Ballarat cattle sale attracts buyers from across Australia as grown steers take centre stage

Rising-two-year-old steers sold to a top price of $3440 a head at the Central Victoria Livestock Exchange where agents yarded 3990 cattle.

Loddon View Holdings sold the top-priced pen of 21 Angus grown steers, 710kg, for $3440 or 484 cents a kilogram.

Feedlot orders by Thomas Foods International, Teys Charlton and JBS underpinned the first two-dozen pens of the market.

The Mason family of Stonehill Partners, Ascot, sold 18 Angus steers, 640kg, for $3320 or 518c/kg, and eight Charolais steers, 579kg, for $3220 or 556c/kg.

Buyers described the yarding as a "winter-like market" with cattle beginning to show the signs of the cooler weather, while prices remained firm to a fraction softer compared to a month ago, agents said.

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South Gippsland buyer Don Bowman, Elders Korumburra, was among the volume buyers in the first hour of the sale, purchasing about 60 cattle, 20-22 months, at 500kg or more, for clients back home.

Queenslander Bill Burton, Mort & Co, was active during the weaner steer run of the sale, purchasing 150 Angus steers to background at several properties across northern NSW and southern Qld.

Mr Burton said he bought cattle weighing between 270-340kg.

Mort & Co also feed cattle at the Ravensworth Feedlot, Hay, NSW.

Meanwhile, another interstate buyer, Scott Creek, Creek Livestock, Mount Gambier, SA, was also among the volume buyers and bought 200 predominantly Angus cattle to feed and background.

Mr Creek bought the first pen of the sale for $3440.

Albury, NSW, commission buyer Duncan Brown and James Brown, Ray White Albury, were also active throughout the monthly market.

In the weaner section, Springvale Farming sold eight steers, 411kg, for $2590 or 630c/kg.

JD Shanahan sold 12 steers, 393kg, for $2520 or 641c/kg, while GA Critch & Co sold the first pen of the weaner draft with 17 steers, 372kg, knocked down to Teys for $2450 or 658c/kg.

P Towart sold 12 steers, 295kg, for $2110 or 715c/kg, while Daelroem Angus sold 28 steers, 311kg, for $2240 or 720c/kg.

Tiarna Angus sold 16 steers, 256kg, for $1950 or 761c/kg.

TB White & Sons livestock agent Marty Gleeson said prices across the sale for all categories of cattle were firm compared to the April store market.

"The bigger steers sold a bit better but I don't think your lighter cattle, including the heifers, were no dearer and that perhaps reflected in the quality of cattle," he said.

"Most of the heifers were bought by feedlots who were very active."

Mr Gleeson said feedotters and backgrounders were the strength of the sale.

"Teys, Swifts, Creek Livestock and TFI were all there wanting to buy a few," he said.

"We also had good support from Mort & Co at Queensland, along with Campbell Ross who was buying from Hopkins River Feedlot too.

"We didn't have perhaps as many local graziers and that's because the weather has cooled off and we've had a few frosts so locals are exercising some caution."

In other heavy black steer sales, Labbett Brothers sold 27 steers, 603kg, for $3170 or 525c/kg, while Kimray Pty Ltd sold 22 steers, 556kg, for $3180 or 571c/kg.

Ecclesall Pastoral sold 16 steers, 518kg, for $3070 or 592c/kg and Hazelmont sold 15 steers, 18-20 months, 547kg, for $3100 or 566c/kg.

Everist Farms sold 20 steers, 534kg, for $3170 or 593c/kg, while Bullaharre Park sold 26 steers, 486kg, for $3040 or 625c/kg and 16 steers, 432kg, for $2650 or 613c/kg.

RA & DF Daris sold seven steers, 647kg, for $3220 or 497c/kg, while Stonehill Partners sold eight Charolais steers, 579kg, for $3220 or 556c/kg.

ML Monahan sold 14 Angus steers, 547kg, for $3200 or 585c/kg to Elders Korumburra, while PJ & HJ Cooney sold a pen of steers, 582kg, for $3230 or 554c/kg.

L Justice Harness Racing sold seven steers, 536kg, for $3100 or 578c/kg.

CNG & ML Crocker sold 11 steers, 490kg, for $3020 or 616c/kg and 10 steers, 414kg, for $2500 or 603c/kg.

The same vendor also sold five heifers, 465kg, for $2480 or 533c/kg and 10 heifers, 415kg, for $2510 or 604c/kg.

Ashgrove sold a draft of 51 Angus steers, 398kg, for $2630 or 660c/kg, while Carrahil sold 26 steers, 381kg, for $2540 or 661c/kg.

EL & WV Nicholls sold eight steers, 411kg, for $2590 or 630c/kg and eight steers, 385kg, for $2420 or 628c/kg.

Bells Run sold 24 steers, 277kg, for $2060 or 74c/kg and 20 heifers, 280kg, for $1670 or 596c/kg.

Andretto sold 22 steers, 282kg, for $1960 or 695c/kg and 20 steers, 239kg, for $1700 or 711c/kg as well as 29 heifers, 278kg, for $1820 or 654c/kg.

The Point Pastoral sold 36 steers, 281kg, for $2060 or 733c/kg.

In the older heifers, Ballanee sold 12 heifers, 478kg, for $2760 or 577c/kg, five heifers, 509kg, for $2590 or 508c/kg and nine heifers, 450kg, for $2620 or 582c/kg.

G & M McKechnie sold eight heifers, 386kg, for $2260 or 585c/kg.

In the weaner heifers, Tiarna Angus, Springbank, sold 12 heifers, 383kg, for $2320 or 605c/kg.

Jim Moss sold 11 heifers, 303kg, for $1860 or 613c/kg, while Lakeside Farming sold 20 heifers, 270kg, for $1690 or 625c/kg.