WITH a yarding pushing 5000 head, prices for weaner steers shot to 234c/kg and unjoined heifers to 193c/kg at Wodonga today.

The advertised yarding of 3500 store cattle swelled with water shortages forcing central NSW and Monaro producers to lighten numbers.

Restockers, domestic processors, backgrounders and lotfeeders were competiive on the grown and weaner steers, and weaner heifers.

As a result, the market rebounded to be 20c/kg higher than the previous Wodonga special store sale.

Cattle were sold to Corryong, Euroa, Wangaratta, Shepparton, Yea, Finley, Yarrawonga, Swan Hill, Bathurst, Coonamble, Gunnedah, Coolah, Dubbo, and Taroom, Queensland.

Grown steers (12-19 months), weighing over 350kg, topped at $775 and sold down to $560, equating to 160-178c/kg.

The first consignment of Feederguard-treated (pre-feedlot vaccinations) steers to be offered at Wodonga attracted a small premium.

The Limousin-Angus cross steers, aged 16 months, sold for 170-178c/kg - 5c/kg above the balance of the grown steers.

Buyers had a good selection of autumn-drop weaner steers to choose from, with the heavy end topping at $694.

The balance sold for $535-$660, or 160-205c/kg.

Lightweight weaner steers, weighing less than 250kg, were the big movers, with prices up $100 to $400-$546.

This equated to 192-234c/kg, a rise in the top end of 70c/kg on the previous store sale.

Max Webb, of Walbundrie, topped the cows and calves with his rejoined Angus cows, third calvers, and spring-drop Limousin-cross calves, selling for $1130.

A big line up of grown heifers kept domestic lotfeeders happy, and prices topped at $575 (169c/kg) for Charolais-cross heifers weighing 340kg.

On a cents a kilogram basis, Denis Henderson, of Echuca, paid the top of 195c/kg for Angus weaner heifers, weighing 146kg, for a Cohuna restocker.