A tough day at the office with prices at easier levels compared to recent sales was the post-sale analysis of Nutrien's Wycheproof store sheep sale on Friday that yarded nearly 6000 sheep.
With store sheep proving hard to sell via online platforms, it was hoped a physical sale would attract buyers, leading to an improved clearance.
Nutrien Bendigo auctioneer Nick Byrne said the full clearance was one of the few positive notes from the sale.
"It was what we expected," he said.
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With sheep clearances on AuctionsPlus at about 46 per cent, local vendors decided to seek a result with a physical sale.
"There have been a lot of sheep passed in online and our vendors were in a situation of flooding last spring and then no rain since and they had sheep surplus to requirements that needed to be sold," Mr Byrne said.
"Lambing is also about to start and there is no green feed, apart from some irrigation water being tipped out.
"They just have to make room and as tough as it is, in many cases we have just had to meet the market."
He said they were "relatively happy" to achieve a full clearance, but at prices that "we're not used to".
The market trend was easier on the sale at Wycheproof a fortnight ago, but since then lamb prices had dropped $30 a head or more in that time.
He said that with three of the next six weeks being short kill weeks, it was unlikely that the market would achieve stability - unless it rained.
He said it was pleasing that the mutton market appeared to have plateaued rather than the volatility it showed late last year and early this year, albeit at a reduced rate.
"The underlying fundamentals of the sheep and lamb industry are fairly solid and we are seeing the effects of COVID and stock killed during that time is only just starting to be sold," he said.
"We need to get the next six months out of the way - and the season will play a big part - I believe the industry is in a relatively strong position."
The best pens of Border Leicester-Merino cross ewes sold to $268 with the first to make that money being a pen of 247, 2.5-year-old, August-shorn, scanned-in-lamb 120pc to White Suffolk rams, sold by NV & VJ Tripplett, Barnadown.
A pen of 118 Border Leicester/Merino-cross ewes, May/June 2021-drop, February-shorn, depastured to White Suffolks, was sold by Harry Silvester, Mystic Park.
A consignment of around 400 forwarded by S Ford & Sons, Baringhup, included a pen of 133, Border Leicester/Merino-cross, 2019-drop, September-shorn, SIL at 130pc to Glenore Poll Dorset rams, made $258.
The Ford's 62 cross-bred, 2020-drop, September-shorn, SIL at 114pc to Glenore Poll Dorset rams, made $230, while 136 2018-drop ewes, same description, sold for $165.
Cross-bred ewe lambs sold to $206 for a pen of 136, April-May 2022-drop, January-shorn, that were part of a draft by PJ Smith, Yarrawalla.
A second pen of 204, same description, made $170 and 142 sold for $158.
The lead pen of a draft from JN & PM Byrne Pty Ltd, Lake Marmal, comprised 155, Border Leicester/Merino-cross, May/June 2022-drop, October-shorn, which made $198.
The next draft of 98 made $172.
JM, MJ, JE & CR Leech, Mitiamo, sold a draft of Border Leicester/Merino-cross ewes, to a top of $190 for a pen of 65, May/June 2022-drop, December-shorn.
A second pen of 78 made $168.
The same vendor sold 221 Merino ewes, May/June 2021-drop, November-shorn, Glendonald-blood, unjoined, that made $110.
The best of the Merino ewes was a pen of 94 sold by Perryman Brothers, Mysia, with the April/May 2021-drops, August-shorn, Panorama-blood, SIL to White Suffolks, making $232.
A pen of 94, 2021-drop Merino ewes, sold by Chalmers, made $212.
PN McIntyre Partnership, Gre Gre, sold 146 Merino ewes, 2018-drop, October-shorn, SIL to White Suffolks, for $172.
Another pen of 2018-drop Merino ewes, account Fairfields at Myola, were August-shorn, Willandra-blood, SIL to Poll Dorsets, that sold for $170.
Golden Ridge Acres sold a pen of 345 Merino ewes, 2017-drop, September-shorn, Wallaloo Park-blood, SIL to White Suffolks, for $150.
Of the Merino wether lambs on offer, 429 were sold by Rollinson, sold for $82.
A pen of 216 Merino wether lambs, October-shorn, Concordia-blood, sold for $80 for B Weaver, Boort.
GT & CA Maxted, Jarklin, sold 403 wether lambs, November-shorn, Woodpark Poll-blood, for $75.
Aston Station forwarded a draft of White Suffolk/Merino-cross mixed sex store lambs, September 2022-drop, December-shorn, that sold in three lines with the tops made $114 for 167, the seconds made $98 for 230 and the third run made $72 for 150.
SawersFarms, Boort, sold a line of 232 White Suffolk-Merino-cross ewes, 2.5 years, with 236 lambs at foot, for $172.
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