There was a similar number of cattle yarded, but quality was plainer, with much of the yarding in 1 and 2 score condition. A core field of buyers attended, but again not all operated or operated fully. Prices were firm to a little easier for young cattle, however grown heifers sold 10c to 20c cheaper and cows made a general 5c/kg more. The grown steers were much leaner in condition compared to the better covered penning of last week. The few vealers that came forward were mainly C2s that sold from 190c to a top of 268c/kg. The yearlings made from 190c to 280c, with a single steer at 298c/kg. The plainer D1 and D2 yearlings sold from 100c to 196c to processors and from 158c to 224c/kg to restockers. The smaller and plain selection of C2 grown steers made from 232c to 247c, with a restocker going to 270c/kg. The C2 and C3 grown heifers were from 195c to 240c/kg. Manufacturing grown steers received from 200c and 213c/kg. Heavy weight beef cows were mainly C2s that sold from 215c to 236c, with the D2 grade making from 180c to 208c/kg. The D1 cows sold from 155c to 185c, while most E1 cows made from 134c to 164c/kg. There were some heavy weight C1 and C2 bulls this week and prices varied from 172c to 201c and a bull in the young cattle sale went to 220c/kg.

BULLOCKS

4 Hfd X 604kg @ 200c/kg, $1208ph B Atkins

VEALERS

2 Hfd X 325kg @ 255c/kg, $828ph Como Par

4 Hfd X 326kg @ 245c/kg, $799ph M & K Hallyburton

HEIFERS

1 Ang462kg @ 252c/kg, $1164ph G Rogers

1 Ang 438kg @ 252c/kg, $1103ph Ballarat Containers

COWS

1 Ang 704kg @ 236c/kg, $1661ph G Rogers

STEERS

1 Ang X 576kg @ 298c/kg, $1716ph B Lawlor

2 Lim X 393kg @ 250c/kg, $981.25ph S Ackerley

VEALERS

3 Ang X 350kg @ 255c/kg, $893ph J Beal

HEIFERS

2 Hfd 498kg @ 255c/kg, $1269ph PG & JA Downie

5 Hfd 447kg @ 250c/kg, $1118ph Rifle Ridge

7 Ang X 303kg @ 210c/kg, $636ph J Beal

4 Blonde X 289kg @ 182c/kg, $526ph KJ Bellman

COWS

3 Hfd 732kg @ 236c/kg, $1727ph Rifle Ridge

1 Brown Swiss 592kg @ 178c/kg, $1054ph B Lawlor

BULLOCKS

Ang & BB X 586kg @ 247c/kg, $1447ph Hillcrest

STEERS

Ang & BB X 470kg @ 270c/kg, $1269ph Hillcrest

VEALERS

Ang 335kg @ 220c/kg, $737ph Moyne Falls P/Ship

HEIFERS

BB 448kg @ 280c/kg, $1255ph DW & AG Suares

Hfd X 437kg @ 280c/kg, $1214ph DW & AG Suares

Hfd X 463kg @ 270c/kg, $1249ph DW & AG Suares

Hfd 447kg @ 270c/kg, $1207ph DW & AG Suares

Ang 450kg @ 268c/kg, $1206ph DW & AG Suares

Hfd X 466kg @ 260c/kg, $1212ph DW & AG Suares

COWS

Ang 555kg @ 215c/kg, $1193ph Hillcrest

Ang 508kg @ 208c/kg, $1056ph EV & CM Thomson

BULLS

Ang 578kg @ 180c/kg, $1040ph Moyne Falls P/Ship

STEERS

Ang 484kg @ 255c/kg, $1234ph Bermuda

Ang 396kg @ 240c/kg, $950ph Bermuda

Ang 396kg @ 235c/kg, $931ph Bermuda

Lim 323kg @ 270c/kg, $873ph Nadoo Pastoral

HEIFERS

Ang 540kg @ 255c/kg, $1377ph JD & ML Boyd

Ang 468kg @ 268c/kg, $1254ph JD & ML Boyd

Hfd 409kg @ 265c/kg, $1085ph Kelly

Ang 398kg @ 272c/kg, $1081ph Bermuda

Ang 442kg @ 232c/kg, $1025ph EB Thomas

COWS

BB 655kg @ 221c/kg, $1448ph Burow Bros

Ang 599kg @ 228c/kg, $1366ph JD & ML Boyd

Hfd 684kg @ 195c/kg, $1339ph Nadoo Pastoral

BB 582kg @ 226c/kg, $1315ph Burow Bros

Frs 642kg @ 190c/kg, $1219ph JC, HM & PJ Dumesny

BULLS

Frs 964kg @ 198c/kg, $1909ph IK & CL Heatley

Frs 882kg @ 198c/kg, $1746ph IK & CL Heatley

Frs 794kg @ 198c/kg, $1572ph IK & CL Heatley

Frs 780kg @ 198c/kg, $1544ph IK & CL Heatley

Monday, May 27: Prime Market, 9am

Monday, June 3: Prime Market, 9am

Monday, June 10: No market (public holiday)

Monday, June 17: Prime Market, 9am

Thursday, June 20: Store Sale, 10am

May 20. Yarding: 302. Change: 7.

Cattle numbers were similar at Ballarat, with 302 head yarded. Quality varied from plain to good in places. The usual buying group attended and operated in a firm to dearer market. Better presented vealers and yearlings sold 10c/kg dearer to the trade, as feeders and restockers paid to 280c for LW steer vealers, with most sales on better bred young cattle 5c to 10c/kg up on last week. Grown steers eased 5c in places and sold to 273c, as grown heifers eased to 10c/kg in places on a plainer run. Cows improved from 5c to 20c and sold to 240c/kg for better presented C3 and C4 grades. Numbers comprised 94 cows, 96 steers, 83 heifers and 29 bulls. Vealers sold to the trade from 222c to 280c, plainer light weights sold from 128c to 150c, feeders and restockers paid from 196c to 280c, plainer lots made from 70c to 150c/kg. Yearlings sold to the trade from 214c to 243c, as feeders mostly paid from 165c to 225c/kg. Grown steers sold from 208c to 273c for light weights, as medium weights made from 225c to 266c for C and D muscle steers, while restockers paid to 180c/kg. Medium weight grown heifers sold from 203c to 239c, as plainer types made from 138c to 174c/kg. Heavier weights received from 180c to 239c/kg. Manufacturing dairy bred steers sold at 147c for light weights, as heavier lots sold at 156c/kg. Restockers paid from 121c to 139c/kg. Heavy C muscle 3 and 4 score cows sold from 190c to 240c, as the C2 grades made from 178c to 189c, with B muscle cows making from 160c to 189c/kg. The D2 and D3 score cows sold from 170c to 183c/kg.

May 21. Yarding: 710. Change: 113.

Numbers lifted slightly as agents yarded 710 head of live weight and open auction cattle. These sold to the usual array of trade and processor buyers, along with feeder and restocker orders. Quality continues to be extremely mixed, varying from the very light store conditioned types up to a number of pens of supplementary fed cattle, with the better types in demand from the buying group, while the secondary selection are hard to shift as the market again sold to mixed returns. Yearling steers to the trade sold to mainly dearer prices as they made from 205c to a high of 317c, with feeder support here from 235c to 311c, as restockers turned these back out to 287c/kg. Yearling heifers to the trade sold from 248c to 296c, with feeders active from 257c to 272c, as restockers operated from 212c to 233c/kg. There were insufficient grown steers and bullocks to quote as grown heifers sold from 165c to 288c, with manufacturing steers making from 185c to 250c/kg.