A slight price jump in both grown steers and heifers at the June Ballarat store sale has continued a recent trend of slight buoyancy in the market.
Agents yarded 1613 cattle in a sale offering good lines of heifers, while the offering of local grown steers also kept several feedlot and commission buyers happy.
That confidence helped increase prices by up 20 cents in those two sale sections.
Of the heavier cattle, a pen of 20 Angus steers weighing 546kg sold by KJ & LA Britt also sold for 359 cents per kilogram or $1960 a head.
That spurred on the market to keep prices hovering around the $1800 mark for those grown steers.
The first pen of the day - a 608kg pen of 12 Angus grown steers from Banksia Gully - sold for 324c/kg or $1970.
Weaner steers were still showing some signs of oversupply, and prices did not move much from the last sale at Ballarat, with cattle between 330-400kg averaging 364c/kg or $1317, while steers weighing between 280-330kg averaged 343c/kg or $1045.
Weaner steers in those two weight categories comprised a large portion of the yarding, totalling 520 cattle.
Weaner heifers weighing 330-400kg were in demand, averaging 288c/kg or $1053, while coloured cattle sold particularly well in that section.
A pen of 18 Red Angus weaner heifers from RS & RG Featherstone weighing 394kg sold for 312c/kg or $1230, while nine Simmental heifers from Howell Contractors, also weighing 394kg, went for a bit more at 317c/kg or $1250.
A small run of well-presented PTIC cows was offered, with Stonehill selling 17 PTIC Angus cows for $1590.
Much like Mortlake the day prior, a wide range of feedlot and commission buyers from across the state were present, many keen on the heavier cattle, while local buyers also kept up the lighter end of the yarding with bids.
Farmers and agents from as far as Leongatha and South Australia also were present at the sale but mainly absent from buying.
Elders Ballarat livestock manager Nick Gray said the store sale also had a lot of activity in the weaner steers section.
"All weights and grades were here today and I thought the heavy steers had firmed up a bit with just a little bit more activity, while weaner stairs also probably felt like there was a little bit more activity, but I don't know whether the rate changed that much," Mr Gray said.
"Then we come into our grown heifers and weaner heifers, and that felt like it had a bit more vibrancy, and those cattle certainly became a bit dearer."
Mr Gray also said many factors contributed to the slightly firmer market, but the regular anticipation for spring was the main factor.
"The days are starting to get longer, and we are more of less getting to a better time of year," he said.
"We are right in the middle of winter and just on our way out of it, and the fact that we do not see a large number of cattle either just encourages that supply-and-demand factor.
"Most of the grown steers were definitely snapped up by the feedlotters, who'd been competing really well on those cattle, and while there wasn't the selectiveness we saw a month or two ago, the bidders were quite active."
Mitchell Park vendor Steph Rogers, Arrandale, sold 30 Angus grown steers, 475kg, for $1740.
Her family had only recently moved to the area, with their farm being a mixed operation of sheep, cattle and horses.
She said there her farming operation were beginning to prepare for spring.
"Things are still quite wet on the paddocks, so we can't drive around too much," she said.
"But for the last few days, things have certainly dried out, and you can really tell that spring is on the way."
Bullaharre Park sold 17 Angus grown steers, 501kg, for 361c/kg or $1850.
Braemanya Family Trust sold 17 Angus weaner steers, 435kg, for 367c/kg or $1600.
K & N Walhauser sold nine cows with calves at foot for $2470.
D J Ross sold 18 Angus grown steers, 433kg, for 378c/kg or $1640.
K Allison sold 11 Angus heifers, 381kg, for 319c/kg or $1220.
