Buyers put the weather and fires across large areas behind them to push prices higher for sheep at the top of the range, at the annual first-cross ewe sale at the Central Victorian Livestock Exchange in Ballarat on Friday.
An excellent quality yarding of sheep greeted buyers when compared to the December sale, however buyers did pull back on secondary lines of sheep this sale in contrast to the last sale.
Leongatha and Thorpdale lamb breeders were prominent on 1.5 year-olds and ewe lambs while there was strong demand from local and regional buyers as well as South Australia.
While the top pens sold generally in a range from $368 to $376 a head, the next tier sold from $320 to $345.
There was support at around $252 to $320.
Glenn and Stephanie Rogers, Swanpool, Pura Pura, received top price of $392 for a pen of 179 ewes, August/September 2018-drop, October-shorn.
There was strong buying in the $370-plus range with a pen of 110 ewes, June/July 2018-drop, October shorn, sold by Fraser Brothers, Clunes, for $376.
A second line of 166 sold by the same breeder made $370 and 121 made $344 and another pen of 45 made $322.
Rob Armstrong, Dobie, consigned first-cross ewes to Ballarat under the trading name of Cornhill Partnership, making to a top of $374.
The pen of 121 were 1.5 years-old.
They also sold 136 ewes to $330.
CJ & JA Smith, Kinross, Skipton, consigned a draft of June/July 2018-drop ewes that sold to $372 for a pen of 190.
The same breeder sold 219 ewes for $370.
Golden Grove sold 210 July/August 2018-drop ewes that topped at $372.
Top of the 2019-drop ewe lambs was a line from the annual draft GJ & KJ Addlem, Serpentine, that made $330 for 150.
The same vendor sold 218 at $320, 140 for $285 and 121 at $244.
The majority of the better lines of ewe lambs sold in a range of $220 to $250, while the smaller and younger lambs sold mostly between $148 and $194.
Of the 2.5 year-old ewes, it was a pen of 187 sold by Airlea Partnership, Nerrin Nerrin, that sold to a top of $288.
A line of 138 sold by Gumview made $284 with a second line of 125 making $276.
PE & PW Muller sold 68 2.5 year-old ewes to $268 and 146 3.5 year-old ewes for $250 with a December jacket.
TB White & Sons auctioneer Gerard White said the quality of the yarding was exceptional.
Mr White said the top drafts were "at least as good" as the sale a month ago, while the secondary drafts were $20 to $30 lower.
"Clients were very happy with the results," he said.
Landmark livestock manager Xavier Shanahan, Ballarat, said averages for vendors were very good.
"The good sheep were every bit as good if not better than the December sale, but secondary lines this sale could have been $30 and in some instances $50 cheaper," he said.