The last of the Hamilton feature weaner sale of this week ended strongly with plenty of local and Gippsland support for both Angus and Hereford female cattle.
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Agents yarded 2220 cattle at the British breed heifer sale which stayed string weighing a touch over 300kg in average weight.
The top price of the day was one of the highest of the week - going to Mount Napier for a pen of 16 Angus heifers, 368kg, sold for 386 cents per kilogram or $1420 a head.
The cattle from that pen were heading back locally into the paddock for breeding purposes
Anything with a little more weight attracted dearer prices, with Westridge selling a pen of 21 Angus heifers, 385kg, for 380c/kg or $1463.
The best presented pen of the day went to Reu for 22 Angus heifers, 355kg, sold for 356c/kg or $1263.
LMB Livestock auctioneer Bernie Grant said most heifers bought for breeding were consistently sold between 330-360c/kg, while feeder heifers were sold up to 310-325c/kg irrespective of colour.
"It was a pretty solid result today and Gippsland-buyer strong today," he said.
"You had the Ogilvie Group, but [other processors or feedlotters] weren't here at all."
He said much of the cattle had stayed local to go back into the paddocks, "which was really good to see" with a handful of pens also heading into NSW.
Mr Grant also commended the effort put into breeding by vendors in preparation for the western Victorian sales.
"Everyone that's purchased cattle have been pretty happy because they'd bought well-bred cattle, and all in all this week has been an exceptional week," he said.
"[That's] considering the way the job was a month or six weeks ago."
Vendor Ian Brown, Coleraine yarded 49 heifers at the sale, and yarded 154 cattle across the whole week of sales at Hamilton, with one pen of his 13 Angus heifers, 342kg, sold for 342c/kg or $1074 on Friday.
He said all of his sales had sold far better than expected.
"I think much of the results has to do with the rain in the north, which really has been a blessing," he said.
"The season didn't really suit our country with it getting really too wet in the winter and then very dry into the spring.
"We were very lucky that the calves finished off and really aim for fertility and perform well under tough conditions."
The offerings of Herefords were a little lighter than the Angus cattle, with the most heavier pens being G E Russell's 22 Hereford heifers, 342kg, sold for 312c/kg or $1076.
The best presented pen for the Hereford run went to Orana, who sold 18 Hereford heifers, 316kg, for 318c/kg or $1004, and another pen of 41 Hereford heifers, 297kg, or $944.
There were a small amount of other breeds on offer, with Bell Pastoral selling 16 Black Baldy heifers, 320kg, for 312c/kg or $998.
The Highlands also sold 17 Simmental/Hereford-cross cattle, 353kg, for 318c/kg or $1123.
Camp Creek also sold a high quality line of heifers, with one pen of 14 Angus heifers, 330kg, for 384c/kg or $1267.
Coffey Partnership sold 20 Angus heifers, 347kg, for 370c/kg or $1284.
Cumberland sold 12 Angus heifers, 371kg, for 326c/kg ore $1209.
Garrangreena sold 16 Angus heifers, 376kg, for 320c/kg or $1203.
Winninburn sold 16 Angus heifers, 338kg, for 384c/kg or $1237.
Koolomert sold 56 Hereford heifers, 272kg, for 350c/kg or $952.
