2014-drop Merino young ewes managed a creditable top of $196 a head at Jerilderie in southern NSW on Friday.
Celebrating the 13th annual John Wells Memorial sale, the market of 25,000 was devoid of important Victorian competition, normally a great supporter of this sale in the past.
But with increasingly dry conditions spread across Victoria, bidding after the sale of the first half-dozen or so pens became lethargic and resultant prices varied widely with a number of renowned breeders lines cleared at prices between $110 and $140 a head.
The market top, and the winner of the John Wells Memorial shield was the Sleigh families’ Sleigh Pastoral Company. Their best yard of Willandra-blood and Bowen and Kooringal stations-bred young ewes was secured by Corcoran Parker, Corowa, while the opening yard of the sale, offered by Donald Bull, Irroy, Conargo, Woodpark-blood, made $182 a head.
Several of other repeat-buyer sales were recorded in the $170- $182 price range. These included the Woodpark Poll line of young ewes sold also at $182, a pen of Allanbrae young ewes, Lewisdale-blood, sold at $178 and a January-shorn pen of Mullingar young ewes, Mainelup-blood, Greenhills-bred that made $170 a head.
Addressing a large gathering before the sale, Elders auctioneer Ron Rutledge said that after a favorable winter in the Riverina the 2015 representation of Jerilderie young ewes was one of the best seen in many years. He also encouraged those with the mind to buying to take the chance of this yarding as it could possibly be the only sale conducted at Jerilderie for the spring.
After the sale Mr Rutledge said resultant prices were indicative of the week-and-a-half previous whereby the continuing dry and the sudden burst of hot weather had deflated the attitude of many would-be buyers.
“The absence of Victorian competition would be concerning for upcoming sales later this spring. However the compensatory competition provided by the eastern agricultural areas of NSW was comforting, and this was to where the majority of sheep were transferred” he said.
Elders Jerilderie branch manager Trevor Basset said that in spite of the lower than expected prices most breeders would be happy to take the money paid and move on.
“As an industry future sellers will need to reassess this grave situation in Victoria. Clearly conditions aren’t conductive to taking on additional stock and this was witnessed here whereby Victorian buyers would normally take 60-70 percent out of this market but NSW has retained as much as 95 percent without opposition”, he said.
A number of breeders’ lines failed to generate traction from the suppressed bidding. The North Run line of 14-drop young ewes, sold at $110 a head, looked particularly good buying, the Buckingbong ewes, sold at $112 a head, also appeared value for money while the Pooginook-blood Cooinbil ewes mustered limited bids to finish with a closing price of $114 a head.
The dispersal of the Ham family’s Lara Plains stud was another that failed to draw a depth of interest when a pen of their double-stud ewes, aged two, three and four year-old, was cleared at $134 a head. And, a pen of classed 14-drop breeders, in a flock-dispersal by the Burke family, Bonnie Doon, Deniliquin made just $130 a head.
Demand for pens of mixed aged breeding ewes varied on name and fortune.
A pen of North Coree 13-drop classed breeders made $140, while pens of the Sleigh Pastoral five year-old ewes made $120 and $110. Other three to five year-old Merino ewes made $60- $114 while a line of 1200 Coonong-blood and bred F3 Dohne ewes, 13-drop made $110 with their F2 13-drop sisters failing to make expectation.
The display of 15-drop unshorn wethers was comparative small on recent years with just three consignments offered over six draft pens.
Best priced was the North Run-blood and bred wethers sold at $75 a head to Corcoran Parker, Corowa. A second-draft of the North Run wethers made $63 while the Wanganella-blood, Barratta-bred wether lambs offered by Australian Food and Agriculture Co- Barratta made $62, $58 and $63 a head.
