While Beef Week celebrated record entries, quality wasn’t overlooked with participating breeders producing the goods.

Beef Week committee vice-president Garry Rodda estimates an impressive $2-3 million worth of private sales were made since the Beef Week booklet was produced less than a month ago.

“This is significantly more than last year, not taking anything away from the large number of producers inspecting cattle coming up for sale in the next few weeks,” Mr Rodda said.

“With two reasonable seasons behind them, the cattle generally showed an improvement in growth and condition along with the improved genetics.”

Beef Week chairman David McKay said the results make Beef Week a good advertising and sales event for cattle breeders in the lead-up to the autumn bull-selling season.

“What I saw were excellent quality cattle,” he said. “The stock presented were in good condition and easy to inspect.”

He said there was outstanding interest in bulls throughout the event.

“There was good interest in bulls but females were a bit slower to move,” he said. “This perhaps is a reflection of the uncertainty in the market and economy.”

The inaugural Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) Heifer Challenge created a buzz this year, with close to 80 producers across Victoria and the southern Riverina displaying their selected top 10 heifers.

“I would say some haven’t had females available for people to look for a long time and this competition has provided the opportunity for that to happen,” Mr McKay said

“The challenge has created an interest in lines of females which will drop calves and be for sale in the coming years.”

Heifer challenge entries will be shortlisted and formalised by the end of February and announced in the Stock & Land.

And while the Victorian autumn bull selling season kicks off in the Western District next week, Hamilton Beef Expo starts today with the Young Auctioneers Competition and interbreed cattle judging.