Weaner steers sold to $1395 a head and heifers to $950 at the Warrnambool annual premier weaner sale.
District livestock producers presented what was described by many as one of the best line-ups of weaner steers and heifers ever seen at Warrnambool.
Associated agents yarded nearly 1900-head with some producers holding back heifers from the sale.
The top on a liveweight basis was 334 cents a kilogram for steers and 279c/kg for heifers.
The first run of heavier steers, 390 to 428kg, sold mainly between 310-326c/kg.
The top price of 334c/kg was paid for a pen of steers sold by the Russell family, Inglewood Angus, Warrnambool.
The pen of 24 steers weighed 315kg and came out at $1052.
The feature sale attracted a large gallery of buyers with feedlotters competing with producers looking to put cattle into the paddock, aiming for sales later in the year.
Export orders were also present.
The lighter weighed steers in a range of 330 to 370kg sold between 305-320c/kg, including the top of 334c/kg.
The open auction cattle were again a feature of this yarding with plenty of competition resulting in steers generally making $920 to a top of $1100.
Good quality light steers sold from $800-$920.
Heifers sold consistently to good demand, with most selling from 260-275c/kg, with a top of 279c/kg.
There was good support for the light end of heifers that sold from 255-272c/kg.
Again there was good support from producers locally as well as south-east of SA and western district buyers, paying between $720 and $820 in the open auction section.
Tops on a per head basis was a pen of 15 Angus steers sold by Tarrone View, that weighed 428kg and sold for $1395 or 326c/kg.
A second line of 17, 405kg, sold for $1300 or 321c/kg.
The Mickali Family Trust sold a draft of steers with the tops of 27 weighing 406kg, selling at 325c/kg or $1319.
The Kilmorey Partnership forwarded steers with the heaviest weighing 388kg selling for 318c/kg or $1217.
They later sold two pens alike for 318c/kg at weights of 376kg and 367kg or $1167 to $1195 for a total of 36.
Another pen of 19, 366kg, sold for 323c/kg or $1182, while a pen of 22, at 351kg, sold for 312c/kg or $1098.
Other steers included 17 by Greenhills that weighed 401kg and sold for 325c/kg or $1303, while B & M Smith sold 16 steers, 410kg, for 324c/kg or $1328.
Brenair Park sold a consignment of pure Simmental mixed-sex weaners with the steers selling to 300c/kg for cattle weighing 372kg, or $1116.
A second pen of 23, 352kg, sold for 288c/kg or $1013.
The heifer portion topped at 275c/kg or $913 for heifers weighing 332kg.
The tops of the open auction steers was $1100 reached for two pens.
The first was a pen sold by Newbridge for 27.
The other occasion was a pen of 16 sold by Connor Mugavin.
In the heifer section it was a pen of 27 sold by Ninovah that weighed 352kg, making the top per head at $950 or 270c/kg.
Their second pen of 15 at 296kg sold for 276c/kg or $817.
Inglewood again did well with a pen of 20 weighing 341kg selling for 273c/kg or $931 and a second pen of 19, 338kg, making 273c/kg or $922.
Treasland sold two pens of heifers with the first pen of 27 weighing 318kg making 272c/kg or $865 and a second draft of 22, 282kg, selling for 272c/kg or $767.