All classes presented in good condition met an acceptable demand at Deniliquin’s annual January sheep sale held Friday.
But those that were seasonally affected were much harder to move in a 30-70 yarding where the 30 per cent represented those lots that were not seasonally affected to some degree.
Buyers from all points of the compass were needed to absorbed the 23,000-strong store Merino and crossbred fattening yarding, however while a reasonably sizable crowd attended, many for unable to participate because of feed and/or water-related issues.
A ewe market top of $240 a head was paid for a yard of 220 Dohne rising three years (16-drop) that was segregated scanned in lamb for twin lambing possibilities.
September-shorn these were sold by Tom Holt and family, Coonong, Jerilderie, while a second-draft scanned and identified for single lambing, made $190 a head.
Two further large drafts of 16-drop Coonong, Dohne ewes, full-blood sisters to the above, joined also to White Suffolk rams but scanned as undetectable tested the market.
Offered as lots of 990 and 575, the first-draft pen required four falls of the auctioneers hammer to clear at $158, and $150 on three other occasions while the second-draft stayed as one, making $154.
Buyers from Finley, Stawell, Bendigo, Narrandera and Pyramid Hill all took runs from the Coonong consignment, which vendor Tom Holt described as a satisfactory clearance and “glad to see the lot were sold and gone”.
Sales of Merino ewes were also pegged according to the condition of the presented lots.
The highest priced Merino young ewe lots, sold at $200 a head, was a pen of 252 North Tuppal ewes, Tocumwal, December-shorn, Bluebush blood. These were not station mated while the line’s second draft, down on condition, made $140.
Other lines of well conditioned ewes regardless of age - two and three year-olds – made $160- to $190 a head with the best of these, a pen of 117 Woodpark-blood ewes, March shorn, scanned in lamb to White Suffolk rams sold at $190 by Brynavon, Moulamein.
Elders auctioneer, Jason Andrew suggested the better conditioned lines were off the pace of pre-sale expectations.
“The market is very seasonally adverse, Mr Andrews said.
“A lot of the Riverina has been badly affected by the drought conditions and it was very noticeable throughout the auction that very few local buyers displayed any interest in participating” he said.
Bill O’Brien, Landmark agreed and said plain lots were difficult to shift.
Away from the better condition many buying opportunities unfolded as older and plainer conditioned lots made from as low as $68 to $150 a head.
Some were joined others offered four to eight months of wool as rebate including a large draft of 1800 Cocketgedong ewes from Urana, 13-drop, November-shorn, departured to Border Leicester rams, that made $84 to $110.
Merino wethers, which were the last sold on the day, saw 442 Murray Estate, Caldwell wethers, June/July 17-drop, April shorn, Roseville Park blood, sell at $154. These were trucked to Edenhope while 18-drop lambs, unshorn, topped at $105 for 285 Studley Park wethers.
Other 18-drop unshorn wether lambs made $64 to $82, with Shippen family’s Bandyandah Pastoral a major buying securing two loads to stock their recent acquisition, Mount Fyan’s at Dundonnell.
Shorn 18-drop wether lots mostly made $50 to $60 with the best priced a line of 498 Oakville, Conargo, December-shorn, lambs sold at $79.
Sales of Crossbred young ewes and fattening lambs were also priced according to growth and condition.
Opening the sale the best priced of the crossbred sales was a lot of 138 Border Leicester Merino ewe lambs, May/June 18 -drop. This October-shorn lot was cleared at $220 by Koondoola, Finley while a pen of 179 Mi-Fortuna BLM ewe lambs, by Woomboota Super Border rams, made $212.
Offering their annual draft of 1200 Kapunda-bred June/July 18-drop, November-shorn BLM ewe lambs, the Crossley family, Deniliquin received prices from $138 to $171 a head as others lesser grown made $115 to $160.
Crossbred fattening lambs including BLM wether lambs, gained processor interest as most of the better conditioned realized $120 to $147, secondary lines $80 to $120 while the small and ultra light, made $50 to $78.
A small selection of Merino ewe lambs made $68 to $136 a head.