Confidence has returned to the store pens, with rain bringing buyers back to the rail, says Nutrien Harcourts Euroa branch manager Russell Mawson.
Agents yarded 825 head of cattle at the April store sale.
Agents opted not to quote weights on the yarding, as there were initial problems with the saleyards scales.
Mr Mawson said strong grass growth was behind the return of bidders.
"We are looking closer to the end of the rainbow, when it comes to all that meat that got dumped on the world market," he said.
"Everyone knows it's [the market] not going to go back to where it was, but if we can get it to settle down and [producers] can get 450-500 cents a kilogram for their steers everyone would be happy.
"By June, everyone will feel more confident."
The top priced steers sold for $1820 a head, while heifers went for $1500/hd.
Mr Mawson said it was a "very good yarding of mixed cattle.
"It's green and the market bottomed two weeks ago," he said.
"They are talking an inch of rain on Friday, so everyone is feeling more confident."
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Conroy Brothers feedlot, Yea, Wangaratta and Euroa agents were active at the rail.
Cattle were also purchased by agents from Schubert Boers, Albury, NSW, Nutrien Ivone, Myrtleford, Mulcahy Livestock, Tatura, and AWN Shepparton.
"It was only 800 cattle, so they are going to stay locally - they are not going to go north, you have to have numbers to get those blokes from the north," Mr Mawson said.
Euroa agents were expecting several thousand head of cattle in June.
"The steers would be $100-150 a head dearer than a month ago, with very strong competition, the best steer weaners might have sold for $1500/hd," he said.
Steers weighing between 280-320 kilograms sold for between $1350-1450/hd.
"Your 220-250kg calves would be back to $1250-1350," he said.
"Last month we had no competition from the rail - this month we had good competition."
He estimated the Gooram Springs steers could have sold for between 500-600c/kg.
Demand for the top end of heifers was very good, but limited on the bottom of the range," he said.
"Where we found it tough was those calves between 170-220kg, they were only doing $700-900 a head.
"But, then again, the job was dearer than a month ago."
Elders Euroa livestock agent Joe Allen said there was a broad selection of buyers, agreeing prices were $100-150 a head higher.
"There were some cattle going into the Goulburn Valley and we had local support," Mr Allen said.
"We have had a bit of rain, half a break, and there is a bit of green pick everywhere.
"Those little price-point cattle were most attractive to put on the short, green feed at present."
He said there wasn't a large number of heavier cattle presented for sale.
"It's that time of the year when we are between autumn and spring drop calves," he said.
Corcoran Parker and Schubert Boers were buying cattle for feedlots.
"That was about it, that made up the commission buyers, the rest was agency and local support," he said.
Among the larger drafts was a consignment of nearly 130 weaners from a property northeast of Broken Hill, NSW.
The Pearce family sent 129 weaners from Gumpopla Station to Euroa from Packsaddle, NSW.
They sold 11 head of Angus steers for $1460.
The family also sold five head of heifers for $940 and 17 head, also unweighed, for $1010.
Several of the pens were picked up by David Hill Livestock, Albury, NSW.
John Wilson sold 11 Angus steers for $1760.
RA and JA Duff, Duffields, sold 10 Angus steers for $1340.
The Springs, Beveridge, sold 10 Angus steers for $1380.
Gooram Springs sold 20 Angus steers for $1360 and a pen of 22 for $1280.
Christine Chittick sold 10 Hereford steers for $1250.
Yarrinup sold 25 Angus steers for $1040.
Henry Noye sold 21 Angus steers for $1200.
Doug Stray, Upson Downs, sold 13 Angus steers for $1050.
JL and S Finlay sold eight Angus heifers for $1110.
Zane Cazaly sold 18 Angus steers for $1530.
BR Kelletta and KE Wright, Terip Terip, sold 13 Conamarra-blood steers for $1000.
They also sold 11 for $1290.
W and K Cardwell, Numurkah, sold nine Margni Park-blood Angus steers, six-to-seven months, for $1020.
The Springs sold 10 Charolais heifers for $1160.
They also sold 11 Angus heifers for $1110.
E and P Albers sold 16 Angus heifers for $1500.
Gooram Springs sold 20 Angus heifers for $1150.
Goulburn Valley Water sold 17 Hereford heifers for $1140.
Judy Brownless sold 15 Tarcombe and Red Hill-blood heifers for $1090.
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
