Wet weather has seen the flow of store cattle to Victorian yards slow significantly, with some producers finding it difficult to get stock off their properties.
Stock agents said the fall in numbers was also due to producers who offloaded cattle when prices started to hit 800-10,000 cents a kilogram.
Kyneton cancelled its August 31st store sale due to low numbers, Elders livestock agent Dean Coxon said.
"Prices were very strong, early, and a lot of our cattle that would be traditionally sold now are gone - numbers are tight and it's bloody wet," Mr Coxon said.
"We can get a few in, but not enough to have a meaningful run of cattle.
"It's typically a quiet time for all these Victorian yards, but couple that with conditions that don't bode well for putting trucks in paddocks and it's a perfect storm."
It was likely a sale would be held in September, with producers offering cattle they'd held over from August.
"We probably won't see bigger runs of cattle, until later on in the year," he said.
Nutrien Ballarat livestock agent John McKinnon said the latest store sale was one of the lightest yardings seen in some time.
"It's wet around the Ballarat region, which meant cattle could not come, because of trucks not being able to come in and out," Mr McKinnon said.
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Elders Yea livestock manager Jamie Quinlan said agents expected to yard about 1000 head for its September 2 sale.
"In general, I think the cattle might have run out," Mr Quinlan said.
"Rates have edged up a little bit but there are not the number of cattle out there that there was."
A good season was predicted throughout a lot of eastern Australia but numbers would not grow until the autumn-drop weaners came onto the market in November to January.
'We've hopefully got through the hurdle that was foot and mouth disease, touch wood, and there is a little bit of optimism about the job," he said.
"But no one is really incentivised to sell cattle, at this point.
"They don't have to, there is feed starting to come on and there is a positivity about prices."
He said he felt yardings of up to 6000 head were "unsustainable".
"Once the weather starts to warm up the south and west Gippslanders will underpin some of the markets, in the coming two or three months" he said.
CS Dove Colac livestock agent Shelby Howard said it was traditionally a quiet time of the year, in the south-west.
He said he hoped around 500-600 head of cattle would be yarded on September 2.
"We need heat - we have had a very wet. cold and windy winter in the south-west," Mr Howard said.
"Wind doesn't mix with cattle, when you are trying to fatten them.
"Even clients in north-east Victoria have felt the cold and wet as well.
"I'm sitting on a few heavy cattle at the moment that just aren't prime - we are seeing a few cows coming through the system now, because the price has lifted and is quite good."
He said the FMD scare saw a lot of feedlots and abattoirs kill their own cattle.
"Those cattle are slowly going down, and they are not around - if FMD does stay away, I think we are in for a good ride," he said.
Euroa Nutrien Harcourts livestock agent Russell Mawson said he believed the cattle job was "on fire.
He expected a yarding of around 600-700 head at the yard's next sale, on September 1.
"Every man and his dog is as keen as mustard, the demand is heavy because the feed is there," Mr Mawson said.
"The industry has had FMD at the front of mind but we have made it through successfully - it's a great opportunity for people to trade cattle, to put steers out for feedlots and backgrounding.
"The prime market has improved dramatically and in the north the feed is magnificent."
