A LATE call to host a Mingenew sheep sale earlier this month has paid dividends for Elders and its vendors.
The Elders team put together a quality offering of maiden ewes and proven matrons plus a good run of unshorn wether lambs for the sale and they were rewarded with prices hitting a high of $240 for 1.5-year-old ewes.
The sale attracted 25 registered buyers in the yards and a number on AuctionsPlus.
On the ewe side of the sale, 401 1.5yo ewes averaged $230 while 1382 mature ewes sold for a $197 average.
The wether lambs were the most abundant in number and 1931 of these sold for an average of $124.
Taking the $240 top price honours was the first line of ewes offered which had a good autumn jacket on them.
The line of 68 1.5yo Nepowie blood ewes from Koranga Farming Co, Allanooka, attracted plenty of interest but in the end it was the Patmore family, CM & PR Patmore, Eneabba, which secured the line.
Canna producer MW & AJ James wasn't afraid to bid up either on the young ewes and went home with a draft of 199 September shorn, Nepowie blood, 1.5yo ewes from S & P Connaughton, Three Springs, at $230.
There was one line of 3.5yo ewes offered in the sale and these made $222 when they were knocked down to Gregory Springs, Binnu.
The line of 199 head from Davjeff Nominees, Allanooka, were August shorn and based on Walkindyer and Hyfield bloodlines.
In the hunt for replacement ewes for prime lamb production Norrish Family Trust, Dongara, was the volume buyer in the ewe offering, securing three lines.
It paid to a high of $224 for 134 September shorn, MPM blood 1.5yo ewes from MJ & TLG Kowald, Canna.
The other two lines purchased by the enterprise were from Erregulla Farm, Mingenew.
This included $190 for a line of 179 head and $180 for a draft containing 125 head.
Both lines were February shorn and aged from 3.5yo to 5.5yo.
There were two lines of 5.5yo ewes up for grabs and Chivers Farms, Mingenew, went to $196 for 380 September shorn, Barloo blood ewes from Cosgrove Farming, Mingenew.
The other line was pencilled down to Elders Moora at $190 and it consisted of 198 August shorn, Arra-dale blood ewes from Gymbowen Pty Ltd, Perenjori.
Rounding out the ewes sold was a line of 2.5yo to 6yo Border Leicester-Merino cross, May shorn ewes from Erregulla Farms, which sold at $182 to Elders Narembeen.
In the Merino wether lamb section, the best price achieved was $140 and it was paid by Elders Geraldton for 112 head based on Woolkabin bloodlines and offered by Undaminda Fencing, Canna.
Elders Geraldton also went to $120 for a line of 326 head offered by Bond, Morawa.
A big draft of 465 wether lambs based on Clayton Park blood from Clayton Park Grazing Co, Eneabba, made $128 selling to Elders Narembeen, while D & A Verrall & Son, Three Springs purchased 370 wether lambs based on MPM blood from Whites Barara, Eneabba, at $126.
Whites Barara sold a second line of 369 wether lambs based on MPM bloodlines at $120 to Elders Moora.
Also making $120 was a draft of 289 Ejanding blood wether lambs from Hollins Farming Pty Ltd, Walkaway, which sold to LW Bookham & Co.
