of paying $1600 or $1700 you're only paying $1300 to $1500 maybe.
"There's also some heifers going into breeding programs with some people looking to buy something they can keep and join next May or June."
It had been a wet winter but the last two weeks had seen things begin to dry out, he said.
Producers were feeling fairly confident about good spring conditions, he said.
"I don't think a lot of people are overstocked, I think a lot of them have been wary about paying this sort of money," he said.
"So instead of buying 30 cattle they're buying 20."