Deni spring store sheep sale

A smallish crowd attended, and with no noticeable presence from western Victoria, buyers from Bendigo, Deniliquin, NSW Murray districts and processors (on wether lambs) were left to absorb the lion's share of the 12,200-head penning.

A feature of the market was a one mark consignment of 3000 young ewes bred in the Moulamein district by Ian and Camilla Shippen, trading as Banyandah Pastoral Company.

August-shorn, their Bundy-blood and bred, June-July 13-drop ewes made to $160 a head and averaged $130, while Andrew Burge, Prairie Home, Deniliquin, secured the market's next best price of $156 a head for a January-shorn line of 197 Woodpark-bld young ewes, May-June 13-drop.

Sold in four decks drafts the lead of Banyandah Pastoral ewes were snapped up by Finley agency Southern Riverina Livestock, while the second run went to Rodwells Deniliquin.

Rodwells Bendigo and Elders Bendigo each took half of the Banyandah third-draft pen of 830 head paying prices of $136 and $132 a head respectively, while the fourth and five drafts of made $120 and $116.

Rodwells auctioneer Robert Bolton said with the small crowd that was present bidding was "slow-going" but resultant prices achieved mostly met expectation.

"With the way the season has panned out, and with western Victoria seemingly out of the market, prices were reflective of the growing caution among producers given the limited feed in paddocks and the concerns over water," he said.

A reduction of the Cumbagunda, Deniliquin, flock saw a line of 2-4 year-old Dohne ewes make $112 a head, with an April shorn fleece, while a pen of its 09-drop Sims Uardry-bld 5yo Merino ewes made $102 with the same shearing.

Murray Estate, Caldwell, sold a September-shorn line of 4yo Wanganella-bld Merino ewes at $116, while a January-shorn line of Prairie Home, Deniliquin, 5yo Woodpark-bld ewes made $114.

A small following of processor buyers were not in the hunter for the line-up of cast-for-age ewes, however they excelled in the market for wether lambs where most unshorn lambs made $56-$68, before topping at $77.50.

The best priced wether lambs were offered Old Cobran Pastoral Co, Caldwell, while a draft of 1400 Bullawah Station, Conargo, wether lambs made to $66, and Cooneen, Booroorban, sold its Caroonboon-bld unshorn wethers at $67.

A small selection of crossbred ewes opened the market with the annual draft of Telko, Deniliquin, sold at $190.

Sired by Womboota Border Leicester rams these August shorn 1.5yo were purchased by Southern Riverina Livestock, Finley, NSW, while a pen of Calimo Station young ewes, August shorn, made $152.

See more in this week's Stock & Land.