Hamilton ewes snapped up by western district buyers as one vendor sells 800 sheep

Agents yarded 3500 sheep at the Hamilton Regional Livestock Exchange on Friday in what some buyers described as a mixed-quality market.

LMB Livestock and Land auctioneer Bernie Grant, Hamilton, said the sale attracted the interest of buyers from across the western district, including as far as Warrnambool and Casterton.

"The best of the 1.5-year-old ewes made up to $192 a head, making from $120-$160 on average," he said.

"Once you got into your first-cross ewes that were older than 2.5 years, they were all $120-$160 as well.

"The dispersal of Corriedale ewes that we had in the 2.5-year-old age range made up to $157."

Mr Grant said recent summer rain in the Hamilton district had put "more confidence back in the job", as mutton passed 300 cents a kilogram in western Victoria last week.

Kennedy Park, Croxton, sold the top-priced pen of the sale with 70 first-cross ewes, 1.5 years, knocked down for $192 by an undisclosed client at Kerr & Co.

Greenhills, Paschendale, sold 195 1.5-year-old Corriedale ewes for $157 to a buyer at Macarthur.

C Elligate, Mount Napier, sold 80 five-year-old first-cross ewes for $122 to a buyer Caramut.

Kerr & Co livestock agent Zac van Wegen, Hamilton, said prices held up well considering the smaller yarding.

"The sale consisted of some first-cross ewes, a Corriedale dispersal and a flock reduction of some Romney-cross ewes," he said.

"All of the sheep were picked up by western district farmers with 90 per cent of them remaining in a 100-kilometre radius."

Elders Hamilton livestock manager Aaron Malseed said the ewes sold to local buyers from start to finish.

"We had some very nice 1.5-year-old first-cross Border Leicester/Merino-cross ewes and they sold to repeat buyers," he said.

"Most of the time we see the same buyers return to this sale to buy ewes."

Lanark, Branxholme, had a flock reduction of 800 Romney-cross maternal ewes, 3.5 and 4.5 years, including a top pen of 145 for $150, followed by 215 ewes for $134 and 220 ewes at $124.

The entire draft was purchased by Mr van Wegen for an undisclosed client near Hamilton.

Croydon, Comdah, sold 95 Corriedale ewes, 3.5 years, including a top pen of 63 for $104.

Barakee, Dunkeld, sold a line of 77 Border Leicester/Merino-cross ewe lambs for $92.

Clear View, Dunkeld, sold a pen of 58 Border Leicester/Merino-cross ewe lambs for $86.

Mr Malseed said summer rain and green grass in the Hamilton district was uncommon for this time of year.

"She's usually very dry by mid-January," he said.

"We conditions have made it challenging to manage this year.

"We've had clients that have sold early because of the concern about El Nino, but we've had the wettest January we've seen in a long time and that has its own challenges."