Crossbred young ewes – scanned in lamb at 165 percent - have again crossed the $300 a head threshold at the Wycheproof saleyards in spite of this month’s dry and frosty weather.
The lower market top, considered $20-$30 off earlier June rates, was viewed as being a significant result given the adjustments that have also been made to lamb and mutton markets over recent weeks.
Other scanned in lamb young ewe lines also met with solid inquiry during the Elders-held market, with most collecting sales from $254 to $285 while pens of unjoined ewe lambs mostly made $170 to $220.
Jim Coffey, Elders said June’s dry and frosty weather saw only one millimetre of rain measured at his company’s Wycheproof office.
The dry weather and a string of stiff frosts have knocked the local paddock feed rather badly he said.
“It’s quite disappointing really after such an enormous start to the season in April”.
Also displaying a slight easier trend Merino young ewes, scanned in lamb, saw good numbers sold in the $190 to $236 a head price bracket while two pens of rising five year-old Merino ewes, with advanced young lambs at foot made $250 and $258 a head.
The day’s market top was offered by Mt View of Wycheproof. The pen of 201 was sold to Elders Bendigo as 16-drop line of Border Leicester Merino-cross that was scanned with 76 single and 125 multiple detections.
The October-shorn was depastured to White Suffolk and Poll Dorset rams from March-1st for an early spring lambing.
RE,SF & AJ Coatsworth, Wycheproof South, were a multi-line vendor on the day. They sold four yards of 16-drop BLM-cross young ewes, joined to White Suffolk rams in March. These were sold to interests at Ballarat, Bendigo, Kilmore and Edenhope at prices ranging from $268 to $285 while Granite Hill Pastoral cleared a June-drop pen of young SIL ewes, May-shorn, at $262 a head.
Final bids offered for unjoined ewe lambs, although easier, were also consistent between $170-$220 a head.
Vendor ML&MA Thomas sold, at $220 a head, a one mark line of BLM-cross ewes, December-shorn while Woodlands sold five drafted yards of May shorn ewe lambs, with its top 360 sold at $216 and $215 a head.
In the Merino section Fermoy, Corack sold, to $258, yards of Glendamar-blood five year-old ewes, February-shorn, with 130pc of marked, well-grown White Suffolk lambs at foot while the market’s top priced joined Merino ewes, sold at $230, was an April/May 15-drop pen of Grass Valley-blood ewes, September shorn and scanned at 95pc in lamb to WS rams.
These were trucked to Elders Warracknabeal while Hamilton agent Kerr & Co Livestock paid $228 a head for a Collinsville-blood, November-shorn line, SIL to PD and WS rams.
A limited selection of Merino young ewes, not station mated, also gained good inquiry to make $170-$210 a head while wether lambs made $88 to $113 a head to see some go home unsold.
