Competing for an all-breeds steer yarding of 3256, buying was again consistent across the breeds but without the highs and lows of Monday’s Black-only steer sale.

An EU premium of 10 to 15c/kg was again being offered by buyers, with those persisting with the accreditation scheme reaping an extra $40-$60 a head on their heavier drafts.

Tim Jewell, Landmark saw the result as very solid.

“This was especially the case in lieu of opening prime markets where rates are still declining,” Mr Jewell said.

Aaron Malseed, Elders said the difficult decision to combine the corporate company’s two days of selling into one all-breeds market had proven its worth.

Mr Malseed said the Hamilton yards were full to overflowing, which provided buyers with ample opportunities to seek quality lines of cattle across the various breeds.

Selling in agent runs, Landmark started the sale with the Rentish family’s Stonehaven Angus steers, 402kg, that sold on a single bid of 312c/kg to Harmony Agriculture.

These were following by the Robertson family’s Nangana Angus steers, 408kg, sold at 313c/kg as a pen of 52 to Thomas Food while the second draft of the Nangana steers, 359kg, made 331c/kg and were off to Glen Innes in northern NSW.

Three feedlot operations and two live export orders were again prominent buyers, along with restockers from west and south Gippsland, northeast Victoria and the Riverina while northern interstate buying was best represented by Glen Innes and Dubbo.

The best presented pen award went to Jean Maling’s lead-draft of EU Angus steers, Bassano-blood from Portland, 339kg, that made 337c/kg.

In the Elders run, a pen of 441kg Koala Park Angus steers fetched 311c/kg to top the sale at $1371/head, while Torbank got the next best price of $1347 (324c/kg) with a yard of EU Angus, 416kg.