It was mainly locals buying at the second New Zealand Farmers Livestock feeder calf sale in Dannevirke on Monday.
With 30 entries, up from 18 on day one last Thursday, the best prices were paid for pens of angus-cross heifer calves and auctioneer Cameron Smith told the Dannevirke News this was the way of the future.
Top price of $195 a head for a pen of five angus-cross heifers and $190 for a second pen of the same breed set the benchmark for the sale.
"Buyers from Hawke's Bay will turn up when more calves come up for sale and they will push up the prices," Mr Smith said.