There were some outstanding stock at the first of the Dannevirke/Pahiatua dairy beef sale at the saleyards on Tuesday.
"The vendors have done an exceptional job, with the majority of these calves home-grown," auctioneer Bjorn Anderson said.
Three generations of the Stephenson family from Mountain View Farm, Don, his son Barry and his son Andrew, were at the sale to see how a line of 25 calves fared.
"These are the first cut of our bulls and I'm keen to see how they go," Barry told the Dannevirke News.
Autumn-born calves were first up with the top price $665 a head, with spring-born Friesian bulls selling between $430 and $500 a head.
Top price for spring-born calves went to Norsewood's Brendon O'Neill, with his calves reaching $500.
More than 800 calves were up for sale and Anderson said he was pleased with the sale prices which were well ahead of the Taranaki sale a week earlier.
The next dairy beef sale at the Dannevirke Saleyards will be held on November 17.