Mt Gambier steers to $790

Heavy steers were $20-$40 cheaper, with most of the lighter steers yarded, 250 kilograms to 300kg, dearer than last month.

Heifers were up $30-$40.

Numbers of cows with calves rose, selling above expectations in the vendor's favour from $700-$1100, even though the quality was slightly down.

Miller, Whan & John's Peter Creek said a smaller number of heavy steers were yarded and they were cheaper.

A larger yarding of lighter steers were dearer, selling mainly to the Western Districts of Vic and local South East buyers.

Demand for heavy steers was down because some of the regular buyers were absent.

A pen of nine well-bred Cannawigra Poll Hereford steers account Walteela Props, Avenue Range, returned the top price of $790, and 12 Angus-cross steers offered by DJ&CG Sims, 448kg, made $1.74/kg or $780.

Wattleview Holdings offered a good run of steers, its top 21 Angus-cross, 408kg, also making $780 or $1.91/kg, with its secondary lines $1.95-$2.02/kg or $645-$755.

Seventeen December 2012-drop Angus steers, Pasturefed Cattle Assurance System-eligible and 321kg, from Wattleview sold at $1.96/kg or $630.

Avonlea made $675 on a pen of 17 Lindsay blood Murray Grey steers and sold a good run of Hereford-cross steers from $1.80-$1.81/kg or $585-$670.

RW Holme, Kingston, sold five heavy Angus steers, 453kg, at $750 or $1.65/kg and another two pens of lighter Angus steers at $625 and $550 respectively. The same vendor also sold two pens of Murray Grey steers at $545 and $410.

RK&SM Johnson, Benara, offered 10 Warrensville blood Hereford steers, 390kg, at $1.79/kg or $700.

A pen of 12 younger Hazeldean and Wittalocka blood Angus steers, 374kg, from AJ&DH Lock sold at $1.87/kg or $700 with a second line of the same weighing 318kg to $1.90/kg or $605.

G Smith & Co, Strathdownie, Vic, sold 15 Angus steers, August/September 2012-drop at $540 and 15 Ironbark blood August/September 2012-drop Hereford steers at $575.

GT Trading made $656 on 17 Hereford-Shorthorn steers 10-12 months, its secondary line of 22 selling at $620.

Pathfinder blood Angus steers account Minnerichi sold at $632 and $592 for pens of 18 and 12 respectively.

D&B Sawyer, Frogs Hollow, sold 14 Friesian steers 398kg at $555 or $1.39/kg.

Cows with calves topped at $1100 for JS&R Bowd for 17 Angus third-calvers with Angus calves, rejoined to Angus bulls, and a second pen of eight second-calvers with Angus calves, rejoined to Angus bulls, at $860.

Good buying at $750 were European Union-accredited Murray Grey cows with calves a/c Isabel Downs, Willalooka.

N&J Smith sold 11 second-calver Shorthorn cows with Angus calves at $800, and J Read sold eight mixed-age Angus cows with Angus calves at $795.

Selling to a top of $850 a/c Bridgewater were six Angus second-calvers with Angus calves.

* Full report in Stock Journal, October 17 issue, 2013.