Scanned in lamb lines of First-cross and Merino ewes were in high demand at a special sale of store sheep at Wycheproof on Friday.
Crossbred lines of 16-drop young ewes, due to lamb in June-July, exceeded values of $320 a head on two occasions while also on two occasions 15-drop Merino young ewe scanned to terminal sires passed the $260 a head price mark.
A further highlight of the 6500-head penning was a strong interest in Merino wethers that occupied about one third of the selling pens.
While butcher bidding underpinned much of the demand for wethers, restockers were bold in their attempts to secure wool-cutter lines with all but two sales cleared in a $110-$149 per head price range.
A smallish crowd hailing primarily from western, north and central areas of the state attended the Elders-convened sale that in the opening pen saw an order from Kyalite, NSW outlasting all others for a yard of April/May 16-drop ewe maidens scanned at 150 per cent following a January mating to Poll Dorset rams.
The Gudair-vaccinated line, offered by Laurel Farms, Glenloth, was sold on a bid of $322/head placed by Swan Hill agency, BR&C Agents while a second draft of their Laurel Farms sisters, with 122 head carded - same joining details - made $278 a head.
A smaller pen of 85 May 16-drop Strathmore BLM-cross young ewes, mid-February depastured to White Suffolk rams, made $312/head on a bid placed by Ballarat agency TB White & Sons.
