PLENTY of interest from both local and interstate buyers helped achieve a sale average of $203 at the Elders ewe and lamb sale at the Moora saleyards last Thursday.
By the start of the sale, temperatures had well and truly exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, producing an abundance of dust and flies.
Despite the conditions, a good crowd attended to check out the ewe and lamb offering.
The Elders team yarded a total of 9572 head of ewes and lambs and all sold for a gross of $1,945,000.
The majority of the yarding consisted of 1.5-year-old-ewes with 2494 yarded, while 4.5yo ewes also made up a large portion of the offering with 1929 head penned.
The rest of the offering included 2.5yo, 3.5yo and 5.5yo ewes, ewe lambs and wether lambs, including the genuine flock dispersal of Fitzsimmons & Son and H & M Rolinson & Co.
There was no shortage of bids with Elders auctioneer Patrick Hannagan quickly knocking down all 30 lines within the hour.
It wasn't until nearly halfway through when the sale's top price was achieved and it was Bob Harridge, RB & CM Harridge, New Norcia who purchased the line paying $248.
The top price was paid for a pen of 138 March shorn, Ejanding blood, 2.5 year-old-ewes offered by LV & EM Dodd.
Mr Harridge said he liked the line of ewes because they had nice big frames and heavy cutting wool and he plans on putting his Poll Dorset rams over the ewes to produce prime lambs.
The second top price of $241 was paid by Minto Pastoral for a line offered by H & M Rolinson & Co, including 429 September shorn, Manunda blood 2.5yo ewes.
Minto Pastoral purchased another line from H & M Rolinson & Co including 545, March shorn, Mununda blood 1.5yo ewes, paying the sale's third top of $238.
Strong support from AuctionsPlus also helped build competition and push prices up.
On AuctionsPlus there were 2667 catalogue views from 99 registered bidders, from Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland.
There were also 41 guest viewers logged on to AuctionsPlus to watch the sale online.
AuctionsPlus dominated the sale with 646 online bids during the sale and 19 lots being sold via the platform to South Australian, NSW and Victorian buyers.
Broken down, 13 of the lines (4019 head) were sold to three different SA buyers, three of the lines (1563 head) went to two buyers in Victoria and three lines (964 head) went to two NSW buyers.
A line of 499 July shorn Ejanding blood, 2.5yo ewes from RJ & VM Hathaway & Son went to a Victorian buyer for $235.
Three separate lines sold for $232 to SA buyers and the first was a line of 466, March shorn, Glendamar blood, 1.5yo ewes from Coolart Pastoral.
The second was a line of 399 February shorn, Hill Padua blood, 2.5yo ewes offered by Fitzsimmons & Sons.
Last to make $232 was another line offered by Fitzsimmons & Son consisting of February shorn, Hill Padua blood 3.5yo ewes.
CM & RM Patmore bought three lines totalling 528 head averaging $226.
Gra-mel Nominees only bought one line paying $226 for 244 September shorn, Manunda blood, 3.5yo ewes from H & M Rolinson & Co.
AM Wright & Son picked up two lines averaging $201, one was a line of 312 September shorn, Navanvale blood, 3.5 and 4.5yo ewes from PC & SE Syred for $210.
The second-line secured by the Wrights included 176 September shorn, Cranmore blood, 1.5yo ewes offered by BM & KC Micke for $184.
WR & RB Cocking also bought two lines including 420 February shorn, Hill Padua blood 4.5-5.5yo ewes from Fitzsimmons & Sons for $200.
The Cockings also purchased a line of 118 March shorn, Ejanding blood, 4.5yo ewes offered by LV & EM Dodd for $199.
