Pakenham's smaller buying gallery attends larger yarding of poorer quality

The Victorian Livestock Exchange advertised an offering of 3274 steers and heifers and 91 by 79 cows and calves, after originally drawing for 2000.

Baw Baw Livestock offered the bulk of the steers and heifers, with auctioneer Jayden Ferrari, Pakenham, saying the company offered 1300 head of cattle.

"A lot of local cattle have come in," Mr Ferrari said.

"There's a few cattle come down from the north, probably capitalising on the job lifting and people have decided to offload a few steers and heifers leading into Christmas," Mr Ferrari said.

He acknowledged the quality of the cattle was not as good as the last sale.

"Better quality cattle sold really well," he said.

Mr Ferrari said he felt the job "held up really well", considering the sale clashed with Mortlake and Barnawartha, Wodonga, and the potential for a big yarding at Leongatha tomorrow.

Lighter weight black steers pushed up to the high 300 cents a kilogram, he said.

"Your Angus steers with weight, that were 400-500-odd kg have made either side of 300c/kg," he said.

He said Westside Meats, Bacchus Marsh, bought a lot of the cattle offered by Baw Baw, to put on feed, while Melbourne commission buyer Campbell Ross was also active he said.

Feedlots J and F, Comdain and Jindalee operated on the heavier end of the cattle, with Nutrien Leongatha livestock agent Eddie Hams also picking up cattle for clients.

Alex Scott and Staff auctioneer David Setches, Pakenham, agreed vendors took advantage of the recent rain and growing confidence in the market.

He said the highlight was unweighed steers and heifers in the calf pens.

"There were calves there, estimated at 200kg, which where making $830-$840, because there weren't any really light cattle here in the main run, the hobby farmers and commission buyers really jumped into those well-bred little calves," Mr Setches said.

"Charlton was here, but they didn't buy a lot, as quality dropped off," he said.

He said Bergamin Pastoral, Willow Grove, had the biggest draft at the sale with their entire steer drop, which sold very well.

"Around the traps, there were a number of markets, which displaced a lot of the buyers - Koonwarra tomorrow has drawn for more than 6000 head, so that's where the south Gipplsand agents will be," he said.

"Apart for the Bergamin calves, some of those cattle would have been 40-50c/kg better - on the good quality feeder calves, at 420kg, we did have one pen make 327c/kg," he said.

"The cattle in the right weight specification, and of good quality, saw a significant rise - but the quality was up and down all over the place today, so its a bit hard to gauge the market on what cattle where on offer."

Ray Hardy, Pakenham picked up a pen of Bergamin Pastoral's Yarram Park-blood Hereford steers.

He said he would put the steers out on "clover country" to grow them out.

"These cattle will turn inside out," Mr Hardy said.

He was also pleased with the steers' eye pigmentation, saying it would reduce the incidence of pink eye, more likely to occur when the grass was long.

Michael Lettieri, Narre Warren, sold 16 Te Mania-blood steers, 680kg, for $1640 or 241c/kg.

He said he still had some cattle on the property but intended to sell them soon.

"I'll bring something smaller in, before Christmas," Mr Lettieri said.

Melbourne Royal Show director Noelene King OAM was at Pakenham with husband Geoff to buy heifers.

A pen of 18 Te Mania-blood females, 296kg, caught their eye and they bought them for $760 or 256c/kg.

"We will grow them out - we have the option of selling them on the prime market, or joining them to our Angus bull," Ms King said.

She was impressed by the information offered on the pen card.

"We can see the vet history, we can see their breeding - for me, that's marketing," Ms King said.

The heifers were also quiet, she said.

Burnside, Yellingbo, sold 16 Angus steers, 542kg, for $1590 or 293c/kg; 18 steers, 528kg, for $1560 or 295c/kg and 16, 518kg, for $1560 or 301c/kg.

Elgee Park, Merricks North, sold 18 Amerherst-blood steers, 542kg, for $1550 or 286c/kg; 16 steers, 533kg, for $1550 or 296c/kg and 16 steers, 498kg, for $1550 or 311c/kg.

T De Fazio, Lang Lang, sold 11 steers, 452kg, for $1360 or 301c/kg.

G and J Mathers sold 18 steers, 355kg, for $1170 or 330c/kg.

Cardinia Farms, Dewhurst, sold 18 steers, 458kg, for $1150 or 251c/kg.

Wiltshire Farms, Phillip Island, sold 20 steers, 432kg, for $1300 or 300c/kg.

H Fisher, Heath Hill, sold 15 Wattlewood-blood steers, 437kg, for $1450 or 331c/kg.

GJ and HT Symons, Trafalgar South, sold 23 steers, 313kg, for $830 or 257c/kg.

Bergamin Pastoral, Willow Grove, sold 20 Te Mania-blood steers, 331kg, for $1080 or 326c/kg; 15 steers, 310kg, for $1060 or 342c/kg and 24 steers, 294kg, for $1075 or 365c/kg.

They also sold a pen of Yarram Park-blood Hereford steers, 312kg, for $980 or 314c/kg.

L Pyle, Drouin South, sold a pen of 20 Leawood and Murdeduke-blood steers, 272kg, for $1060 or 389c/kg.

K and ML Baldwin sold 25 steers, 505kg, for $1460 or 289c/kg and 24, 465kg, for $1405 or 302c/kg.

P and D Almond sold 15 steers, 459kg, for $1250 or 272c/kg.

G and A Budge sold 12 steers, 410kg, for $1150 or .

N Pattin sold 13 steers, 652kg, for $1450 or 258c/kg and 17, 466kg for $1340 or 287c/kg.

DH Collins, Willow Grove, sold 16 Penbro-blood steers, 564kg, for $1640 or 290c/kg.

Highfields, Drouin, sold 15 steers, 558kg, for $1520 or 272c/kg.

R Dixon sold 10 steers, 359kg, for $1150 or 320c/kg.

Diamond Valley Pastoral, Cottles Bridge, sold 20 steers, 387kg, for $1230 or 317c/kg.

L Pyle sold 20 heifers, 259kg, for $660 or 254c/kg.

Pattin sold seven heifers, 413kg, for $980 or 237c/kg.

Dixon sold 17 heifers, 376kg, for $950 or 252c/kg.

S and T Onslow, Cloverlea, sold 15 heifers, 328kg, for $935 or 285c/kg.