Bairnsdale light steers hit 854c/kg as yearling heifers fetch $2470

Agents yarded about 1000 cattle for the fortnightly store sale where processors and feedlotters were absent from the buying gallery, leaving it up to Gippsland agents and graziers to purchase truckloads of cattle.

Buyers from further afield including north-east Victoria were present, but found it hard to compete with restockers who said they had an abundance of grass ready to be eaten.

The wintry weather had little effect on the sale, as more than 120 millimetres of rain was predicted on Friday to fall across parts of eastern Victoria by the end of the weekend.

Another noticeable change at the sale was the alliance of two long-established East Gippsland agencies, including Sharp Fullgrabe & Co, which this week started operating under the banner of Nutrien Ag Solutions alongside Nutrien East Gippsland Livestock.

Sharp Fullgrabe director Graeme Fullgrabe, who has been an agent for more than five decades, said he was looking forward to working with Nutrien livestock manager Brad Obst under the new arrangement.

"I'm very pleased with how well the first sale went and that's the way it should be with experienced blokes like Brad selling the cattle along with his staff working with my staff in the drafting and presenting of the cattle," Mr Fullgrabe.

Mr Obst said the quality of the cattle improved slightly, and indicated cattle sold to market expectations.

"I thought it was fully firm on a fortnight ago and the cattle that I thought might have been a bit dearer were the bucket-reared dairy types," Mr Obst said.

"That's because these cattle meet what people want to spend."

A feature draft of the sale was a consignment of light-weight steers offered by Finchley Pastoral Pty Ltd, Delegate, NSW, including 22 steers, 348kg, which made $2090 a head or 600 cents a kilogram.

Finchley Pastoral also sold 13 Hereford heifers, 324kg, for $2000 or 617c/kg and eight heifers, 288kg, for $1880 or 652c/kg.

A second pen of 18 steers, 332kg, made $2250 or 677c/kg and 15 steers, 269kg, made $2060 or 765c/kg.

Gerald and Kath Feely, Willung, sold the dearest pen of weaner steers with 18 Angus, 420kg, selling for $2570 or 611c/kg.

Bill Wyndham & Co livestock manager Colin Jones said South Gippsland bullock fatteners underpinned the market.

"There was also a lot of local competition because everyone has grass jumping over their fence and they're worried if and when it dries, they might have a fire problem," he said.

A feature of the Bill Wyndham sale were two rising two-year-old pens consigned by J Stewart, Johnsonville, including 11 Angus and Black Baldy steers, 555kg, which made $2760 or 491c/kg.

A second pen of nine Hereford steers, 511kg, made $2620 or 512c/kg.

Among the other feature drafts, Glenshiel Pastoral sold two pens of Charolais steers including a pen of 17, 447kg, for $2480 or 554c/kg, and 16 steers, 421kg, for $2380 or 565c/kg.

In the heifer sale, Robyn Kuch, Perry Bridge, sold the first three pens of the female sale, including the top-priced pen with 12 Angus heifers, 430kg, going under the hammer for $2470 or 574c/kg.

Ms Kuch also sold 14 heifers, 391kg, for $2380 or 608c/kg, and 12 heifers, 372kg, for $2310 or 620c/kg.

ML & GM Lee sold 13 heifers, 349kg, for $2100 or 601c/kg and eight heifers, 314kg, for $1930 or 614c/kg.

Hedera Anna Nominees sold 12 heifers, 358kg, for $2010 or 561c/kg and 11 heifers, 320kg, for $1870 or 584c/kg.

Warren and Ellisa McCole, Buchan, sold 15 Hereford steers, 421kg, for $2430 or 577c/kg and eight steers, 358kg, for $2160 or 603.

Phillip 'Bluey' Commins, Nunniong Hereford stud, Ensay, sold 14 Hereford steers, 428kg, for $2210 or 516c/kg and one grown steer, 675kg, for $2770 or 410c/kg.

GB Ross sold 13 steers, 212kig, for $1810 or a whopping 853c/kg.

CJ Treasure, Dargo, sold 10 Hereford steers, 317kg, for $2040 or 643c/kg and another 10, 273kg, for $1960 or 717c/kg.

WB Seehusen, Bruthen, sold 12 Charolais/Murray Grey/cross steers, 517kg, for $2350 or 454c/kg.

B & N Donald, Orbost, sold six steers, 624kg, for $2560 or 410c/kg.

PJ & P Neven, Tubbut, sold 10 steers, 337kg, for $2120 or 629c/kg and 11 steers, 299kg, for $2100 or 702c/kg.