PRICES improved as the first week of the southern summer weaner sales wore on and rain across much of central and northern NSW began to sink in.

Consecutive days of selling at Hamilton, Casterton and Wodonga produced rates 5c to 8c/kg better than the opening sales of the year with orders from northern NSW, Gippsland and Tasmania boosting local competition.

At Hamilton, the going rate for a 350kg weaner steer improved from 171c to 174c/kg over four days of selling.

Still, fewer cattle went north than in previous years.

Elders sheep and cattle national manager, Chris Howie, said that of the 16,000 cattle sold through saleyards at Casterton and Hamilton last week, about 30 per cent went north, compared to more than half in previous years.

This reduced competition had created a cheaper trend especially for lighter cattle, Mr Howie said.

"This year we're seeing lighter cattle a bit cheaper in cents-per-kilogram terms because the northern demand is not influencing it as much - they need the lighter cattle so they will fit on trucks."

While NSW buyers at Wodonga managed to absorb most of the 12,000-head offering, they agreed the good season had produced more heavy calves and fewer around the optimum 300kg mark for backgrounding, restricting their activity.

"A lot of people were looking for 240kg to 280kg steers and they were just not there," Wodonga commission buyer Damien Whyte said.

Vendors across all centres generally agreed prices were good considering the state of the prime market.

At Hamilton, prices for the week were 15c to 20c/kg ahead of prime market values, with agents reporting a 5c to 10c/kg premium for weaned cattle at feedlot entry weight, but patchy demand for EU-accredited cattle.

Prices broke through the $700 barrier at Hamilton, where Charolais-cross steers made to $741 (176c/kg), Hereford steers to $779 (or 178c/kg) and Angus steers to $719 (171c/kg).

But while Charolais led the charge, it was the Herefords that defied the downturn in the export market at Hamilton where they outsold Angus by 2c to 3c/kg to reach $695 or 207c/kg.

At Wodonga, steers averaged $571 on the busiest day of selling with weaner steers heavier than 330kg meeting strong demand from both restockers and lotfeeders to range from $550 to $670.

At Casterton, Hereford, Angus and black baldy weaner steers averaged 176c/kg for an average weight of 314kg over two days of selling while across the border, good quality Angus steers sold to $750 at Naracoorte, SA.