Beef heifers with promising breeding potential headlined Pakenham's feature female store cattle sale on Thursday where cow and calf units sold to a top price of $5300.
Agents yarded about 1200 crossbred and beef cattle in a market which fluctuated depending on breed and quality.
Alex Scott & Staff Pakenham auctioneer Jason Fry said it took a while for buyer competition to heat up.
"The crossbred cows and the springing heifers at the start were a little bit below the odds but once we got onto the straight bred springers, heifers and cows, they sold above expectations," he said.
"Once we got into the cow and calf section, the cattle that had quality and were joined to the right bull with the right calves at foot made exceptional money and sold beyond $4000 a unit."
READ MORE:
Mr Fry said the premium price for beef cattle as opposed to the crossbred types was a reflection of industry demand and feedlot interest.
"Your crossbred cows and the vealer trade seems to be a specialty job and almost a thing of the past with the way markets have gone in the last few years," he said.
Everitt, Seeley and Bennetts director Michael Everitt said the sale attracted a lot of interest in the lead up from local and interstate clients, but only a handful of volume buyers attended the market.
"We thought the F1 heifers lined up beautifully, however, they were a bit sticky but when we moved onto the beef cattle, they really shone," he said.
"Perhaps there's less blokes around who want to rear vealers so the straight bred cattle appeared to be a more attractive option."
The highlight of the sale was 16 Charolais pregnant-tested-in-calf heifers, 26-28 months, joined to a Charolais bull which went under the hammer for an impressive $5300 a pair.
The pen was sold by Graham Smith, Yarra Junction, and bought by Elders Pakenham agent Kevin Carrolan on behalf of David and Heather Wigg, Maffra.
"Graham's been breeding Charolais for a long time and he's getting old like the rest of us, and slowing down and getting out of a lot of his cattle," Mr Everitt said.
"It's not often you get beautiful, quiet heifers and that's why they sold very well."
The sale started with a draft of 103 Angus/Friesian-cross PTIC heifers, 2.5 years, joined to a Yarra Lea Limousin bulls and offered by Jeff Wilson and Chris Holland, Aeolus Nominees, Flinders.
The sale marked the 30th consecutive year the pair had sold Angus/Friesian heifers with pens of 12 selling for $3300, $3350, $3520, $3000 and $2850, respectively.
Nathan Gibbon Livestock director Nathan Gibbon said local buyers were active throughout the market, while cattle also went to South Gippsland, Ballarat and Myrtleford.
"The crowd was reasonable but with the strength of the beef weaner job and demand for heifers, I thought there would have been more people here," he said.
Among the volume buyers was Paull & Scollard Nutrien Myrtleford livestock manager Dan Ivone who bought 120 joined female cattle.
Peter List, Bangala Pastoral, Newhaven, sold 94 PTIC Angus heifers, two years, to calve from early February including 12 heifers for $3400, 15 heifers for $3450, 15 heifers for $3250 and 21 heifers for $3200.
Mr List's draft of heifers averaged $3292.
The Willows, Almurta, sold 10 Angus/Friesian-cross PTIC heifers to calve from mid-February for $2850 and three heifers for $3050.
NQ & L Parke, Larder, sold four Angus/Friesian-cross heifers with Speckle Park calves at foot for $3300 and 16 Angus heifers, unjoined, 370kg, for $2150 or 581 cents a kilogram.
Cassidy and Cody Fry, Bunyip, sold two PTIC Angus/Friesian-cross heifers for $2875.
In the beef section, Kiloran, Strathkellar, sold 10 mixed-aged cows PTIC to an Angus bull to calve from March for $3480.
Terra Nostra, Lang Lang, sold 10 PTIC Limousin heifers joined to a pure Limousin bull for $4200 and five PTIC heifers for $2750.
Lineham Farms, Vervale, sold seven PTIC Angus cows to calve from February 15 for $3300 and 12 PTIC heifers for $3400.
Volpaia Park, Drouin South, sold 16 PTIC third-calving Angus cows for $3520 and 13 cows, six and seven years, with calves at foot for $3925.
The same vendor also sold another 23 cows with calves at foot for $3850.
Polyplas Pty Ltd, Neerim East, sold 13 PTIC second-calving cows for $3550.
M Wright sold 11 PTIC Angus heifers to calve in mid-January for $3500.
J Kennedy, Drouin, sold seven cows with calves at foot for $4275.
Fingal Pastoral, Eynesbury, sold 14 PTIC Angus heifers for $2900, 23 PTIC heifers for $3100 and 19 PTIC heifers for $3100.
AJ Pratt, Poowong, sold five Angus cows with Speckle Park calves at foot for $3450.
B Marslen, Willow Grove, sold 16 cows with Speckle Park calves at foot for $3400.
Turrum Creek, Officer, sold four Limousin cows with calves at foot for $4000.
B & J Hales, Hayles, sold eight Angus cows with calves at foot for $3450.