A stellar spring across large tracts of southeastern Australia has triggered a restocking race, with producers paying record prices for sheep and cattle as confidence surges back to the paddock.

With feed in front of them and stock increasingly hard to find, buyers are scrambling to secure sheep, lambs and cattle, lifting saleyard prices and pushing national restocker indicators higher despite global market uncertainty.

Last week’s annual sheep sale at Lameroo in South Australia captured the mood, with the top price reaching a record $512, smashing the previous centre high of $395.

Last week’s Wodonga sale saw fewer than 1000 cattle offered as many local producers opted to hold on to stock and take advantage of paddocks full of feed, with light steers pushing through 700c/kg in a major market reset.

And store sheep sales are struggling to yard more than a few thousand, with Deniliquin’s fixture of 15,000 booked in this week one of the biggest saleyard ewe offerings in months.

National indicators monitored by Meat and Livestock Australia show the restocker steer indicator has lifted 19c/kg in the past week, while the restocker heifer indicator rose 25c/kg.

Meanwhile the restocker lamb indicator has jumped 56c/kg in the past week as producers capitalise on feed and consistently high prices.

Ballarat lamb finishers paid up to $290 on Monday at Bendigo to secure numbers, while South Australia’s Lameroo sale saw 19 pens make $400 or more.

Elders agent Jarryd Finch said it had been the best ever sale at Lameroo and buyers were keen to secure well-bred sheep.