A smaller than usual yarding at didn't deter competition in the gallery at Friday's CVLX Ballarat August store cattle sale with many keen to buy up in anticipation for a spring growth in feed for cattle.
Agents yarded about 580 cattle which was mainly good quality, which Nutrien Ballarat livestock agent John McKinnon said was an achievement, considering recent weather.
"This yarding was lightest numbers on offer for some considerable amount of time, but in saying that there was a very good line of cattle, considering the weather that we have been in," he said.
"It has been very wet in the Ballarat region, which unfortunately meant a number of cattle could not attend the sale today because of trucks not able to get in or out."
There was a small offering of grown steers with those ranging between 300 and 400 kilograms hitting about 550c/kg, with a top price pen of 13 Angus steers sold by L & P Mudford going for 611 cents per kilogram or $2290 a head.
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Another small run of high quality Angus weaner steers ranging between 200 to 400 kilograms in weight regularly passed 650c/kg.
Most cattle sold to exceptionally strong competition in the gallery with both runs of weaner and grown steers selling at about $300 a head dearer compared to Ballarat's July sale.
Mr McKinnon also said heifers and cows and calves were displaying similar purchasing trends.
"The heifer weaners sold to strong competition from away buyers and to locals and they rose by $250 upwards to $300 a head from our sale about a month ago," he said.
"The three pens of cows and calves that were here also sold to strong competition which were firm if not a little bit dearer."
"It was a wintery type of yarding, but a nice crowd came on a sunny day."
Much like WVLX Mortlake's store sale on Thursday, Ballarat's sale also had many farmers and future buyers visiting to simply see how prices are trending, with the anticipation of a good spring season.
Mr McKinnon said Gippsland buyers did attend the sale but big steers were not offered that would attract most of those buyers and the main competition was from down south and north of the Murray.
"People here locally in Ballarat wouldn't be anticipating big feed growth, because we are six to eight weeks away from observing spring here but those north of the Great Dividing Range are certainly only four weeks of spring, feed and sunshine and are much keener to buy cattle now," she said.
Vendor Andrea Strawhorn, Blowhard who sold 18 Angus heifers with an average weight of 341kg for 571c/kg or $1950.
She said the end of winter meant it was a simple routine for her to sell her cattle at the Ballarat sale.
"This is simply our time to sell them off, and we have been not been to affected by the wet winter because once upon a time we were very much used to those kind of seasons up near Blowhard," she said.
"It actually has been drier in the last few years in our region, so this year has meant we have gone back to the way things were, which is good."
Other notable sales included P & H Bogie, who sold 12 Hereford steers, 441kg, for 541c/kg or $2390.
D & J McDonald, who sold eight Angus heifers, 361kg for 537c/kg or $1940.
Garth Doolan sold a pen 11 Angus steers, 192kg, for 799c/kg or $1540 and another pen of six Angus heifers, 302kg for 530c/kg or $1600.
S & V Gulle sold a pen of six Angus steers, 288kg, for 699c/kg or $2010 and another pen of nine Hereford steers, 323kg, for 650c/kg or $2100.
G McManus sold 13 Angus steers, 261kg, for 731c/kg or $1910.
Borriyalloak sold 10 Angus heifers, 372kg for 537c/kg or $2000.