THE BAR was set high, but bidders were up to the challenge, when crossbred one and a half year-old ewes made a record $318/head at Bendigo’s premier exclusive breeders crossbred sheep sale on Wednesday.
After reaching a season-high $314/head at Corowa two weeks ago, Malcolm, Jan and Gregor Knight, ‘Golden Wattle’, Quambatook, sold the record-breaking draft of April/May 2016-drop ewes that were bred ex-Charinga-blood Merino ewes by Towarri Border Leicester rams.
The pen was bought by Elders Avoca for Chris Hibbins, ‘S&D Investment Holdings’, Maryborough.
The Knight family also sold a second draft of 192-head at $316/head that went to repeat buyer Rodwells Shepparton for the John and Di Hawkes of Violet Town.
Other young ewe sales to cross the $300 a head mark included: JH Hay and Son, Kamarooka with a yard of 200 sold at $304, ex Banyandah Merino ewes by Towarri BL rams and AT & FJ Bail”Yattarna” Kotta - a yard of 111 sold at $300 ex Croiden Merino ewes by Campaspe.
Prices across the remainder of young ewe yarding ranged mostly from $260 to $298/head, with a total 12 pens in all sold upwards of $280/head.
In the lamb section, 81 year-old Tom Dutton, Elmore, sold the market top of $280/head.
The Dutton line of 143 was sold to Inglewood agent FP Nevins & Co for Colin Twigg of Bears Lagoon while the Knight family’s ‘Golden Wattle’ yard of 200 ewe lambs April/May-drop made $276/head.
The opening pen of the ewe lamb sale weas offered by SJ, RJ & RW Berryman “Manobar” Mathoura, NSW. Ex Alma-blood Merino ewes by Houlden BL rams these were sold at $275 a head for a yard of 213 while a second pen of 313 made $260.
Follow up pens of ewe lambs, suitable for an autumn joining, made from $240 to $260/head while smaller backgrounder ewe lambs made $150-$220 a head.
Buyers from Ballarat, Bendigo, the Goulburn Valley, and the north-east districts from Benalla, Euroa and Yea dominated the bidding.
Bendigo agents Elders and Landmark conducted the sale of 14,000 which also offered a sample of crossbred wether lambs that recorded prices from $115 to $145 a head.