Cattle fall back significantly at SWVLX Warrnambool, but local interest in cattle is strong

Buyers may have been able to grab a bargain compared to previous sales, with a cheaper market this month that was hampered by the wet conditions through the eastern states.

Agents yarded about 1900 cattle in a sale that had regular feedlotter and restocker buyers who were operating selectively, but a very significant group of locals turned up to fill the gallery.

HF Richardson stock agent Conor Mugavin said the softer prices were influenced by the weather.

"Grown steers were out to 500 cents a kilogram, while those weaner steers were in excess of 600-630c/kg," he said.

"Grown heifers were up to 470c/kg, while many in the open auction and the lighter heifers were about the $1700-$1800 [a head] mark, which I think is pretty much the same as what was here last month."

Crossbred steers were also cheaper, with some pens of Friesian/Angus-cross pens fetching about 400c/kg.

Mr Mugavin said he was not surprised that prices were heading downwards.

He said crossbred cattle were fetching interest and weaners sales were revving up.

"We've got a fair few lines of weaners coming forward earlier here and we'll have a fair few over the next month over December too," he said.

"People will probably start and have a think about what to do, whether to hold them or get them into sales into the new year."

Mr Maguvin credited the local farmer contingent who came out to the sale.

"One of the good things about Warrnambool is that local people really do soak up the cattle at times and they were pretty strong competition today," he said.

He said had it not been so unusually wet, the local contingent would have been stronger.

Zac Williams, Woolsthorpe, was one of those local buyers and bought a pen of 24 Black Baldy steers sold by AW & T Johnson, 310kg, for 604c/kg or $1872.

Mr Williams said he wanted to take the opportunity to buy up as there was a lot of feed at his property.

"We've had cattle on agistment, but nothing of our own, so this was a good opportunity for us," he said.

Significant sales included a pen of 32 Angus steers sold by John and Peter Anscombe, Woodburn, 319kg, for 602c/kg or $1920, and 22 Angus heifers, 263kg, for 528c/kg or $1388.

John Anscombe said he had always found the November sale at Warrnambool "was always a very good sale, but we are down about a dollar from last year".

"That was expected considering the conditions in NSW and the fact we could probably not take them up there," he said.

Farnham Springs sold nine Hereford steers, 503kg, for 544c/kg or $2736.

Millers sold 10 Hereford steers, 488kg, for 540c/kg or $2635, while C & M Baulch sold 13 Hereford steers, 306kg, for 648c/kg or $1982.