The promise of warm weather in southern Australia appears to have led to an new influx of cattle from drier parts of NSW.
Last week agents estimate that the store sales at Yea and Wodonga had around 2000 head between them consigned from the Southern Riverina and New England regions of NSW.
Sales at Leongatha and Bairnsdale also attracted cattle from the southern coastal areas of NSW, and last month around 120 young Angus steers and heifers from Inverell NSW were sold at Pakenham.
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For vendors the southern attraction lies in getting closer to buyers who have had a wet winter season and have feed on the ground.
In particular Gippsland and the southern and southwest areas of Victoria.
But livestock agent with Elders in Yea Jamie Quinlan said cattle from that sale went everywhere.
"It's just that there's a lot of people chasing cattle," he said.
"If there's four pens of 30 steers there could be up to four different buyers.
For Victorian buyers that the cattle are coming to them is bonus.
Director of Charles Stewart Dove in Colac Shelby Howard said restockers in the southwest of the state have taken advantage.
"A lot of local producers and backgrounds around this area are going north to buy cattle," he said.
They're heading for Yea, Barnawartha (Northern Victorian Livestock Exchange) and even up to Wagga."
Mr Howard said that unfortunately, while many have restocked they aren't able to offer agistment to drought affected northern producers.
"People are wanting to send cattle down on adjistment," he said.
"We are obviously having a good season down here but we just haven't got the capacity to take in any other cattle from up north.
"We would love to but we can't."
But the cattle heading south aren't stop at Bass Strait.
Earlier in the year Tasmanian cattle producers were buying livestock as far north as St George in Queensland, but the winter months put that on hold.
Senior Livestock Auctioneer with Roberts in Tasmania Warren Johnston said last month they bought around 1000 head for clients in the island state.
"Mostly from around the New England area, Glenn Innes, Walcha, those areas," he said.
"We'll wait and see what happens in summer before deciding if we go again."
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