SEASONAL conditions played a role in a subdued sale result at the Pech family’s North Stirling Downs Pty Ltd surplus ewe dispersal held at Tambellup last week.
With no significant rain forecast for the lower half of WA for the next couple of weeks, graziers are cautious in most parts of the Great Southern in terms of increasing their sheep numbers.
The result was still reasonably positive though, with four of the seven lines offered at the sale selling to a top of $175.
The 2730 ewes on offer were early March shorn and ranged from 2016 drop down to 2012 drop.
They had all been depastured with Suffolk rams between December 29 last year to February 8 this year.
The ewes were based on Barloo and Woodyarrup bloodlines and had been backlined with Bayer Viper and drenched with Elanco Zolvix.
The Suffolk rams used in the mating were bred by the Pech family in its Suffolk nucleus flock, which is based on Pamellen Suffolk stud bloodlines.
All ewes were also offered scanned in lamb, with scanning taking place on March 22 and 23.
The top price of $175 was paid for two lines of red tag ewes, which combined amounted to 748 ewes and these were bought by AD & RE Marshall, Lake Grace.
A line of 483 blue tag ewes sold for $165 to Ryelands Farms, Jerramungup and a line of 295 yellow tag ewes made $150 and sold to Glendavale Farms, Boxwood Hill.
Coming off the back of a highly successful sale last year, North Stirling Downs owner Wayne Pech said the seasonal conditions were outweighing buoyant sheep and wool prices.
“At last year’s sale there was already green feed in most paddocks and this year you can understand why people are slightly cautious as they wait for the season to break,” he said.
“We were happy to sell four lines at the sale and also happy to hold on to those lines that didn’t sell and lamb them down and get another fleece of wool off them.”
