IT'S ONLY the beginning of the summer weaner selling season and already the benchmark for good weaner calves appears set.

The weaner selling season got underway with two big days at Yea and Euroa last week.

Almost 6000 head in total sold to local demand, supplemented by orders from South Gippsland and the Western District.

Weaner steers, aged eight to 10 months and weighing 300-350kg, typically made 170c to 190c/kg with only the best and lightest selling at the top end of this price range.

Weaner heifers mostly sold from 145c to 160c/kg.

Mick Curtis, Newmarket Livestock Euroa, predicted weaner sales to come would follow the same trends as those experienced at Yea and Euroa.

"The market is not where we would ideally want it, but it's still 10 to 15c/kg in front of the prime market," Mr Curtis said.

"We'll probably see other weaner sales fall into line."

The premium offerings from Rodwells and Landmark at Yea and Newmarket and Landmark at Euroa sold well to local backgrounders, but failed to attract any interest from north of the border.

"The northern buyers were non-existent," Mr Curtis said.

"We probably won't see any competition from them before Christmas. If it rains, they might come down in January, but otherwise, they'll be quiet."

But even if a full gallery of buyers is present at the Hamilton calf sales in the New Year, some agents are tipping the cattle will be too heavy for backgrounders or restockers to make a margin.

"The Western District calves are going to be fat; many will get hung up meaning there will be few restocking cattle come autumn," Russell Mawson, Landmark Euroa, said.

Elders will get in on the action with 2700 weaners to be sold at Yea tomorrow and 3500 at Euroa on Friday.

Bruce Elliott of Elders Yea said he expected repeat buyers from northern NSW, Gippsland and nearby regions to underpin their sale.

"There's a bit of feed about in the south (of Victoria) and that will no doubt help," Mr Elliott said.

Included in the predominantly Angus yarding at Yea will be 450 Charolais-cross cattle; one of the largest yardings of European blood cattle seen at the centre.

A further 20,000 weaner calves will be sold in the first week of January out of Victoria's North East and the Western District.