Reduced meatworks processing capacity, due to the impact of the latest coronavirus wave, saw a softening of prices at the first Mortlake store sale for the year.
Agents yarding a massive 6202 head of cattle, from 58 vendors.
Mortlake Agents Association president Matt Sculley said the store sale was cheaper, overall, than the last one for 2021.
Grown steers sold 20-30 cents a kilogram cheaper than that sale, to a top of 596c/kg or $3312.
"The balance of the portion made between 490c/kg to 555c/kg," Mr Sculley said.
"Grown heifers sold to a top of 574c/kg or $2809, averaging out at 480c/kg to 540c/kg."
Steer and heifer weaners were also cheaper, given a mixed yarding of weights and types.
Weaner steers sold to a top of 780c/kg or $2530, averaging out at 618c/kg.
Weaner heifers sold to similar competition topping out at 742c/kg or $2281, averaging 602c/kg. The Best Presented Pen of steers went to the Farrugia Family, which sold for 598c/kg, or $2252.69/hd.
The Best Presented Pen of heifers went to the Devondale Family Trust which sold 18 Angus heifers for 554c/kg or $2360.
Read more: Mortlake weaner sale grosses $16 million
Southern Grampians Livestock & Real Estate agent Glenn Judd said grown steers eased by about 20 cents/kilogram.
"The ones that were the biggest drop, if you could call it a drop, were 420-460kg cattle, they only made the same money, where they normally make 20c/kg above those 500kg cattle," he said.
"Because the abattoirs haven't killed for a week, their cattle will still be in the feedlots, so they don't need heaps of numbers.
"The weaner cattle were still making from 580-700c/kg, there was a good run of weaners there, in patches, but the main run had already gone."
The quality was back on the January Mortlake weaner sale.
"We didn't have the buyer fraternity, we normally have there."
He said James Brown, Ray White, Wagga, NSW commission buyer Andrew Lowe, Campbell Ross, Mort and Co, Toowoomba, Qld and Elders Tamworth, NSW, were all at the rail.
Other agents bought cattle to put back into the paddock.
Elders Kerr and Co livestock manager Bruce Redpath said the heavy cattle were of a reasonable quality, but the weaners were not of the same standard.
"The competition was there, it was solid, but it averaged probably $100-150/head less than the weaner sale," he said.
"Some weaners were $1/kg cheaper, the good one-mark lines of cattle weren't there."
Feedlot competition was limited, due to abattoirs running on reduced capacity.
"There is a bank-up," he said
"Feedlot competition is starting to be limited, because they can't get cattle out their end - if they can't get any out at their end, they can't put any in."
The grown steers were bought by south Gippsland agents and feedlots and would be 40-50c/kg cheaper.
"There were no lines of heifers you could buy, to take home and put a bull with - they were tidy up jobs," he said.
Grown heifers, 480-550kg, were also 40-50c/kg cheaper.
Mr Sculley said three vendors generously donated cattle with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to The Michelle Pillar Campaign "GIVE EM HELL MICHELLE"
Ms Pillar, a livestock truck driver, lost both her legs after an horrific injury, earlier this month.
She was driving a livestock truck, when it rolled and became stuck between a tree and a bridge in the Otways.
A Speckle Park heifer & calf unit, donated by Peter & Christine Morris, went under the hammer for $9600and was purchased by Elders Camperdown.
Longview Agriculture donated a Simmental-cross cross heifer, purchased by Charles Stewart Colac for $3000, and Romsdale Park Donated an Angus cow & calf unit which sold to HF Richardson for $4800.
Mr Sculley said there was a reasonable offering of Friesian and cross-bred steers, comprising 455 head, which mostly sold between 350c/kg to 450c/kg topping at 500c/kg.
PJD & CPI Gubbins sold eight Angus cows,pregnancy-tested-in-calf to a Barwidgee bull, for $3900.
M, IS & DV Hurley sold 40 Murdeduke-blood steers, 454kg, for $2542 or 560c/kg.
Hurley also sold 51 steers, 414kg, for $2376 or 574c/kg.
Mingawalla Ag sold 36 Murdeduke-blood steers, 394kg, for $2384 or 596c/kg.
Eddington Pastoal sold five Angus steers, 291kg, for $1687 or 580c/kg.
J&J Glare sold 17 Landfall-blood steers, 378kg, for $2207 or 584c/kg.
Coolana Rural sold 24 Coolana-blood and bred steers, 421kg, for $2399 or 570c/kg.
Swanlake Pastoral sold 24 Hereford steers, 528kg, for $2629 or 498c/kg.
J Marney sold 15 Angus steers, 314kg, $2135 or 680c/kg.
Woodrawvale Pastoral sold five Angus steers, 280kg $1898 or 678c/kg.
Hepworth Investments sold 19 Angus steers, 278kg, for $1884 or 678c/kg.
S & P Malone sold seven Angus steers, 260kg, for $1898 or 730c/kg.
Gemini sold 13 Mt William-blood Charolais and Charolais-cross steers, 289kg, for $1988 or 688c/kg.
SB Lees and J Rissman sold 10 Angus steers, 244kg, for $1903 or 780c/kg.
D & J Nowell sold 10 Angus steers, 244kg, for $1830 or 750c/kg.
D & N Higgins sold eight Hereford and Black Baldy steers, Jaclinton-blood, 288kg, for $1900 or 660c/kg.
Pelican Rise sold five Speckle Park steers, 282kg, for $1844 or 654c/kg.
Longview Agriculture sold 25 Murdeduke-blood steers, 323kg, for $2118 or 656c/kg.
JJ Arthur Parish sold 18 Angus heifers, Tillabudgery-blood, 414kg, for $2376 or 574c/kg.
Springvalley sold nine Hereford heifers, 395kg, for $2172 or 550c/kg.
Carrawatha Pastoral sold 15 Angus heifers, 454kg, for $2270 or 500 c/kg.
Glenwood Pastoral Trust sold 18 Banquet-blood heifers, 458kg, for $2473 or 540c/kg.
Koolomurt Pastoral sold 25 Black Baldy heifers, 253kg, Te Mania-blood, for $1877 or 742c/kg.
Koolomurt also sold 23 Injemera-blood heifers, 225kg, for $1570 or 698c/kg.
M & K Jubb sold nine Barwidgee-blood Angus and Angus-cross heifers, 212kg, for $1547 or 730c/kg.
Cadarga Springs sold 18 Wilgunyah and Murdeduke-blood heifers, 340kg, for $2278 or 670c/kg.
Cadarga also sold 37 heifers, 283kg, for $1918 or 678c/kg.
Pelican Rise sold 15 Angus heifers, 250kg, for $1720 or 688c/kg.