Yea store sale's solid buying field results in slight price lift

Agents offered 1501 head of cattle, including 908 steers and 537 heifers, as well as 38 cows and five calves.

Steers topped at $1540, for an average of $894, while heifers sold to $940, averaging $659.

The top cow and calf unit sold for $1360.

"There was a bit of buoyancy and a bit of spark, around the bidding competition too," Nutrien Yea auctioneer Tyson Bush said.

Mr Bush said the market improved on previous sales.

"Steers could have been $50-odd a head dearer, in places, and the heifers could have been up to $100/hd dearer, on the runs of cattle," Mr Bush said.

"The thing that surprised me was the spring is on us, the cattle are cleaner, they are weighing a lot better than we thought, and they are going with us now."

He said he hoped that that meant the market had now bottomed out.

"The cattle are presenting well, hopefully it is onwards and upwards," he said.

There was a good spread of weights, across the board, he said.

"We had some good runs of cattle, right in the slot, from 470-480kgs - the cattle are just weighing that bit better, there is a bit of 'guts' in the feed," he said.

The market was pushed along by agents, buying for backgrounders.

"A lot of our local blokes, between Yea, Alexandra and Euroa were buying," he said.

Mr Bush said he thought producers were not as concerned by the El Nino as they had been.

"They shoudn't be worried, either, we have got good feed with 'guts' in it and kill space is slowly but surely starting to create opportunities," he said.

"In the export job, cattle have picked up in price a bit."

The buying gallery came from a large area - including Gippsland, Bendigo and the Goulburn Valley.

Apart from local agents, feedlots and processors included J&F, Comdain, Westside Meats, Bacchus Marsh and Ascot Meats, Wodonga

Schubert Boers and Ray White, Albury, and Stock Direct, Wagga, NSW, also had buyers at the sale.

SEJ, Elders, Alex Scott & Staff and Wellington Livestock from Gippsland and Northern Victoria Livestock, Echuca, and Mulcahy Livestock, Tatura, were also among the agents buying cattle.

Elders Yea auctioneer Jamie Quinlan said he felt there was a good run of black steers, of differing weights.

"There was a beautiful run of cattle here that would have been 400-480kg and they have sold 10 to 20c/kg - and in some cases 30c/kg - better," Mr Quinlan said.

The Howie and Ryan cattle presented well and made between 240-260c/kg.

"I thought those cattle represented pretty good buying, with good breeding and frame," he said.

"They are animals that are probably going to be fat in late winter, early spring next year, so are going to be right in the sweet spot."

Feeder heifers sold for around 20-30c/kg better than last sale.

"I thought those little 250-300kg heifers were dearer, they might have been $100/hd dearer," he said.

"You would describe all cattle as being $100-150/head dearer than the last sale."

Mr Quinlan was reluctant to say the market had now hit the bottom, but "hopefully it's on the way back up.

"You'd like to think a couple of weeks ago the market was somewhere near the bottom," he said.

"From a standpoint of looking at the sales in the last week to 10 days, I think everything has shown a slight shine and is rising a little bit," he said.

"There is a little loosening up of processors being able to take cattle within a month, rather than three or four months.

"The job is not positive, but there are little signs of it starting to get a bit better."

He said agents had expected a slightly larger yarding, but it was still up on what was originally planned.

Villa Brae, Creighton's Creek, sold nine Te Mania-blood steers, 553kg, for $1300 or 2235c/kg.

Don Howie and Sons sold 34 Kelly and Alpine-blood steers, 474kg, for $1160 or 244c/kg and 43 steers, 419kg, for $1090 or 260c/kg.

Mulwa Park sold 22 Pert-blood steers, 331kg, for $900 or 271c/kg.

CP Ryan, Pyalong, sold 23 Mollison View and Levendale-blood steers, 419kg, for $1080 or 158c/kg and 20 steers, 371kg, for $920 or 248c/kg.

C Ryan sold 20 Angus steers, 370kg, for $920 or 248c/kg.

P and H Bonsema, Acheron, sold seven Angus/Hereford-cross steers, 437kg, for $860 or 196c/kg and 16 steers, 406kg, for $920 or 226c/kg.

C Tighe sold nine Hereford steers, 480kg, for $950 or 197c/kg.

DM Sweet sold 12 Angus steers, 466kg, for $1100 or 236c/kg.

DN McLean, Glenaroua, sold 20 Laradelle-blood steers, 348kg, for $890 or 255c/kg.

R Voss, Yea, sold 13 Kelly-blood steers, 353kg, for $800 or 226c/kg.

Hayhill Pastoral sold 25 Simmental-cross steers, 247kg, for $630 or 229c/kg.

Targs Hill sold 12 Riga-blood steers, 284kg, for $740 or 260c/kg.

The Gorge, Pyalong, sold 28 Barwidgee-blood steers, 292kg, for $830 or 284c/kg.

Campsie Glen sold 18 Campsie Glen-blood steers, 413kg, for $980 or 237c/kg.

Kaleb Artridge, Alexandra, sold 15 Connamara-blood steers, 267kg, for $670 or 250c/kg.

CK and ML Oliver sold 20 Connamara-blood steers, 330kg, for $960 or 290c/kg.

Allara Pastoral, Murrindindi, sold 15 Angus steers, 379kg, for $1040 or 274c/kg.

Mundroola sold 10 Riddellvue-blood steers, 379kg, for $990 or 261c/kg.

L and J Nutbean, Gobur, sold 17 Glen Goulburn-blood steers, 488kg, for $1020 or 209c/kg.

Hazelwynde Farms sold 22 Kelly Angus steers, 493kg, for $1160 or 235c/kg.

NC Gay sold 12 Shorthorn steers, 282kg, for $630 or 223c/kg.

GT and AM Pearce, Glenaroua, sold 20 Connamara-blood heifers, 430kg, for $1100 or 255c/kg.

Miandetta sold nine Millah Murrah-blood heifers, 504kg, for $940 or 186c/kg.

Allencon sold 13 Angus heifers, 504kg, for $940 or 186c/kg.

D Liapsis sold 20 Angus heifers, 309kg, for $620 or 200c/kg.

Bungle Boori sold nine Angus heifers, 372kg, for $750 or 201c/kg.

P and H Bonsema sold 18 Black Baldy heifers, 382kg, for $750 or 196c/kg.

Engi Partnership, Raywood, sold 19 Angus heifers, 406kg, for $800 or 197c/kg.

Evoke Pastoral sold 19 Angus heifers, 389kg, for $810 or 208c/kg; eight, 409kg, for $780 or 190c/kg and 28, 428kg, for $800 or 186c/kg.

Alan McKenzie, Bulla, sold 24 Angus heifers, 371kg, for $830 or 223c/kg.

P and J Hinrichsen sold 23 Angus heifers, 321kg, for $680 or 211c/kg.