There's always a market

What's in Store by Don StoryONE of the great things about the livestock industries is that there is nearly always someone willing to buy sheep or cattle - at a price.And it doesn't take much to turn things around. Our Roma, Qld, store sale reporter John Guilfoyle on Tuesday said: "The croak of a frog combined with the suspicion of rain" was enough to cut numbers to 2045 cattle and lift demand, with a corresponding rise in price.The big sell off the last few weeks seems to be easing with panic selling replaced by a more level headed look at things.Over the past couple of weeks many croppers have surrendered hopes of stripping their crops and turned their focus toward salvaging something from their failed crops.Some have cut and baled, others just left them. In both instances there is an opportunity to buy a few sheep and make the most of a bad crop outcome. That's what some have done anyway.At Hay, NSW, last week a new field of buyers entered the market - those looking for wether lambs to graze these crops. The increase in demand pushed prices up from the anticipated $8-$12 to an average around the $16-$17 mark.At the start of the wether section, Elders lead auctioneer Steve Grantham said there was an opportunity to buy wether lambs, "do a good job and shear in March ... they could be looking at a trebling of their money."The other interesting comment to come out of the two sales at Hay was the looming shortage of sheep.Agents have been predicting this would happen for many months."There's not a lot of sheep left in the district," said Rawlinson and Brown's Hay manager Grant Kelson before his company's sale last Friday."We're unlikely to hold a sale in November because of the looming shortage. Once you get past today sheep numbers, especially west of here, will be greatly reduced."Adding to the enticement to buy was Grant's comment that the lamb job had turned the corner, up $5-$8 at Griffith, NSW, with contracts being offered for next year."This was all positive inducement to buy and young ewes were in demand.Grant said after the sale it was "nowhere near as bad as expected"."There is money to be made from sheep but the limiting factor is whether people have the ability or willingness to take on risk," Grant said."Opportunity" and "risk" are key words in the demand side of the supply-demand equation.There is huge opportunity at the moment. Ron Rutledge, Elders Jerilderie, said there had been few opportunities like the present in the past 20 years.The catch is the risk.oooSome are taking a punt on there being rain in November and have decided to hold on.Gordon Conners at Foster O'Brien, Sale, rang to say they had decided to cancel their November sale and go again in December.The main reason was the depressed store cattle market, with vendors deciding they weren't too badly off.oooMark Webb, Roberts Livestock, Tasmania, was last week misquoted as having said "we will be sending 15,000 calves over on agistment to market within Tasmania in the autumn". The figure should have been 1500 head. This was a reporter's error. oooTomorrow's big store sales at Euroa and Yea have created a bit of a headache for those running the respective sales.The Landmark Angus week sale has been brought way forward and this clashes with the sale at Yea.Landmark's Kevin Hill, Euroa, stressed the Angus Week sale at Euroa sale would start at 10am, with the Landmark, Elders and Rodwells sale at Yea set to start at 2pm. All up there will be more than 5000 head for sale.oooNaracoorte, SA, agents Association chief Bruce Redpath says there will be plenty of opportunity at the two-day Naracoorte first-cross ewe sales on November 8 and 16."We'll have about 26,000 lambs; 15,000 1.5 year olds and about 5000 mature breeding ewes at the sales."We did at one stage think that with the prevailing conditions we'd hold the sale on one day but we can't do that. There will be fewer sheep this year and we don't know what prices will do."oooMeanwhile, about 25,000 sheep will be sold at Jerilderie, NSW, on November 3.Elders' Trevor Basset says this will most likely be the last sale at Jerilderie for the year with a very good line-up of one-and-a-half year-olds a feature of the sale.oooThree big sheep sales are set for Bendigo in the next fortnight.First up thee is the 12,000 head associated agent Merino sale on Wednesday, November 1.The independent agents will hold their Blue Ribbon first-cross sale on Friday, November 3, with Elders and Landmark holding their Premier exclusive crossbred sale on Wednesday, November 8.Landmark's Barry Oddy says each of the sales will represent good value."The only reason there are two crossbred sales is the capacity of the yards."The sheep are showing the effects of the season and some vendors are worried they haven't been able to present their drafts in the same usual condition. Many have fed their young ewes. Hopefully, we'll get southern and irrigation area competition.