Victorian processors continue to face significant labour shortages as northern Australian graziers send their cattle south in search of better prices.
Cattle destined for prime markets across the state are increasingly showing signs of cooler weather, agents say, as meat buyers in the past few weeks have become more selective with their purchases.
Widespread floods across northern Australia have dampened prices across many of the affected regions which is driving producers to send cattle into Victoria in the hope of more attractive prices.
Nutrien livestock operations manager for southern Australia, Ron Rutledge, said volumes of prime cattle coming out of feedlots and properties across regional Australia remained steady.
"There is a lot of cattle coming from the northern sector of Australia into southern Victoria, particularly for organic cattle and grain-fed cattle," he said.
"The price is better in southern Australia than northern Australia and with the flooding they've had in the north, processors have been able to take advantage of the situation."
One major problem processors face is securing the people power to complete the job, with one processor telling Stock & Land last week their abattoir was operating at two-thirds capacity due a decline in staff.
"It is a major concern of the processing sector," Mr Rutledge said.
Limited supplies of surplus feed and cooler conditions are also starting to take their toll in parts of Victoria, including in the south-west of the state and across the border into SA.
However, the bleak conditions are not limited to the entire state with East Gippsland experiencing one of its best autumns in several years.
In South Gippsland, conditions are less favourable with many graziers relying on limited feed supplies.
"We had a customer from Orbost that consigned some bullocks into Melbourne and the processor noted he thought they were spring bullocks out of South Gippsland," Mr Rutledge said.
"It's a very rare occasion that East Gippsland has feed that is better than South Gippsland.
"It's almost unprecedented."
South Gippsland-based Elders Leongatha and Korumburra livestock manager Rohan McRae said prime cattle prices were trending solid week-by-week.
"Good black bullocks made 500-515 cents a kilogram, and crossbreds were 440-480c/kg and the Friesians were 350-380 for anything above 600kg at our market this week,"Mr McRae said.
More rain earlier this week and warmer weather on the way has renewed confidence.
"South Gippsland doesn't need a lot of rain in June and July but I think we've had enough to get the grass growing so cattle are certainly back on the do," Mr McRae said.