Big news never seemed to stop coming for Victorians this year.
Between the ups and downs of cattle sales, incredible community efforts, country mansions and runaway cows, there's plenty for Stock & Land readers to recap in 2023.
January
A dormant hotel in a Gippsland town was earmarked to become a bar and tractor showroom, meaning residents could soon enjoy a schooner while they shop for machinery.
The industry paid its respects to Hereford breeder and Yarram Park general manager Jeremy Upton after he suddenly passed away.
Return buyers drove up demand at Bairnsdale, with weaner steers selling beyond $2300 a head.
February
More than a hundred cattle studs opened their gates for Stock & Land Beef Week, with readers tuning in particularly as we visited northern Victoria on day six.
The community raised more than $50,000 for the son of Glengarry stock agent Adam Sutton, who was critically injured in a car accident which killed his father.
Buyers at the Leongatha cattle sale helped raise almost $6000 for the McGrath Foundation and breast cancer research.
March
Beef producers were left disappointed at the Mountain Calf Sales, with prices falling in some cases by as much as $1000 a head.
A trio of cows claimed the attention of social media - and readers - when they went on the run in the main street of Omeo.
A South Gippsland dairy farm sold "ready to go", complete with cows, sheds and four-bedroom home, at a $3.3 million price tag.
April
Warrenbayne's Prime Angus stud went out with a bang, after a bidding war at its final on-property bull sale drove a beast up to $86,000.
A property near Heywood was expecting to fetch more than $10,000/ac, but couldn't muster up a single bid when it came to auction day.
Feedlotters flocked to Pakenham for one of Victoria's biggest yardings of the year, where prices rallied on the back of 4000 cattle.
May
A farm aggregation near Mortlake caught the attention of readers, as well as overseas buyers and local families, as the highly productive properties went up for sale.
A teenager was fighting for life after a crash which killed four others at Bochara in the state's west.
The team at Cutting Edge Shearing talked all things business, managing growth, work-life balance and the demand for more hands in the industry.
June
An Antwerp stud had an early morning shock after a White Suffolk ewe gave birth to quintuplets - and all five were fully developed and healthy.
17-year-old George Austin followed his father and grandfather into Elfinvale Kelpie Stud, igniting a lighthearted father-son rivalry with his Casterton debut.
And veteran stock agent Brian Rodwell was remembered by the industry for a long career in ag, after passing away in Melbourne at the age of 90.
July
A historic country church - complete with a love story - sold for $145,000 to the only bidder out of 60 attendees at the auction.
Saleyards at Mortlake and across the border in Yass, NSW were handed over to Regional Livestock Exchanges as part of a deal believed to be worth millions of dollars.
The finalists in the 2023 Victorian Young Auctioneer Competition were announced, with competitors gearing up for the final in October.
August
An Elders stud stock agent looked back from his childhood in Malta to his success as a leading seedstock auctioneer, as he prepared for a move from Bairnsdale to Wagga Wagga.
Farmers remained optimistic despite cheaper cattle as Mortlake's months of steady prices finally started to face corrections.
One farmer in the northern Wimmera welcomed the march of transmission lines and said other property owners need to be constructive in order for renewable projects to reach their potential.
September
A 26 hectare dairy farm at Tongala sold for more than a million dollars, complete with a home, solar and 200 megalitre bore licence.
Feedlotters changed their tune and left south Gippsland buyers to snag the cattle at Bairnsdale, as drying conditions left producers thinking about whether to sell or stay.
Meanwhile at Leongatha, the market saw a similar story, with hundreds of dollars shed despite hopes for a cattle revival heading into spring.
October
A stately squatter's mansion at Colac went on the market, with buyers not only looking to score the 30-room Coragulac House, but a piece of Victorian history.
On the back of heavy rain right across the region, prices held firm at Leongatha despite talk of an impending El Nino.
And at the Melbourne Royal Show, the second Royal Rumble All Breeds Sale had plenty of interest, with Mortlake's PJ Cattle Company taking home top price with an Angus cow and calf combo.
November
Melbourne's last saleyard announced plans to close its doors in June 2024, as surging council rates and land tax put fatal pressure on Pakenham's Victorian Livestock Exchange.
Confidence came back to the market at Kyneton as good conditions boosted prospects for the season and sparked competition among buyers.
A church in the Mallee reworked as an artist's retreat found its latest owner, more than ten years after the congregation closed and a century after it was founded.
