Interstate buyers concentrated especially on the two Wodonga weaner sales - Friday of last week, and Thursday and Friday of this week.

This second Wodonga sale ended the first week of the Victorian January weaner calf sales on a positive note for the Australian cattle industry.

Weaner steer on Thursday rated 13 points higher than the EYCI last declared on December 22 at 336.75c/kg.

On Thursday at Wodonga, the heavy Angus steers 370kg plus sold for $675-$770/head, averaging 190/kg.

Angus 280-360kg weaner steers lifted 2c/kg, to $582-$698/head, to average 196c/kg.

Light steer weaners sold to $592/head, averaging 210c/kg, with plenty of pens in this category selling at or above the $2/kg mark

Weaner heifers 280-360kg sold for $460-$595/head, with prices fully firm and in the range 175-185c/kg, to average 173c/kg.

Interstate buyers came from as far as northern NSW and from the Channel Country of south-west Queensland.

There, the inland rivers are set to begin flowing strongly later this summer following the best January monsoonal rains and floods in the Gulf and the Qld north-west in years.

Selling agents were Elders, Corcoran Parker and Landmark Albury.

The yarding of just under 5,000 head comprised grown, yearling and weaner Angus steers, and Angus weaner heifers.

On Friday, the selling agents sold a further 3000 head of whiteface and euro weaners, with prices for weaners on a par with those on Thursday.

On Friday, weaner steers sold to $825/head, for an outstanding pen of 10mth-old Charolais, weighing 467kg.

Hereford steer weaners sold to $670/head.

By the time January is over, 70,000 calves will have been sold in the main run of weaner sales in what is now described by some, as the biggest agricultural "event" in southern Australia.

This is on top of the 30,000 calves that have already been sold at big annual sales in Victoria's north-east and at Naracoorte, SA, in December.

On current values, about $40 million will flow into Victorian producers’ bank accounts from the sales during January.

And there are further Victorian weaner sales in February still to come.