BREEDING ewes continued this pre-mating season's buoyant market trend with young spring shorn ewes topping at $242 at the annual Nutrien Livestock sheep sale at Eneabba last week.
Since Primaries reopened its gates in 2013, the Eneabba saleyards has established itself as a handy northern outlet for quality lines of sheep for vendors and buyers alike.
Following a spell, this year's sale was the fourth consecutive fixture held at Eneabba with the Nutrien Livestock team yarding a top line-up of 4677 well-bred and grown ewes and lambs.
Numbers were down on recent sales, particularly maiden ewe hoggets, with producers offloading surplus breeding ewes earlier in the year with the dry start to the season.
The yarding consisted of winter and spring shorn Merino ewes ranging from 1.5-6.5-year-old, spring and unshorn crossbred lambs and spring shorn wether lambs.
The Nutrien Livestock network was well represented in the big crowd that turned out for the sale which was interfaced on AuctionsPlus and local buyers battled it out strongly with their Eastern States' counterparts through the online platform.
At the end of selling, the majority of the mature ewes headed across the Nullarbor to new homes as replacement breeders but young ewes at the top of the market, a couple of pens of older ewes and all the lambs remained in WA.
Under the control of auctioneer Craig Walker, Nutrien Livestock Northern and Eastern Wheatbelt, the sale grossed $730,312 to average $156 across the yarding.
The ewe market averaged $184 across all ages and shearings with values reaching a top of $246 for two lines of maiden spring shorn ewes penned, spring shorn 3.5yo to 4.5yo ewes sold to $206, autumn shorn 5.5yo ewes topped at $158 and a single line of 6.5yo (red tag) ewes realised $140.
The line-up of store and forward store condition lambs saw unshorn crossbred lines top at $132, while autumn shorn Merino wether lambs and hoggets sold to $110.
The sale was interfaced on AuctionsPlus which saw 1452 catalogue views and 32 registered bidders logging in from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and WA, resulting in 82 online bids and six lots purchased online with the majority heading to SA and one line remaining in WA.
Topping this year's sale at $246 was the opening line of 163 July shorn Sandhurst blood 1.5yo ewes offered by first time vendors, the Scott family, Lyndhurst Grazing, Eneabba.
After a lengthy bidding battle with AuctionsPlus, the ewes were finally knocked down to Leno Vigolo, WA Rural, Nutrien Livestock, who purchased the ewes as replacements on behalf of a Northam grazier who plans to join them to Merino rams in the coming mating.
Vendor Callum Scott, who attended the sale with his father Bruce, said they were pleasantly surprised with the price which was well above their expectation.
"It's the first time we have sold our annual draft ewes at auction as we usually sell on-farm," Mr Scott said.
"But with a bit of interest around and discussions with our livestock agent Brice Maddock, we decided to put them in and see what happens."
The following draft of 245 August shorn Arra-dale blood 1.5yo ewes offered by Sutherland Grazing, Arra-dale stud, Perenjori, sold for the sale's next highest price of $210 with Ross Tyndale-Powell, Elders Mingenew, purchasing them for a Mingenew grazier as replacements for prime lamb production.
Topping the mature ewe category was a genuine line of Ejanding blood September shorn 3.5yo ewes offered by IA & CA Kerr, Coorow and Badgingarra, which were knocked down to AuctionsPlus for $206.
They also sold an annual draft of 575 4.5yo ewes of the same breeding and shearing for $204 to AuctionsPlus.
Ian Kerr, who attended the sale with his son Aaron, said the sale of the white tag (3.5yo) ewes was part of a flock reduction due to seasonal conditions.
"We needed to take the pressure off so we are down a bit on breeders to what we normally carry and our green and orange tag wethers also went two weeks ago," Mr Kerr said.
H & UD Reed, Arrin Park stud, Three Springs, received $184 for 477 October shorn Arrin Park blood 4.5yo ewes which sold to AuctionsPlus.
Heal Farming Pty Ltd, Three Springs, topped the 5.5yo ewe values with a draft of April shorn Willemenup blood ewes also going to an online bid for $158.
CJ & PJ Hasleby, Mulga Springs stud, Northampton, sold a line of 451 October shorn Mulga Springs blood 5.5yo ewes for $152 to AuctionsPlus, while Sutherland Grazing pocketed $140 for 151 6.5yo ewes of the same shearing and breeding as their younger sisters which were purchased by Brice Maddock, Nutrien Livestock Central Midlands.
Outfield Holdings, Northampton, offered 626 unshorn May/June 2020-drop mixed sex Poll Dorset cross lambs in two lines with the heaviest draft of 353 weighing an average 45.4kg at assessment topping the sale's lamb values at $132.
Oldfield Holding's following draft of 273 lighter lambs averaging 35.3kg realised $108 with both lines purchased by Chad Smith, Nutrien Livestock Geraldton and Northampton, for an Eastern Wheatbelt buyer who will finish the lambs in a feedlot.
Tom Paige, Elders Geraldton, paid the next highest lamb price of $122 for 181 May/June 2020-drop September shorn White Suffolk cross lambs offered by Hamlin Pool Pastoral Company, Walkaway.
Mr Paige said the 38.3kg average lambs are heading to Morawa to run on stubbles and be finished in the feedlot for processing in January 2021 at around 22kg dressed weight.
An $110 AuctionsPlus bid collected 327 MPM blood May shorn wether hoggets and lambs weighing 44.5kg offered by QP & PH Grazing, Canna.
Jeff Fordham, JC & WV Fordham, Dandaragan, claimed the remaining three lines of wether lambs, paying to a top price of $96 for two lines of April/May 2020-drop MPM blood lambs weighing 35kg offered by AJ Hortin, Eneabba, in lines of 313 unshorn wethers and 110 October shorn wethers.
