Northwest ewe buyers, once again, seized the advantage to buy locally at Swan Hill annual breeders' sale on Friday.
As was the case 12 months ago, buyers local to the north and west of the state bid freely on most drafts of young ewes at prices from $180 to a best of $206 a head while older ewes, aged 4 to 6 years, were cleared at rates mainly from $135 to $170 a head.
Two pens of unshorn wether lambs were captured by the trade at prices of $109.50 to $120 a head however all other drafts of 16-drop wether lambs, both shorn and unshorn, were returned to the paddock at values from $97 to $112 a head, with some trucked interstate to South Australia.
Unlike a year ago when numbers topped the 24,000 head level this year event, which was again held on the Grand Final public holiday, mustered only 10,000, with many drafts lacking bloom after the wet early spring.
This year’s sale for the first time also embraced the digital era, with Elite Livestock Auctions – a relatively new player in online auctions field- providing a remote bidding facility for buyers unable to attend.
The interaction between the live auction and the online bidding was useful and had no delays on the day as Leigh Vial’s “Northdale” Balranald yard of 220 Blue Bush-blood ewes, May//June 15-drop and September-shorn took the honours as the highest priced making $206 on a live bid placed by Horsham agent DMD,
Bennett Farming, Mystic Park was the next best priced at $194 a head on an August-shorn line of AMS-blood ewes while I & K Caldwell’s Caroonboon-blood young ewes bred on “Billamein” at Moulamein snared $191 on a September-shearing.
Neville Willox, Scotsburn Pastoral, Balranald sold his St Pauls-bred, Keri-Keri-blood, May/June 15-drop young ewes at $190 a head while the Hoare family’s “Tin Tin” Balranald, Keri-Keri-blood ewes made $180.
Other breeders’ lines of young ewes to attract consideration were: Kelly Family Trust, Mullorie-blood, Limestone Station-bred August shorn ewes sold at $185 while the D & M Mertz, Avenal-blood, Pine Lodge-bred 15-drop young ewes made $173, also August shorn.
A line of Uardry-blood 12-drop Dohne ewes lead sales in the aged ewe section of the market making $170 a head for CG Schiltz, Quambatook while Carmichael and Ficken sold Charinga-blood four year-olds, Fairley Downs bred at $161 as May-shorn.
In the wether section Ian Hodgeson, Kyalite sold an Avenal-blood line, unshorn at $120 while Larnoo, Moulamein sold unshorn Boonoke-blood lambs at $112.
Sales of shorn wethers were made to $106 a head for Condoulpe, Moulamein and Tin Tin, Balrandald, while Wyam Mellol and Mertz, Moulamein each sold unshorn pens at $102.
