SPRING-drop weaner steers sold to a top of $705 or $2/kg at Bairnsdale today.

In a bigger than advertised yarding of 2880 head,  prices struggled to compare with recent north-eastern rates.

Very few cattle steers heavier than 300kg struggled to reach $2.10kg.

Many vendors like Mack Knott of Dargo and Frank Boulton of Gelantipy thought  they migyht have made $20 a head more.

Older steers, 14-20 months, sold at rates of 180-190c/kg.
G
&Z Nelson topped the sale at $830 with 12 515kg steers which returned 160c/kg.

While most of the yarding comprised early to late spring-drop weaners there were several feature lines of older cattle, including 101 18-month-old Angus steers which only three days earlier had been shipped from Flinders Island.

The top pen of these steers on account of Roy Peddue sold to $765 or about 180c/kg.

Paul Marshall topped the spring-drop weaner selection with 20 Angus estimated at 350kg which sold for $705.

Eighty per cent of the sales were booked to central and South Gippsland grass finishers.

Notable among the outside buyers were Peter Tudor, who bought 350 steers for a Queensland client, and Graham Ward of Wodonga who bought a b-double load of steers for an Albury client.

Mr Ward who buys heifers for the South Australian Ogilvie Group found the heifers prices beyond his range.

The best of the joinable heifers sold for $615, while most of the spring-drop heifers sold from $450-$550 at rates 180-200c/kg.