Merino young ewes made to a Victorian selling season high of $244 a head on Friday when Elders Wycheproof conducted its largest sale for more than two years.
The November-sale market toppers were a September-shorn line of May//June 15-drop Tamaleuca-blood young ewes offered by the Tamaleuca Pty Ltd of Ouyen.
The next best prices for Merino young ewe was a bid of $202 achieved by WE & VE Rodger, Tchuterr, when they dispersed some 6000 of their Charinga-blood flock farmed at Burkes Flat, to the east of St Arnaud. The property is now leased.
Other pens of Merino young ewes sold on the day made $165-$185 a head while Merino breeding ewes, aged 2-5 years also meet solid demand to make $135-$184.
A large crowd attended the sale of 16,000 which also sold 15-drop crossbred ewes, with lambs at foot to $338, lines of rising 1.5 year-old crossbred ewe maidens from $202 to $274, and several drafts of 16-drop crossbred ewe lambs from $164-$234.
A large display of breeders' Merino wethers was also keenly sought, making $106- $123 a head while a limited selection of crossbred fattening lambs fetched $1107- $114 a head.
Elders Wycheproof branch manager, Jim Coffey remarked that the quality of penning was not to the high standard of the company’s September and October yardings.
“Our sheep haven’t finished the season as well as we might have expected,” Mr Coffey said. “They didn’t carry the bloom nor the condition of the earlier sales but that said a large portion of our breeding Merino yarding have all recently had their lambs weaned from them so their recovery time has been short.”
Opening the market and topping sales for the day was R, S & A Coatsworth, Teddywaddy West. with a re-depastured line of 138 April//May 15-drop Border Leicester Merino ewes that had 186 White Suffolk marked lambs standing at foot. These were sold to Rodwells Kerang, while the Rodwells Euroa branch bid $274 a head for a yard of 102 May 15-drop BLM ewe maidens that were also October shorn by MD & PP Connors of Charlton.
Other 15-drop young ewes sales included Kaniera & Shirley, Culgoa-125 September-shorn sold at $240, and PG & CE Sewell sold119 September-shorn at $202.
Feeney Bros, Swanwater, sold a line of 13-drop three year-old BLM ewes, October-shorn at $192 while 16-drop ewe lamb sales featured AD & RL Gawne, Barraport with an April-drop, October-shorn line of 172 sold at $234.
Other lines of 16-drop ewe lambs, included PM & AG O’Shannessy, Swanwater with 238 April//May-drop lambs that sold to $230, and a second pen at $176 a head while other lots made $164- $176.
The Rodger family’s dispersal offered all ewe age groups, from 16-drop lambs sold at $170 to five year-olds sold at $141. Their classed-in 15-drop line of 1080 head, which made $180 to $202 were sold to buyers from St Arnaud, Swan Hill and Horsham while four yards of each of 237 14-drop two year-olds made $172-$184 with buyers from Wedderburn, Warracknabeal and Quambatook all successful.
The Rodger’s 13-drop three year-olds (three yards) were sold at $164-$170 to buyers from Euroa while their line of 12-drop four year-olds made $144-$156 and were trucked to buyers at Horsham.
A second flock dispersal of Wallaloo Park-blood ewes offered by D&P McAllister, Banyena saw their August-shorn 13-drop line make $174-$186, a yard of 12-drop ewes make $153 and an 11-drop line of five year-olds sold at $150.
Other vendor lines of 15-drop made $164-$186, 14-drop ewes $146-$164 while 11 and 12-drop lines made $124 to $146.
