Bairnsdale cows and calves to $4675 as weaners pass $2500

Agents yarded 2000 cattle for the final spring store sale, where feedlotters struggled to secure lines of cattle as restockers with grass were desperate for cattle.

Elders Bairnsdale livestock manager Morgan Davies said the sale featured a large portion of older and heavier cattle.

"Apart from a few of the coloured cattle which may have been a shade cheaper, most of the market was firm on recent sales," he said.

"There's not a lot of light-weight 270-300 kilogram cattle around at the moment and they were hard to come by so quality in those weights were not as good as previous weeks.

"Heifers were fully firm and maybe stronger in some instances, and cows and calves were probably dearer."

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Bill Wyndham & Co livestock manager Colin Jones said South Gippsland competition underpinned the sale, while local restocker competition also improved.

"The season in East Gippsland is probably the best it's ever been, and some locals who have lived here all their lives are saying they can't remember it being better than what it is now," he said.

"That's because of all the rain we've had and our summer at the moment is going to be green."

He said in some cases the second and third pens of vendor-bred drafts at the sale were only 50kg lighter compared to the top pens in places, and sold for only $30-40 cheaper.

Nutrien East Gippsland Livestock manager Brad Obst thought the quality of the sale was a "step up" on the previous fortnight, pointing to several drafts of cattle from the Sale and Bairnsdale districts, as well as from the Monaro in NSW.

"Generally the grass fatteners drove the sale and feedlotters weren't able to get a look in on the feature and good lines of breeders cattle," he said.

"We had a very good run of Angus cattle from the low 300kg mark to high 400kg mark which really stood out and were mainly bought by repeat buyers."

E Taylor sold the dearest pen of the sale with 13 Angus cows with calves at foot knocked down for $4675.

F Waller sold 10 Hereford steers, 677kg, for $2910 or 429c/kg, and nine steers, 618kg, for $2850 or 461c/kg.

AJ & BJ Ah Sam sold 10 Hereford steers, 639kg, for $2780 or 435c/kg.

Coonmoor Pastoral Co, Lindenow South, sold two pens of Angus, 14-15 months, Landfall and Hazledene blood including 18 steers 18, 472kg, for $2770 or 587c/kg, and 17, 460kg, for $2700 or 587c/kg.

RE Kuch sold 21 Angus steers, 14-15 months, 503kg, for $2850 or 566c/kg, and 19 steers, 452kg, for $2680 or 592c/kg.

MD Lee sold 20 Angus steers, 14-15 months, 409kg, for $2480 or 606c/kg and 22 steers, 355kg, for $2400 or 676c/kg.

MD Lee also sold 16 Angus heifers, 374kg, for $2360 or 631c/kg and 22 heifers, 331kg, for $2190 or 661c/kg.

DR Whelan, Lakes Entrance, sold five Speckle Park steers, rising two years, 607kg, for $2830 or 466c/kg.

K & T Woodgate, Buchan, sold eight Hereford steers, rising two years, 601kg, for $2840 or 472c/kg.

PA Smith, Omeo, sold 15 Hereford steers, 16-18 months, 498kg, for $2660 or 534c/kg and nine Hereford steers, 461kg, for $2640 or 572c/kg.

N & J Sargent, Cape Conran, sold 15 Angus steers, 14-16 months, 475kg, for $2690 or 566c/kg.

W Woodhouse, Cape Conran, sold 13 Angus steers, 12-14 months, 412kg, for $2430 or 589c/kg and 10 Angus heifers, 12-14 months, 363kg, for $2050 or 564c/kg.

Marlo Downs sold 20 Angus weaner steers, 371kg, for $2390 or 644c/kg, and 22 steers, 338kg, for $2350 or 695c/kg.

Creighton Grange sold 25 steers, 389kg, for $2540 or 652c/kg.

B & J Herbert, Dargo, sold 10 Angus/Hereford-cross steers, 14-16 months, 439kg, for $2420 or 551c/kg and 11 Angus/Hereford-cross steers, 14-16 months, 387kg, for $2100 or 542c/kg.

Craig & Reed sold 13 Euro-cross steers, 365kg, for $2420 or 663c/kg, 14 steers, 325kg, for $2420 or 744c/kg, and 11 steers, 351kg, for $2200 or 632c/kg.

K & C Newman, Nicholson, sold 16 Angus steers, eight and nine months, 306kg, for $2130 or 696c/kg and 15 Angus steers, 251kg, for $1960 or 780c/kg.

The Newmans also sold 17 Angus heifers, eight and nine months, 290kg, for $1740 or 600c/kg and 16 Angus heifers, 261kg, for $1740 or 666c/kg.

B Dyer, Benambra, sold 17 Hereford heifers, 12 months, 286kg, for $1800 or 629c/kg.