A price of $262 a head for the highly-fancied Goolgumbla-blood Mooloomoon Merino ewes has topped the Hay Merino Breeders September sheep sale in western NSW on Friday.
Sold as the opening pen, this August-shorn line of 434 was secured and shared by Elders Wagga Wagga and Barellan-based Mark Flagg Livestock while a second draft of the Mooloomoon ewes, comprising 516, made $240 a head selling outright to the Mark Flagg agency.
A draft the highly-regarded Merwin ewes, also Goolgumbla-blood and August shorn made $256 a head while a second draft of the Merwin ewes, bred on Moolpa at Moulamein made $242 a head.
These two sales plus a further 11 lots made a tally of 13 bidders that were recorded above $200 a head which was considered a satisfactory result given the circumstances of the season.
However, it was on the balance of the 17-drop young ewes where prices were thought to excel whereby prices were rarely allowed to drift below $160.
Many of these draft were visibly effected by the harshness of the season and although well grown most lacked the condition for an immediate joining.
Buyers from the southern Riverina and southern slopes of NSW, all parts of Victoria and the southeast SA were part of the action, however unlike the demand in recent years this year’s inquiry lacked the capacity and willingness to absorb the large Riverina drafts as offered.
Sales of breeding ewes, aged two to four years, were also well supported from $138 to $204 while the pens of 5.5 year-old ewes were sold mostly from $82 to $141, with the best-priced taken for processing.
The display of Merino wethers varied broadly with those offering freshness and reasonable size sold from $60 to a top of $94 while those smaller in size and dry in condition made $42 to $55.
Two pens of 17-drop wethers completed the sale selling at $85 and $108 while two pens of 18-drop ewe lambs made $98 and $148.