Prices bid for First-cross young ewes were again consistent to other Victorian breeders markets at Edenhope on Thursday.
David Hanel, Rodwells reports it was a solid result for the south-west district annual ewe sale where prime lamb producers stumped up $260 to $300 a head for most pens of one to 1.5 year-old ewe maiden and $220 to $260 for ready-to-join 18-drop ewe lambs.
The market’s top price of $300 was paid for a yard of 136 presented by GR & PM Scholfield. These a May//June -drop and October-shorn lot sold to Mount Gambier, SA-based agency O’Connor and Graney while JTB & RE Heard sold a July-drop and September-shorn pen at $296.
Mr Hanel said competition remained strong for the entire 3300-head penning of 17-drop ewe maidens with even the smaller lots drawing good interest to sell above $230 and the penning to overall average $268 a head.
A market’s penning of 6000 18-drop ewe lambs was sold to $260 on two occasions.
Vendors S & N Deardon and Wimmera Downs sold the two high-priced drafts each being April//May-drop but with the Deardon-family line offered as August-shorn while the Wimmera Downs pen was October-shorn.
Mr Hanel said the top runs of ewe lambs sold to solid inquiry from $220 to $260, but the second runs were tougher to shift at $155 to $190 due to a lack of restocker demand.
However the third drafts, once again, met with better competition as buyers purchased to a price in a selling range of $135 to $165 as the ewe lamb penning overall averaged $185 a head.
The usual repeat buyers from southwest districts were prominent, as were local Edenhope buyers and graziers from the Wimmera area due in part to a favourable season in these areas, however buying orders from the Mallee were lacking this year because of their tight feed conditions.
Representative sales
1 & 1.5yo Ewes: GR & PM Scholfield-136 at $300; JTB & RE Heard – 250 @ $296; JS & EM STAUDE - 292 @ $295: MR & JY Hancock – 161 @ $294: S & N Deardon – 94 @ $287; AC, AM, BA & E KEALY - 242 @ $275
Ewe Lambs: S & N Deardon – 99 @ $260; Wimmera Downs – 156 @ $260, 134 - $254; WD RG & NW ROBINSON - 315 @ $242; TW & JM Colliver – 154 @ $234; Westwood -269 @ $234.