Victorian stud principals are primed with confidence as the 2024 bull-selling season kicks into gear.
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More than 70 bulls were offered for sale across two on-property auctions on Friday, with Mount William Charolais stud, Willaura, putting forward a draft of 39 bulls and Pelican Rise Limousin stud hosting a multi-vendor sale at its Irrewarra property with 35 bulls offered.
Then on Monday, Yarram Park Hereford stud, Willaura, put forward 59 bulls.
More than 15 bull sales will take place in Victoria before the end of the month, with some of the best-performing studs of 2023 gearing up for their biggest day of the year.
An additional 20-plus bull sales will take place across the state in March from Ensay in East Gippsland to Ruffy in the Strathbogies and everywhere in between.
Banquet Angus stud principal Stephen Branson, Mortlake, said the cattle sector was generally optimistic after a "disastrous" plummet in beef prices in October.
"We've seen an incredible turnaround in the season and just in the last few days we've had another bout of significant rainfall fall through NSW," Mr Branson said.
"We're certainly not expecting anything like the results of the last couple of years, but it should be solid."
The western district stud recorded the highest sale average across Victoria of $16,948 in February last year, and Mr Branson said the stud would offer 104 mainly 18-month-old bulls again on February 29.
"The demand will still be there for the number of bulls because producers in the south haven't been forced to destock which means there's still the same number of cow numbers in southern Australia," he said.
"Northern NSW and Queensland certainly experienced a contraction in cattle numbers, so what those farmers do will be anyone's guess, but in southern NSW and Victoria, we'll see similar demand."
Elders Victoria and Riverina stud stock manager Ross Milne said the outlook for the season was "pretty positive".
"There is a lot of confidence in the beef industry as a result of the recent increase in cattle prices," Mr Milne said.
"I don't think there's going to be a hell of a lot of difference between the 2023 and 2024 results."
