The trend of falling prices at store sales across the state continued at the East Gippsland Livestock Exchange store sale on Friday, despite the quality of cattle being of high quality.
Agents yarded about 2300 cattle at Bairnsdale that enticed several local and restocker buyers to get a bargain on the day.
A small number of processors were also present to buy up heavier cattle.
Prices were firm for the better lines of cattle on the day, while agents worked hard to find competition for lighter calves throughout the saleyard.
Elders Bairnsdale livestock manager Morgan Davies said the softer price trend was due to continued oversupply, and reflected the wider trend across Victorian store sales in the last month.
"I think there's a lot of slaughter cattle coming in as feeder cattle, which there's an abundance of," Mr Davies said.
"I think the ability to have hay and things like that also influences things."
A lack of rain throughout eastern Victoria over winter was starting to show its impact, with farmers already preparing for further dry conditions if an El Nino weather pattern is officially determined by the Bureau of Meterology.
Mr Davies said locally, holding cattle had "not been on people's priority list right now", which enticed people to start selling.
"We need a good amount of rain to keep going into the future, and I think it's just going to stay tough until we do," Mr Davies said.
Steers averaged $845.20 a head on the day, while heifers sold for an average of $629.65.
The top of the weaner steers was a pen of 20 Angus cattle from Alexander Prime, Walpa, 392kg, which sold for 354 cents per kilogram or $1,390.
Smith Graziers sold two pens, each containing 20 Angus weaner steers, with both pens weighing 346kg and 344kg having sold for $1060 a head, or 306c/kg and 308c/kg, respectively.
BC Flynn, Ensay, sold a pen of 20 Angus cattle, 409kg, for 357c/kg or $1460.
R McMahon, Dargo, sold 16 cows with calves at foot for $1280.
Meat & Livestock Australia reported that the top of the weaner heifers were a pen of 31 Angus steers, 311kg which sold for 321c/kg or $1000.
MLA also reported the top of the yearling heifers made were a pen of three crossbred cattle, 477kg, which sold for 220c/kg or $1050.
Twenty nine cows and calves and five bulls were also on offer.
